2007/04/18 Los Angeles, CA
This show was the first live Open Source Resistance event.
Lineup
- Alessandro Cortini: Keyboards, programming, guitar, backing vocals
- Josh Freese: Drums
- Aaron North: Guitar, backing vocals
- Trent Reznor: Vocals, keyboards, tambourine
- Jeordie White: Bass, guitar, backing vocals
Setlist
Video
Video available on http://www.opensourceresistance.net/. Includes pre-concert meeting footage. A fan transcript of the meeting can be found here.
Number: 24.11.2
Eye Witness Accounts
"It all began when I met the person with a cellphone at the parking lot of the LA Police Academy. We then headed over to Echo Park to wait for the phone call (though I got us a little lost along the way). The phone call gave us directions to a nearby parking lot. We milled around in the parking lot for a while before they roped us off into a corner and handed out release forms. The release forms were very entertaining; they said that we didn't know where we were going or what we were doing and that we were over 18 and ok with being filmed. We were searched (all electronics were put back in the car) and then loaded on a rickety bus, in which all of the windows and doors had been blacked out. I was definitely afraid that the bus wasn't going to make it up some of the hills, and there were a few rough bumps. There was a guy with a hand held camera filming us on the bus.
We pulled up to an abandoned warehouse; there were random people standing on the roof and around the entrance. We were led inside; there were more people inside, and AIR flags hanging from the roof. The people inside all had neat black shirts with white AIR flags on them. There also was a mural with the angel, the guy with the face mask, and the robot with a skull inside from the mural in London with "Art is Resistance" written on the bottom. There was a camera when we first walked in and then another one inside. Neil Czerno gave a talk about how we should give a shit and change the world. I was rather cynical about his talk at first, but he redeemed himself by noting that we shouldn't just blindly accept what he was saying and that we should change the world in small ways. He also told us that we were stupid for allowing them to herd us like cattle onto a bus to who knows where with no form of communication (and for carrying around cellphones like tracking devices) and that we'd be dead if they were really after us. After his talk, we were led over the river and through the woods (the warehouse complex was rather large). We were stopped briefly before we entered a room with many lights and lots of equipment.
The opening notes of TBOTE began playing, and I was 3 feet away from Jeordie White on the far end of the line (and 10ft away from Trent Reznor, that's the closest that I'll ever get to NIN). There were about 50 people there, so it was a very small, intimate show. They then played Survivalism, Last, MOTP, WITT, and then The Frail. I'd honestly thought that I was going to have to wait six months or more to hear TBOTE, Survivalism, Last, and WITT live. There were people there filming the show with cameras, and Rob was taking shots of the band. There was a large AIR flag painted on the wall behind the band. I knew that something was going to happen because you could see flashing lights outside during The Frail. Policemen in riot gear (they looked like carbon copies of the ones in the Survivalism video) entered the building. They also had quite a few devices like firecrackers that made noises that sounded like gun shots and that sparked; I got a very good look at them because I was near the door that they used to enter. The resistance personnel pushed us out of the rooms after the cops entered. There seemed to be a few people detained, but I'm not quite sure how they were chosen, because the six people were all cell phone people with their guests. I should have known that something was going to happen after I saw the 20 song set list that included The Perfect Drug. We were herded back on the bus after a run through the complex and driven back to our cars.
The people on the bus told us to be on the lookout for more graffiti, murals, and ads, and that they'd be in touch with the people with the cellphones."
-[cynicmuse]
"On the 101 I received a call at around 12:45 or so. They told me that at 6pm, I was to be within a 5 minute drive from the fountain at Echo Park. That they would contact me from there with further instructions, and to stay in the car.
6pm?! What was I going to do until then? Oh boy!
I eventually got to Hollywood, where I met up with Tracy (TrentRoxMe) at around 1:30pm. I picked up my extra pre-ordered copy of Year Zero at the Virgin Megastore on Hollywood and Highland.
From there we decided to get some lunch, which is of course when we went to Pinks Hot dogs (Always Pinks). We enjoyed a nice meal, and then headed to the Mural to bide our time. We checked out the mural for a while, took some photos and then walked up and down Melrose, checking out all the sex shops along the way (There are a LOT). Eventually we walked off most of the weight we gained from Pinks, and started walking back to the Mural.
I got a call from Adrienne, one of the other phone holders, telling me she was in the area. Tracy and I met up with her at Coffee Bean and we walked further along Melrose to the mural. We took some more photos and got to my car. Adrienne's guest (and ride) was still in class so we decided to help her out and give her a ride. We headed to the parking lot Tracy parked in so she could get her sweater. And then, Adrienne lived across the street so we went to her place to use the restrooms and stretch.
After a weird confrontation with some hippy about where I parked in front of her house, we proceeded to Echo Park.
Even though Tracy nearly got us lost, and late, we arrived with 20 minutes to spare. A few phone holders were chilling in the park, so we joined them for a bit. Chatted a bit, and then 5 minutes before 6 we all headed to our cars. Adrienne's roommate met up with us at this point (this perky blonde girl who has never listened to NIN before in her life, and had no idea what was going on beyond the phones).
At around 6:03 they call us and tell us directions to this parking lot about a mile or two from where we were. To park, and bring ourselves and our ID. We pull into a gated parking area in an alley, the gates are all masked with black sheets, so we can't see inside. We park at around 6:20, and get out.
We gather in little groups, Tracy, Jessica, Russ, Adrienne, I, and all our guests. And others. Eventually, like amoebas we all converge into a corner of the parking lot. All 45 of us. They wrap caution tape around the area and tell us that they are gonna start calling our OSR phones and that when that happens, us and our guest must step up and get wanded and patted down to make sure we were free of recording devices. Soon after they started handing out waivers, stating that we may be recorded and that we give up our rights to be recorded, and that we were going to be transported and that we okayed that too.
Fuck it. Signed.
They called my phone, we stepped up, and got a thorough pat down.
We loaded up onto an old coach bus, with windows completely taped up with black paper, and the front had a black curtain so we could absolutely not see where we were headed. After everyone loaded up we headed off to the super secret location.
After an entertaining 15 minute drive, we arrived. We all unloaded at this dilapidated old warehouse. There were OSR members everywhere. They were watching us from the roof, from windows, everywhere. Some of them even had cameras. We walked inside and there were seats and stage.
They sat us down and after a few quiet minutes a guy came out and gave us a very powerful speech about using our voices, waking up and making a difference. Not to necessarily listen to his opinion, but to realize we can form our own, and we have the power to use our voice. You can hear the whole spiel on the footage.
At the end they took us all and made us walk through this labyrinth of a warehouse. Up stairs, under pipes, through dark rooms, on bridges that connected buildings. For about 3-4 minutes. Eventually we arrived at an old elevator. We got inside the elevator, about half of us, the other half had to take the stairs.
The elevator goes down. Slowly...
And as we get further down, someone mentions amp lights.
Amp lights?
Someone mentions a stage.
A stage?
Oh fuck. Oh fuck fuck fuck.
Tracy grabs my arm and grips it hard. The elevator arrives and the door opens.
The OSR guys yell at us "Hurry, move, move!"
We don't need them to tell us, we're already half way there.
And there they are.
NINE INCH NAILS
In the dark, we see their shadows.
And then, before we even all arive to the stage (Which is not so much a stage but a few pieces of plywood, and Tracy and I are RIGHT IN FRONT, less than 3 feet away from touching Trent Reznor, literally), The Beginning of the End begins.
We all start going crazy.
After 6 amazing songs are played (Beginning of the End, Survivalism, Last, March of the Pigs, We're In This Together, and The Frail)....
The SWAT team BUSTS IN.
Alarms blare, the music ends, lights flashing... SWAT comes busting in through doors, through windows, guns and lights pointing at us. We hear gunfire and we all run. The OSR team is telling is to 'run and get to the bus!' and we do. We all run.
And we arrive at the bus. And we're all loaded up and we bolt out of there.
We get taken back to our cars.
And that's it.
The end.
They tell us they will be contacting us shortly on our OSR phones.
We all gather around the lot, talk about what we just experienced, and take some photos and we all leave.
The blonde newbie is ecstatic, calling all her friends and telling her all about the experience (Adrienne tells me she asked to have all the CDs burnt, niceeee)
We drop them off and then me and Tracy get Denny's.
We part ways.
And here I am."
Aftermath
According to the flood wreckage, years after the first Open Source Resistance meeting, people associated with the resistance movement were hunted down by the USBM and were often sent to Exterminal in Guam.