Soundgarden/Nine Inch Nails -MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater, Tampa, FL 8/11/14 (SHOW REVIEW)

On Monday night a rain-soaked Tampa crowd was treated to two of the biggest and most influential bands of the 1990’s in a sold-out show that contrasted the two major hard rock styles of that period. Grunge pioneers Soundgarden delivered a powerful performance without much in the way of frills or showmanship, putting all of the focus on their musical chops. Nine Inch Nails then followed with a flashy spectacle that perfectly fits their industrial rock sound.

Soundgarden kicked off their set with “Searching With My Good Eye Closed,” the deep cut from Badmotorfinger, giving an early hint that their set would dig deep into the band’s vault rather than simply playing the hits. Celebrating both their 30th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of their masterpiece, Superunknown, the band leaned heavily on that landmark album while representing the entire span of their musical history. From 1988’s Ultramega OK (“Flower,” “Beyond the Wheel”) to 2012’s King Animal (“Been Away Too Long,” “A Thousand Days Before”), the Seattle rockers had it all covered.

The years have been kind to the band. Drummer Matt Chamberlain (filling in for Matt Cameron who is touring with Pearl Jam) and bassist Ben Shepherd still hammer out a mean rhythm while guitarist Kim Thayil remains one of rock’s strongest shredders. As for frontman Chris Cornell, his voice has changed drastically over the years – even from one album to the next – so it’s no surprise that he doesn’t have the same intonation as when the songs were recorded 20-plus years ago. One weakness is that Cornell can no longer hit the high notes with the same ferocity, as was clear on an otherwise powerful performance of “The Day I Tried To Live.” However, even with diminished vocal chops, Cornell is still the greatest singer in rock.

Soundgarden mostly stuck with uptempo rockers, only slowing things down twice – for the sing-along mega-hit “Black Hole Sun” and the soulful “Fell On Back Days.” Though playing at a packed amphitheater, the band treated it like an intimate venue, with few visuals and Cornell introducing many of the songs with a short story. With its stop-start dynamics, varying riffs, and multiple time signatures, “Rusty Cage” provided the band’s most grandiose moments. At the end of the bridge, the band went silent as Cornell belted out “I’m gonna break my rusty cage and run” in a raspy a cappella scream before the instruments stormed back in with the last verse’s signature slow, jerky riff. With that song, Soundgarden flaunted all of the signatures that long ago placed them on grunge’s Mount Rushmore: the alternate tuning, the innovative riffing, the dynamic shifts, the cryptic but clever songwriting, and Cornell’s powerful vocals. Soundgarden closed the set with one of their heaviest tracks, Ultramega OK‘s “Beyond the Wheel,” with Thayil laying down the head-banging riff while Cornell’s hair-raising screams engulfed the audience. As the band exited the stage, Thayil left his guitar sitting on the amp, and a wall of feedback echoed throughout the amphitheater to close the set.

Contrasting Soundgarden’s simplistic production, the Nine Inch Nails show was a visual spectacle, full of strobes, lasers, moving set pieces and more. The set started with frontman Trent Reznor walking onstage by himself, grabbing the microphone, and jumping right into the first verse of “Somewhat Damaged” while drummer Ilan Rubin played offstage. Rubin was then slid onstage, followed by multi-instrumentalists Robin Finck and Alessandro Cortini.

As with Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails’ setlist covered the entire span of the band’s 26-year discography, from 1989’s Pretty Hate Machine (“Terrible Lie,” “Head Like a Hole”) to 2013’s Hesitation Marks (“Disappointed,” “Find My Way”), even including the song “Burn” from the Natural Born Killers soundtrack. After opening with two newer songs, NIN played consecutive The Downward Spiral favorites, the thrashing “March of the Pigs” and the slow, bouncing “Piggy.” Reznor’s stage presence was captivating, whether dancing around microphone stand like a sparring boxer or softly cradling the mic while unleashing a tortured howl.

Whereas with most bands any images projected onstage are simply to fill the background, for Nine Inch Nails the visuals are just as important as the performers. Band members regularly disappeared offstage or behind set pieces and a dazzling light show added extra firepower to the heavier songs. Reznor spent the first half of “Closer” singing into a camera while hiding behind large moving video screens that projected a digitalized closeup of his face.

The set’s highlights showcased the different sides of Nine Inch Nails. The moshpit staple “Wish,” from 1992’s Broken EP, featured Reznor at his snarling best while disorienting strobes emphasized the song’s thrashing guitar and Rubin’s frenetic drumming. “The Great Destroyer” had Reznor busting out all the tools in his electronic bag of tricks during an extended synthesizer jam. Closing the set was the improbable hit “Hurt.” After all the spectacle of the Nine Inch Nails stage show, the denouement was a stripped down number featuring Finck fingerpicking a 12-string acoustic guitar. Sounding at his most vulnerable, Reznor crooned while a chorus of thousands sang along. Towards the end of the show, Reznor hinted that the tour may be his last. If so, after 26 years Nine Inch Nails are going out on top of their game.

Photos by Greg Zimmerman