Aaron North or Robin Finck ?

[Martin della Cava]

I had a chance to see these two guitarists with NIN, and, although both are excellent, but I really liked Aaron North, his style was chaotic live, onstage impressed me ¿what do you think?

[hobochic]

I think you want Aaron's babies.

[Martin della Cava]

JajajajJj HhHhHhHAHAHAHAHAHOHOHOHO!!

[Leviathant]

I actually preferred Aaron North, myself.

[cheeseprocedure]

I figured everyone would be saying Robin! Aaron is an awesome guitarist with a metric shit ton of energy... I just prefer Robin. I have always loved Robin's style though and was ecstatic when it was announced he was rejoining the line up after Aaron departed. Aaron sure puts on one hell of a show though! On that note... nothing against Justin because he does do a killer job with NIN, but I would LOVE to see Danny come back for bass!

[BRoswell]

I like them both equally.

[JamesCmuse]

I'm a big fan of Robin. I just think back to him and Trent more or less beating the crap of each other on stage while touring The Fragile and it makes me smile. Hope he tours with NIN again, would love to see him perform.

[r_z]

One does not simply register on ETS and open stupid threads

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[Martin della Cava]

Your opinion does not offend me, but I really care what fans say, because in my environment, nobody listens NIN

[Leviathant]

Anyone else who wants to comment on the quality of the thread is opening themselves up to getting an infraction. Unless you're an administrator or a moderator, it's not really your place to actively (or passive aggressively) dictate what should and should not be posted here.

If you don't like a thread... don't read it, and don't reply to it.

[Jinsai]

I'd say that Finck is a technically superior guitarist, for what that's worth. Aaron North might have more frantic energy on stage, and I'm not the kind of person who dislikes sloppy playing, but at one of the shows I saw he massively messed up at least twice. During La Mer he kept losing the timing and completely falling off.

I would vote for something completely different this time around. I know I'm in the minority here, but I always wished that they were a little less of a "rock band" in their live incarnations.

[ScreamingSlave]

Robin Finck by far Aaron North is crazy energy on stage but that does nothing for his very very sloppy playing skills

[DigitalChaos]

I would vote for something completely different this time around. I know I'm in the minority here, but I always wished that they were a little less of a "rock band" in their live incarnations.

Maybe NIN could have their own Cirque du Soleil show. Robin has the connections! Trent might be able to pull off MOTP while doing some crazy acrobatics.

[hobochic]

On a serious note, I love Robin's dynamics that range between the delicate and sophisticated to the chaotic and agressive. His alien like stage presence really gave NIN that futuristic and dystopian feel that fitted so well for the fragility tour, like his decadent tribe look enhanced the self destruct tour.

I loved Aaron's time in NIN as well and felt like his punk rock attitude from rendering and performing the songs was exactly what the live band needed; partly to break away from the old greased up machine they were during the 90's.


That said, no one brought more darkness and droning guitar sounds into NIN as much as Ricky Patrick.

That's a joke.

[theimage13]

Count me in for Robin.

My first live show was on the WT tour when Aaron and Jeordie were in, and don't get me wrong: it was a great show. But seeing them again a few years later with Robin and Justin felt a little more natural to me. Maybe it's because I've been listening to NIN since I was a kid, and being a grown man with a career and whatnot, I related a bit more to people who gave off an impression of musicianship over showmanship. And that's not to say that Jeordie or Aaron sounded bad - I just preferred the way it sounded with JMJ and Robin.

Or maybe I just like taller people.

[voidnz]

I like both. Both put on an energetic show. I liked the chaos Aaron would bring and the more raw guitar sound whereas Robin's a more old school member. He's mellowed a bit but still rocks hard.

[gorast]

I always preferred Robin's more controlled methods of playing. Aaron was fun to watch on-stage, but there were also times when it would get to be too much. Robin never seemed to overdo the chaotic aspect, and always nailed his parts.

[Henrie_Schnee]

Aaron North, definitely. You can really tell how he gave NIN a certain punk-like influx that they really needed as a reformed live-band after (a) so long a hiatus and (b) Trent being not immune to the pitfalls of ages. I also had the chance to see both in action; and to be honest: I was not impressed with Finck at all. Saw him messing up that solo in "Ruiner" - or maybe not messing it up, just playing it in his own style that I just don't seem to cater for... anyway, Aaron North. I wonder what happened to him?

[cheeseprocedure]

Aaron definitely gave the show that 90's feel that I missed out on... If it werent for him I wouldnt have a chunk of NIN guitar :) . Personally, I love the fact the Trent gives his musicians the freedom to add their own persona into how they play his songs. I will always prefer Robin though, because he is artsy, always has awesome facial expressions and his stage demeanor is more towards how I act on stage... not sure where I am but giving it my all in a drug induced trance, LOL! It was pretty epic watching Aaron run around the place and act like a freak though... not sure if he botched any of the songs the couple times I saw him but I was too fucked up and just happy to be at a NIN show to care. My first show was in 05 Chicago, then 06 in Des Moines, then 08 in Council Bluffs and the last was KC in 09... I am very grateful I was able to catch him 4 times in that short amount of time... especially since my mom ruined my chances to see them with APC back during The Fragile. I was too young/ didnt have anyone to go with back in the 90's so Closure had to surface until AATCHB... which is probably why I love Robin so much!


Speaking of Closure... I know this is a little off topic, but here it goes... I would love for Trent to do a modern version for the next tour! I love AATCHB and BYIT but was disappointed with both when there was no backstage footage. I know things wouldnt be as "interesting" as it was back then, but I felt like I was right there with them... and I miss that! I have tried getting the bands I work with into the idea for them, but none of them like being filmed "off stage". Maybe I should just send my portfolio to Rob and beg to be part of the next video project :rolleyes:. Anyone else want a modern Closure or do you prefer the stage show vibe?

[thevoid99]

I like Aaron's energy but I much prefer Robin in terms of his playing and stage presence.

[ryanh92]

Robin Finck by far Aaron North is crazy energy on stage but that does nothing for his very very sloppy playing skills

i second this. Robin just seems to be a better fit in my opinion.

[slave2thewage]

Aaron. I always noticed Robin fucking up a LOT more when I saw him perform with NIN. Also, he can't play The Big Come Down at all imo.

[BrokenSpiral]

Robin all the way. North and his "crazy energy" seemed kinda forced and lame. I didn't care for him. As far as I'm concerned Robin is THE live NIN guitarist.

[fillow]

The Big Come Down, Wish (mostly breakdown), Starfuckers outro solo: Aaron
everything else: Robin

[ninperu]

Robin Finck by far, Aaron play the guitar awful...

[M1ke]

Robin by far.

I've seen both of them, and Finck's guitars gave the songs a new life. Aarons sometimes made me wonder what the hell had gone wrong.

[r_z]

Anyone else who wants to comment on the quality of the thread is opening themselves up to getting an infraction. Unless you're an administrator or a moderator, it's not really your place to actively (or passive aggressively) dictate what should and should not be posted here.

If you don't like a thread... don't read it, and don't reply to it.

Fair enough. My apologies.

[scorpiusdiamond]

Richard Patrick anyone...?

No, but seriously, I am a die hard Aaron fan. I think if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have thrown myself so much into NIN. You can say he plays sloppily, but I think it's much more interesting than Robin's way of playing...
I like to quote Trent on this:
"When [Aaron] walked through the door, he pissed on [Robin's] shoes and kicked them out the door where they belong"

[Highly Psychological]

I think i preferred Aaron but they were both very different guitar players, i saw Aaron's previous band The Icarus Line a few years before he joined NIN in an audience with about 5 people. They were great. Robin seemed to me a much more experimental artistic classical guitar player, where as with Aaron i liked his punkish stripped down quality. I found Aaron made the tracks from With Teeth sound much better in a live setting.
With Robin i think people associate him with NIN more simply due to the amount of time he has played with Trent over the years, but looking back i found Aarron on the 2007 European tour mindblowing. Its a hard question.
I think if you were to combine the two you would have an almighty guitar player.

[Fragile Teeth]

Robin >>>>>>>>>>>>> Aaron

[slave2thewage]

I wonder what Robin thinks about that "pissing on shoes" comment from TR.

[Damion]

Robin all the way. I don't care how long he has played with Nails, He just get's it. Dynamic playing, Chaotic manic energy yet controlled when needed. Aaron North just seemed sloppy and like he didn't give a shit. He always came off a bit too "Guitar masturbatory" to me.

[Damion]

I wonder what Robin thinks about that "pissing on shoes" comment from TR. If I remember correctly, Trent was pissed at Robin due to the fact that Robin was sitting around getting paid by axel rose and wouldn't come on tour for the "With Teeth" tour. At the time of the pissing on shoes comment, I felt like Trent was taking a jab at robin and throwing a semi temper tantrum. I also remember a lot of the band having some hard feelings after the fragile tour including Charlie Clouser posting a pretty brazen rant on here about Trent's live performances towards the end of the tour.

[jaypayton]

Richard Patrick over both of them....

[Sutekh]

Robin has the presence & persona (and he always looks the ticket), and anyone with half an ear can tell he's a fucking beast of a player. But even though RF is the definitive NIN guitarist, AN definitely was a not half bad replacement, he's a good enough player & basically he throws himself all over the shop, so in terms of a dynamic presence onstage, he ticks that box. Jason Newsted syndrome (good but always within a shadow)

[thefragile_jake]

Aaron certainly was a lot more all over the place and hyper but I prefered Robin's playing by far. Plus, I felt Robin always had a much more interesting look.

I hated the way North played the solo on Wish, it always felt incredibly bluesy to me and it didn't fit the punk rock power chords vibe of the rest of the song. When I saw the Lights in the Sky tour in 2008, I was so happy to hear Robin play it the way I've always prefered.

[botley]

I loved Aaron's performances with the band during the many With Teeth '05–06 shows that I attended. If it's a balls-out rock show, it should be a bit sloppy now and then — that adds to the excitement level. I only saw Robin play during a handful of Fragility 2.0 and Lights in the Sky/Wave Goodbye shows; for the most part they were more subdued, less visceral experiences. It seemed like more responsibility rested on Trent's shoulders at those shows, as far as exciting the crowd and interacting with us went. Robin has a very different vibe, almost like he's in his own world onstage. I'm glad I got to see both, but if I had to pick one it'd be Aaron.

[kdrcraig]

I liked Aaron's playing better on a few songs, namely The Big Come Down and Terrible Lie. Overall I liked Robin better.

[JessicaSarahS]

I liked Aaron's playing better on a few songs, namely The Big Come Down and Terrible Lie. Overall I liked Robin better.

Agreed. I prefer Aaron's playing on The Big Come Down the most, but I liked Robin's style on everything else.

[Ghostofme]

Finck for me.. I feel like he's always made it look easy and something about his body language when he plays.. I just dig him more.
That being said, I'm super stoke about Adrian Belew. I'd been hoping to see him play live with NIN at some point but never dreamed it would happen.

[Moebius]

I'd go with Robin.

Aaron was lots of fun, a complete whirlwind on stage. It's a good thing, too, because Jeordie was boring as hell, he hardly moved at all! Definitely Aaron's side was the best to be on...

But Robin, he just _is_ Nine Inch Nails. He fits the part perfectly and there's so much history there. He's got a chemistry with Trent that Aaron never had, you can tell they've been through a lot together on stage.

[Fragile Teeth]

Adrian Belew

[the duder]

Awesome thread. Saw Aaron twice (Philadelphia and Erie back in '05) and Robin once (Prague, 09?) and have to say that I can't come to a strong decision one way or another. I think nostalgically back to the Fragility era when I was at the end of my high school days/freshman year of undergrad when AATCHB ended up coming out, NIN going away and watching Finck and how integral his overall performance was to the atmosphere of those shows. His demeanor, playing, facial expressions, etc directly connected me to the music and to the emotion embedded therein. When Aaron was announced as the guitarist with the ah-With-ah-Teeht-ah tour, I immediately scoured every youtube video of the Icarus Line/A.N. that I could find and was blown away. For as much as Robin embodied "La Mer", Aaron embodied "MOTP" - which I think is why Trent had him come in. Christ, that entire album (WT) was begging the question "am I still relevant?" and I feel that with Aaron back in the fold, it was an immediate, visual, visceral "Yes, motherfuckers!" to the idea of NIN/TR being irrelevant.

Short story long, in my eyes both guitarists fit where and when they were in NIN. I definitely look forward to seeing how Adrien fits into the mix.

Oh, and also...

I think if you were to combine the two you would have an almighty guitar player.
Ben Weinmann of Dillinger?? :D