I was living somewhere out in the country, and my mobile phone rang while I was out walking. Kirsty was calling to tell me to come home, as she had fantastic news. I rushed home to be told that I need to get on a train, because I had won tickets to see Nine Inch Nails live. So I rushed to the train station. As I ran out the door Kirsty said her friend would meet me as there was a surprise.

When I got to the station, Kirsty’s friend told me that the surprise was that I got to meet the band, because they were on the same train, going to the show. So I got to hang out with them before the show, and backstage before and after the show, and then hang out the next day with them, as they were sticking around for a few days.

The train came and I eagerly jumped on to go meet the band. They were all great guys, but there was no sign of Trent Reznor. He was “occupied” on another part of the train and would be around shortly. So I sat and chatted with the band about every little topic that came up. Trent finally appeared, just before we got to the arena and said to me “Hi Ross, would you care for some salad? Coleslaw?”

I declined the food offer, and we disembarked the train. Trent disappeared again, and I spent the rest of the pre-show time chatting with the band, and hanging out with a few other contest winners. 5 minutes before the show, Trent came back and said “Hi Ross, would you care for some salad? Coleslaw?” Once again I declined the offer, and then we were all ushered out of the room so the band could get ready for the show.