Music has always had the ability to inspire, empower, and uplift people, even in the most dire of situations. Any true music fan who lives, breathes, sleeps, eats and drinks their music, knows that feeling or sensation that a certain part, peak, or sweeping crescendo in a song can make you feel. Or perhaps the lyrical content parallels something that is going on in your life at a particular moment. Whatever the case may be, it is a feeling that millions of us can understand.

In the case of photojournalist Andrew Youssef, Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails recently gave him his very own moment. Youssef, a huge music fan that has shot countless bands from Atoms For Peace to the Deftones, Depeche Mode to LCD Soundsytem, and Rage Against the Machine to Van Halen, was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in 2011. He has been receiving treatment for the past three years, has continued to photograph the bands he loves, and started a column called Last Shot, which documents his ongoing battle, along with his concert experiences.

However, in September, Andrew wrote that his doctors told him that his disease had taken a turn for the worse, and he had weeks to months to live. Andrew documented the difficulties of coming to terms with this, as well as telling his family and friends the news. In the column, he also discussed how he had been listening to a lot of Nine Inch Nails, in particular “In The Twilight,” and how its lyrics resonated with him, “As the time is running out.. Let me take away your doubt.. We can find a better place.. In this twilight.” You can read that particular column here.

Trent Reznor heard of Youssef’s struggles, and began following his column, and even invited him to NIN’s intimate shows at the Troubadour. Reznor and Youssef began to have lunch every day during the band’s rehearsals for their upcoming tour, quickly became friends, and have kept in constant contact since.  Facing a “dwindling energy supply,” Youssef cut his schedule down to just two Nine Inch Nails shows, Nov. 8th in LA, and Nov. 16th in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, he was unable to make the Las Vegas show, as he was simply in too much pain to make the trip.

While Andrew unable to make the show in person, he was still able to make the show, when Reznor decided to make a phone call to him, explaining to the crowd Youssef’s story and why he appeared to be on his phone when walking out on stage. Holding his phone up to face the packed arena, with the crowd chanting “Andrew! Andrew!” Youssef was able to feel the power of the masses in a truly uplifting moment of love, compassion, kindness, and the beauty of the human spirit as NIN went into “In This Twilight.”

These are the moments that we live for, the moments that give you hope, that make you feel like we are all in this fight together, and the moments that you cannot soon forget. Catch a video of the beautiful moment below. Our thoughts go out to Andrew Youssef during these most trying of times.

[via Consequence of Sound]