Welcome to my first “In the Crowd” post – these will be blogs about my concert experiences, and I am starting with a really, really good one.
Spoiler Alert!
If you’re going to see the Peel It Back Tour and want to experience it the way I did – completely blind, not knowing anything about the show – stop reading here. Trust me, going in unspoiled made my first experience unforgettable.
First Things First: The “Girl in the NIN Sweatshirt”
Since I have been irrationally irritated about this encounter, and I’ve been telling everyone I’ve talked to about it, I figured I’d start by sharing this story. The week after seeing NIN, I saw a girl at another concert wearing a NIN sweatshirt. Naturally, I asked, “Did you see them in Detroit?”
She said yes.
I said, “Wasn’t that an amazing show?”
Her reply? “Meh. So so. Too much techno.”
Are you kidding me?! If that show was “meh” to her, we clearly experienced completely different universes. Because in my opinion, it was the best NIN show I’ve ever been to.
B-Stage (Part One)
Going into the show completely blind was the best decision I could’ve made. I had no idea what to expect. No clue what the setlist was like, what the B-stage was all about, the visuals – nothing. The moment the opener, Boys Noize, finished his electronic dance music set (including remixes of some NIN songs), the Kabuki curtain for the B-stage dropped. The lighting above the B-stage flickered like lights turning on in a dim basement studio, and there was Trent. Just him, sitting at his piano. It felt intimate, like we were in his creative space.
He opened with “Right Where It Belongs” – one of my favorite NIN songs, and one that I had on my wish list of songs that I have never seen performed live. The crowd – tens of thousands of fans – was almost silent. Trent’s voice was full of emotion, and the low notes he banged out on the piano gave me chills. He added a haunting outro of the last verses of “Somewhat Damaged”, then wiped away tears before starting the next song.
Next, he played an acoustic version of “Ruiner” – the shirt that I got to remember the night by included lyrics from that song, and I found out later that each show’s shirt featured different lyrics. Trent was joined by bassist Alessandro Cortini and Atticus Ross, the only other “official” member of Nine Inch Nails, towards the end of the song and then transitioned into “Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)“. Trent stepped away from the piano for this song, grabbing his microphone and moving around the stage. He was bending over and singing to the crowd, and a bright spotlight shone right in his face. Ken loved that effect – I love how different parts of the show were more impactful than others to each of us.
Main Stage (Unpeeled)
“Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)” concluded with Josh Freese showing up on video projected onto the main stage’s curtain and absolutely killing it on the drums. One thing I did know going into the concert was that Josh Freese would be playing on the remaining shows of the tour, including the one in Detroit, and I was thrilled about it. The drum solo led into the full band performing “Wish”, with the main stage curtain slowly lifting to reveal everyone. In typical NIN style, there were no spotlights. There was a see-through screen that visuals were projected onto (I’ll get into the specifics on those with the songs), and amazing lighting effects.
One of the best NIN songs to hear live, “March of the Pigs”, was next on the setlist. You can’t call a tour “Peel It Back” if you’re not going to play that song – “Take the skin and peel it back, doesn’t it make you feel better?” The transition from the intimate acoustics of the B-stage to the raw power of those opening songs on the main stage was awesome. I told my friend who went with us that she would see me “go feral” at this concert, and that is absolutely what I did during those songs. That “going feral” reached a whole new level as I heard the characteristic opening sounds of “Reptile”, another song on my wish list. During that song, I remember saying to myself, “Dude. This concert has barely even started, and already I can say this is the best NIN show I have ever been to.” It was incredible how the lighting matched exactly what I had always pictured while listening to the song – shades of green with black and white visuals projected onto the screen. Bright green strobes blinded the people in the pit with the hard and raw guitar and drum riffs. Next to “Right Where It Belongs”, “Reptile” was definitely one of my top songs of the evening. But Trent wasn’t done blowing our minds yet…
The next song, “The Lovers” provided some serious contrast and showcased the variety of musical styles that Trent performs. Some of the best visuals of the night accompanied “Copy of A” – both Ken and I were like, “That is so cool.” Images of Trent were projected onto the screen. As he would move, those images would follow. They weren’t in sync, but rather appeared like dominoes. My description does not even compare to the experience – so if you want to see for yourself, check out this video on YouTube.
The Unpeeled Stage concluded with “Gave Up”, another favorite live performance, before transitioning back to the B-stage.
B-Stage (Part Two)
If the only part of the show that “NIN Sweatshirt Girl” watched was this, then I guess you could say it was “too much techno” (insert eyeroll here). Alexander Ridha, the name behind Boys Noize, joined Trent and Atticus on the B-stage. The three of them faced each other and a cameraman moved around the stage getting sweet angles as they made music together. They opened with “Vessel” – a badass song that was perfect for this collaboration. But nothing will hold a candle to what happened next. The lights changed to purple and pink, and familiar music started playing. Once I realized what it was, I turned to my friend and said, “Oh man, it’s Ken’s favorite song!” That was sarcasm, because Ken had told us several times before the concert that he hoped they wouldn’t play “Closer”. I understand – it is definitely an overplayed song, and they have a huge catalog of music with songs we would much rather hear. However, this version was different. The beat dropped and I lost my ever-loving mind (along with everyone else in the crowd). By the end of it, even Ken was saying, “Okay, that was awesome.” This is another one that I cannot do any justice by attempting to describe it, so check it out:
Next came “As Alive As You Need Me To Be”, Nine Inch Nails’ latest release, written for the movie “Tron: Ares”. The final song for the B-Stage was a remix of “Came Back Haunted”, featuring some really cool orange and white lighting effects. The lighting effects for this song were some of Ken’s favorites, which says a lot since that’s part of what he does for a living. Between the lights moving and the stage fog, it looked like waves crawling across the venue’s ceiling. Towards the end of the song, Trent and Atticus ran off stage, making their way through the crowd while Boys Noize continued the remix.
Main Stage (Peeled)
The familiar opening of “Mr. Self-Destruct” blended into the end of “Came Back Haunted” as the screen curtain was literally “peeled” away – no barrier left between band and crowd. Robin shredded on guitar, Trent’s vocals cut deep, and Josh absolutely annihilated the drums.
Next up: “Less Than” (from Add Violence). Trent pulled out his tambourine for this one – I love it when Trent pulls out the tambourine. Then came the real treat for many longtime fans: “The Perfect Drug,” a deep cut they rarely perform live. After it finished, Trent introduced the band starting with “On the drums, Josh Freese!”, and the crowd roared. He also gave thanks to Alex (Boys Noize) for joining them, and softly added “…on his birthday.” Then he turned to the audience and said, “Thanks for sticking with us on this journey. I really appreciate it.”
He prefaced the next song by saying, “That last song was one we had the privilege of working with David Lynch on, and this next one is a song we had the privilege of working with David Bowie on.” Cue the crowd going wild again as another deep cut, “I’m Afraid of Americans”, started playing.
From there, the set rolled into the staples:
- “The Hand That Feeds”
- “Head Like a Hole”
- And, as always, the emotional closer “Hurt.”
When “Hurt” ended, the band left the stage – no encore, just lingering guitar feedback and ambient noise. The lights flashed. The curtain slowly closed, with the NIN logo illuminated on it. Then, just as suddenly as the night had built to its peaks, the feedback cut, and the house lights came up.
Final Thoughts
I turned to my friend and husband and exclaimed, “That was the best Nine Inch Nails show I have ever been to, hands down.” You would never know that Trent Reznor turned 60 this year – he still delivers a mix of fan favorites and surprises with so much energy.
Ken said, “We have to see this again.” At first, we joked about getting tickets and going to another city – Toronto and Cleveland were both within a reasonable driving distance with shows on the horizon. Then, just a day or two before the show, we decided to go for it and bought upper-level tickets for the show in Cleveland. It was cool to see the show from a different perspective, and we did get a very slightly different setlist – they swapped out “The Lovers” for “Find My Way” that night (not mad about them playing one of my favorite songs instead of one I barely know). I had hoped for “Every Day Is Exactly the Same” in place of “The Hand That Feeds”, like they had done in a few cities on the tour, but that didn’t happen. Still, it was awesome to see the show again.
Nothing will ever top that first night in Detroit. I’m so glad we went in totally blind – no setlist stalking, no expectations. I’m also glad that we decided to just say “YOLO” and grab tickets to see it a second time in Cleveland. Apparently, twice isn’t enough – after all, isn’t the saying “The third time’s the charm”? Trent announced an extension of the tour into 2026, with another Michigan stop at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. We snagged our tickets this week and will be seeing it from yet another perspective: the pit. Please keep our “ain’t as young as we once were” bodies in your thoughts on February 22, 2026.
RD on the Run 