Sometimes life’s coincidences seem a lot like omens. Earlier this year, in the midst of dealing with various health concerns and pining for the live music experiences I haven’t had much of since 2019, I told my partner that I’d really like to see Nine Inch Nails if they ever toured again. I was a fan as a teenager but lost my enthusiasm when With Teeth (2005) and Year Zero (2007) didn’t carry the same nuance and impact as earlier albums. Well, just a few days after my pronouncement, rumors started swirling, and soon enough the Peel It Back tour was announced. On top of that, one-time guest author Keagan got in touch, as he got frustrated with Ticketmaster’s antics in the USA and was considering coming to Europe to see me and the band. We ended up getting tickets along with some other like-minded friends for Vienna, where we’d spent a semester studying together in 2007. (That’s when I saw John Cale the first time, which was the show that inspired me to start the blog.) Sometimes, the stars align.
Anyway, suffice to say I was excited. The throngs of Nailers outside the venue were a sight to behold, and the presence of gummy candy and popcorn vendors in the venue made it seem like some sort of goth carnival. I caught the entirety of the opening set from Boys Noize, who performed a solo techno set with plenty of samples, including Kraftwerk’s “Tour de France” and Fehlfarben’s “Paul ist tot”. He was set up on a small stage in the back of the venue, and I was in a seat close to the main stage, but I don’t think there was much to see even if I’d had a better view. He performed for a solid hour, and while the beats were good, my spot wasn’t well suited to dancing and I got pretty tired of it.
Anyway, suffice to say I was excited. The throngs of Nailers outside the venue were a sight to behold, and the presence of gummy candy and popcorn vendors in the venue made it seem like some sort of goth carnival. I caught the entirety of the opening set from Boys Noize, who performed a solo techno set with plenty of samples, including Kraftwerk’s “Tour de France” and Fehlfarben’s “Paul ist tot”. He was set up on a small stage in the back of the venue, and I was in a seat close to the main stage, but I don’t think there was much to see even if I’d had a better view. He performed for a solid hour, and while the beats were good, my spot wasn’t well suited to dancing and I got pretty tired of it.
[Trent solo at the keyboard.]
But then at just about the hour mark, Boys Noize suddenly stopped and knelt down while the curtains fell around another stage in the middle of the venue, revealing Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails sitting at a keyboard. He performed “Right Where It Belongs” alone, and after starting into “Ruiner”, Atticus Ross eventually joined on keyboards and whatever else he does (samples? electronics? programming?), followed by Alessandro Cortini on keyboards and bass. “Piggy” was the Further Down the Spiral (1995) version with minimal bass and frantic choruses with wild guitar provided by Robin Finck. As the song ended, the high-energy drumming continued while the band members left the stage, walked down a corridor, and then mounted the main stage. Meanwhile, a projection on the curtains showed Ilan Rubin drumming, and he was revealed to be already on the main stage as the heavy curtain rose.
The moment Ilan finally stopped, band launched into an intense set with almost no pause between songs. I was immediately taken in. A videographer ran around the stage, shooting the various members while the feed was projected on assorted curtains on, behind, and around the stage. The videographer must’ve had an exhausting job, but the effort totally paid off. On top of that, the lighting was incredible. It was full of surprises and rarely fell back on just flashing and blinding the audience. There were loads of patterns and techniques I’d never seen before, like lines of red lights moving through the crowd like waveforms, presumably only fully apparent from up in the seats. For “Copy of A”, Reznor’s silhouette was projected live with varying delays across the many curtains for a disconcerting effect.
After six songs, the band walked off while noise continued. I noticed Boys Noize in the middle stage, and Trent and Atticus joined him there for techno remixes of two Year Zero tracks and “Came Back Haunted” from Hesitation Marks (2013). I’ve come to appreciate the latter album (and NIN’s subsequent work), but while those mid-00s albums still don’t do much for me, the live remixed versions gave them vitality that they’d previously lacked. Boys Noize’s dance-oriented sensibility fit right in and the songs were total jams. Again, the lighting was in top form, and the change of pace was a welcome variation. I would’ve taken more, but after the three songs, Boys Noize kept up the noise and then once again knelt and disappeared while the other two rejoined the rest of the band on the main stage.
[Trent and Atticus with Boys Noize.]
The band went right back into the high energy from the first main set. “1,000,000” isn’t a standout song, but all the rest were absolute winners. I mean, we got “I’m Afraid of Americans” and “The Perfect Drug”!? And “Heresy”? I could always do with more Pretty Hate Machine (1989) and I would've liked anything from The Fragile (1999), but it's hard to complain. “Closer” was done with a little surprise segue into “The Only Time” while Trent sang the outro lines. “Head Like a Hole” went hard even though the band did without the usual bassline. And “Hurt”, I mean, what can I say? I was on the verge of tears.
The band were in top form. There were no flaws, no mistakes, and no technical problems. Despite that level of precision, it didn’t feel restrained or constrained at all. They were raw and full of energy. The sound was quite good, particularly the vocals. My only complaint was that the bass was a bit muddy, but that’s likely due to my position up in the seats. Robin sang the chorus parts of “Gave Up” and “Head Like a Hole”, presumably to give Trent a break from screaming, and he also did backing parts in several songs. Alessandro switched between keyboards, bass, and guitar, and also sang some backing parts, but lower in the mix. Ilan focused on the drums, but occasionally played keyboards, most notably on “Hurt”. Who knows what exactly Atticus was doing.
The combination of the aggressive songs, the constant movement, the pacing, and the brilliant lighting kept the show highly engaging. The stage design felt dynamic, alive, and full of action. There was no encore, but after about an hour and 45 minutes with that setlist, I don’t know what else they could’ve done. It was an emotional ride. Trent admitted to having had a rough day with depression and anxiety, and his thanks for being present and making a connection felt real. The heavy nature of the music is a lot to hold, but it still hit me as hard as it did when I was younger. This was an incredible show.
[Trent on tambourine with the band. Note the projection of Robin in the back.]
Here’s the setlist:
Second stage:
01. Right Where It Belongs → Zero Sum [partial] [Trent solo]
02. Ruiner
03. Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)
Main stage:
04. Wish
05. March of the Pigs
06. Reptile
07. The Lovers
08. Copy of A
09. Gave Up
Second stage with Boys Noize:
10. Vessel
11. The Warning
12. Came Back Haunted
Main stage:
13. 1,000,000
14. Heresy
15. Less Than
16. Closer / The Only Time [partial]
17. I’m Afraid of Americans [David Bowie song]
18. The Perfect Drug
19. Head Like a Hole
20. Hurt
Scores:
Boys Noize: C+
Nine Inch Nails: A+
Thanks to Keagan, Dave, and the rest of the gang!
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