After seven years away, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Trent Reznor and the legendary Nine Inch Nails returned to Michigan to perform in Detroit's Little Caesars Arena last Friday night. Their signature blend of dark, moody music and atmosphere accompanied a well-rehearsed set of hits, deep cuts, and fan favorites which left the adoring audience well satisfied but always ready for more. The members of Reznor's famously rotating backing band were all NIN veterans, including keyboardist Atticus Ross (a full-time member of the project since 2016), guitarist Robin Finck, multi-instrumentalist Alessandro Cortini, and recently returned drummer extraordinaire, Josh Freese, rejoining the group for the first time since 2008.
The production of the show itself is second to none with carefully designed lighting, projections, and other effects perfectly synchronized with specific moments in each song, sometimes recalling some of the band's earlier productions, such as the Self Destruct tour in 1994 and Fragility in 2000. Unique to the Peel It Back tour, however, was the placement of three separate stages in a column from the top to the bottom of the floor of the venue, which not only allowed for even more elaborate lighting changes but brought the performers to different positions within the venue throughout the show, somewhat recalling The Rolling Stones' Bridges to Babylon tour with a B-stage in the rear of the floor which the band walked to and from during the concert.
Beginning with an hour of live mixed music by DJ Boys Noize on his own rear stage, the scheduling of the show allowed for continuous music for nearly three hours as no time was needed to allow for a set change prior to Reznor and company taking the stage. Beginning with quieter, piano-based renditions of "Right Where It Belongs" and "Ruiner" before segueing into the usual blend of loud guitar and electronics, once Nine Inch Nails got up and running, the intensity and the tempo alike remained constant throughout. With almost no between-song banter, some transitions between songs were so brief the next song almost began on the previous song's next beat. It wasn't quite making a dance party out of these intricately written and performed tracks, but it was about as close as you could get without that result being the intention. It made for an engaging and unique experience compared to any other average rock show where a player may need to tune and instrument, or the singer decides to tell a story about where they had lunch that day.
Full throttled renditions of "Wish" and "March of the Pigs" established the tone for the rest of the night, and while the set leaned heavily on the band's masterpiece, 1994's The Downward Spiral, with about half of that album being performed, they balanced those songs out with 21st century material like "The Lovers" and "Less Than" from the Add Violence EP, A cool new remix of "Vessel" from Year Zero, and both "Copy of A" and a new remix of "Came Back Haunted" from Hesitation Marks. NIN have also produced a new soundtrack album for the third installment in the Tron film franchise, and they included the lead single from that record but played no other new material in Detroit. Transitioning between stages throughout the show, the third portion, performed on the B-stage, included collaboration with Boys Noize who provided additional live remixing to four of the night's particularly electronic songs, including the legendary "Closer," appearing in a new mix without the quote from "The Only Time" that has been omnipresent for over 25 years.
The fourth and final segment of the show, performed on the main stage, contained some of the most personal and most impressive moments. After a blistering "Mr. Self Destruct," now played in a lower key, the crowd was gifted a performance of the previously rarely featured hit "The Perfect Drug," which stood out even more with Freese dominating the song's complex drum solo, getting some of the loudest crowd response of the night. After that, Reznor introduced the Freese and the rest of the band and gave respect to David Lynch, the late writer/director with whom Reznor collaborated on Lost Highway, Twin Peaks, and other projects. He then mentioned how great it was to work with another David and launched into David Bowie's "I'm Afraid of Americans," a track Reznor famously remixed for its original single release, complete with Bowie's sampled voice coming from the keyboard as in his recording. Such a timeless song always feels relevant, and the audience and musicians collectively bonded over love for Bowie near the end of the concert.
Concluding with experienced precision, "The Hand That Feeds" led to "Head Like a Hole," the only track included from the band's debut LP, and finally the emotional ballad, "Hurt," a standard closer since its first release 31 years ago. With a project like Nine Inch Nails, it's hard to be disappointed with any combination of songs they may choose to perform. It's more about how there are so many excellent tracks to choose from, it's impossible to include them all. Reznor has famously turned Nine Inch Nails on and off as a project like the power button on a synthesizer, so there's no way of knowing whether or not this is a one-off tour or the launch of a new productive era outside his award-winning scoring work with Ross. In any case, catching this particular show, if you can, would be a wise idea.
Nine Inch Nails (Detroit, 8/22/25) set list:
Right Where It Belongs/Somewhat Damaged
Ruiner
Piggy (nothing can stop me now mix)
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Wish
March of the Pigs/All the Pigs, All Line Up (tag)
Reptile
The Lovers
Copy of A
Gave Up
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Vessel (w/Boys Noize)
Closer (w/Boys Noize)
As Alive As You Need Me to Be (w/Boys Noize)
Came Back Haunted (w/Boys Noize)
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Mr. Self Destruct
Less Than
The Perfect Drug
I'm Afraid of Americans (David Bowie)
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like a Hole
Hurt
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*(watch bootleg video of the full show here!)*
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