In the middle of the final act of the Peel It Back Tour at Capital One Arena, Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor paused to express his gratitude.
He was grateful to have worked with men he admired, including the late auteurs David Lynch and David Bowie. And he was grateful to be performing in Washington, DC, to a receptive audience.
“I don’t take this for granted, and I really do appreciate it,” Trent said. “As the world gets weirder, and more fucked up, and more unrecognizable seemingly every minute, it’s a privilege to be in a place where I feel connected to an audience.
Nine Inch Nails then covered “I’m Afraid of Americans” by David Bowie.
The connection between band and audience was evident from the opening moments of the show on Feb. 11, when Nine Inch Nails surprised the very full house with a curtain drop to reveal a B-stage full of synthesizer rigs. It was thrilling to see the working stations of synthesists on full display in an arena show, and it was appropriate that Trent began the show solo, seated at a synth, for “(You Made It Feel Like) Home,” a tune that he and Atticus Ross wrote for a movie soundtrack, Bones and All. The song made its live debut only days earlier in Jacksonville, Florida.
Trent burst onto the rock charts as an angry young man with the Nine Inch Nails debut album, Pretty Hate Machine, way back in 1989. But he arguably best honed is craft as a creator of Hollywood soundtracks, working closely with Atticus Ross to compose memorable and exciting film songs — like “(You Made It Feel Like) Home.”
Watch the official music video for “(You Made It Feel Like) Home” by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on YouTube:
For a long time of course, Trent was the only official member of Nine Inch Nails, but he recruited Atticus to join him a decade ago after Atticus made contributions to a prolific period of early 21st century NIN albums. Toward the end of last week’s show, Trent and company reached all the way back to Pretty Hate Machine for a raucous rendition of “Head Like a Hole,” but it was these middle period albums that really served as the cohesive glue to the set.
From the B-stage, Trent played “The Line Beings to Blur” from 2005’s With Teeth. Most other members of the band had joined Trent on stage at that point — longtime collaborator Robin Finck on guitar, Atticus on synths, and newcomer Stu Brooks on bass. Drummer Josh Freese, who received hearty cheers from the audience, waited for his bandmates to join him on the A-stage, where the band would rock out in more traditional fashion in songs including “Find My Way” and “Copy of A” from 2013’s Hesitation Marks.
I was heartened the band returned to the B-stage for Act III, when they were joined by opener Boys Noize for a big dose of electronica that culminated in “As Alive As You Need Me to Be” from the motion picture soundtrack to TRON: Ares.
Trent and company closed the show with a set of NIN hits, including that cover of “I’m Afraid of Americans” and “Head Like a Hole.” The final act of the set also included “The Perfect Drug,” written for David Lynch’s Lost Highway, and “Mr. Self Destruct” and “Hurt,” both of which originally appeared on the NIN sophomore LP, The Downward Spiral.
While many in the audience were undoubtedly there for those songs alone, it was the journey that made the show, and NIN showcased how they have withstood the test of time to become the biggest industrial band on the planet by refusing to be pigeonholed, typecast, or stuck in one place. The concert was a powerful experience in musical movement — not only the evolution of melody but the way in which music can carry a listener through assorted feelings and mood.
And as Trent said in a world that feels “fucked up,” a little music magic can provide necessary spiritual succor to folks who need a space to process their feelings. NIN gave people that space.
Here are two sets photos of Nine Inch Nails performing live at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on Feb. 5, provided to us by Interscope Capitol.
These photos are by Jenn Devereaux.
These photos are by John Crawford.
