By: Cora Linos

Nine Inch Nails: Peel It Back Tour – Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI

Seeing Nine Inch Nails in concert is a high I’ve yet to replicate. Every millisecond is immaculately planned and executed, yet simultaneously feels recklessly unrestrained. This feeling is perfectly encapsulated by their incredible cameraman, who runs around the stages, effortlessly blending with the band while shooting live footage which is projected in real time.

Pre-game:

Having been gifted GA pit tickets (my birthday wish), and greatly desiring a spot on the rail, I definitely *did not* cut my afternoon class to drive to Milwaukee and wait in line for four hours in the chilly 28° weather. Was it worth it? Yes, yes it was.

To begin, a brief explanation of the layout. Please see floor map below:

Nine Inch Nails (herein NIN) got creative with their floor layout this tour. Boys Noize played on an elevated stage behind the “Mix” (shoutout the sound and lights guys, they killed it). NIN ran up and down the aisles between the B Stage and Main Stage throughout the night. The red dot is me. Try to keep up.

Opener:

German-Iraqi producer/DJ Boys Noize (just one boy actually) started us off with a DJ set worthy of a goth club, slipping in some “Enjoy the Silence” (Depeche Mode) and giving us a preview of the headliner with a personal favorite “Down in It.”

Set 1; B Stage:

Trent Reznor started with an emotional, stripped-back, keyboard-only rendition of “Something I Can Never Have” with a little sample of Depeche Mode’s “Stripped” at the end. All 18,000 fans remained largely silent, a stark contrast to the soon-to-be chaos on the main stage. One by one, Atticus Ross (keyboards), Stu Brooks (bass), and Robin Finck (guitar) joined Reznor on stage for “Non-Entity,” a real deep cut. Brooks’ fuzzy tone buzzed around the arena, breathing life into the synth-heavy song.

Typically one to protect my hearing for future concerts, I couldn’t resist removing my earplugs as NIN went into “Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)” on the B Stage. Full immersion was a must. The song featured my favorite lighting choice of the evening, with Reznor in a blinding spotlight which threw his massive shadow dancing across the walls of the arena. “Piggy” features a killer rhythm, but with no room for drums on the B Stage, the drums were provided by a drum machine, until the outro…

Set 2; Main Stage:

We could hear drummer Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle, Devo, The Vandals, etc.) pound into the outro on the Main Stage as Reznor, Ross, Finck, and Brooks sprinted from B to join him. A curtain surrounded the stage, on which Freese was projected, drumming in massive IMAX perfection. His outro ended, and there was a brief pause before the band ripped into “Wish.” The curtain shot up and we were immediately blinded by a seizure-warning-required array of lights. My friend yelled “Where is he [Reznor]?” And I pointed through the fog and blinding lights to the center of the stage, “Right there” as he materialized through the haze. The energy in the arena cranked to 11 as the band tore through the song, then went immediately into “March of the Pigs.” And, boy, were the little piggies marching as the pit started up.

Instrumental “The Frail” brought a brief reprise as NIN slowed it down for the plodding “Reptile” which really puts the “industrial” in industrial metal. Freese’s drum breakdowns elevate the live version of this song significantly (hoping for a live release). They stuck to The Downward Spiral album, with Reznor’s critique of organized religion “Heresy,” before moving into my favorite discovery from seeing NIN live: “Copy of a.” This absolute bop of a song got everyone dancing, including Reznor (we see you), as dozens of copies of the singer were projected onto the mesh cube surrounding the stage.

NIN cranked it back up with Broken cut “Gave Up,” Finck’s backing vocals giving the song the perfect edge.

Set 3; B Stage:

Ah yes, the moment everyone had been waiting for: “Closer” the Boys Noize remix. The opener joined the band on the B Stage for remixes of “Vessel,” “Closer,” How to Destroy Angel’s cover* “Parasite,” and “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” off the Tron soundtrack (by Reznor and Ross). For my money, “Vessel” is much sexier than “Closer,” but I cannot deny that the Boys Noize remix is a banger worthy of an official release (we’re begging, please). “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” is far more fun than a song from Tron has any right to be.

*How to Destroy Angels is a side project with Reznor, Ross, and Mariqueen Maandig (Reznor’s wife), so…a cover? Technically..

Set 4; Main Stage:

NIN pounded into “Mr. Self Destruct,” which starred our first crowd surfer of the night. The contrast between the soft, quiet bridge with the driving insanity of the rest of the song was highlighted by the stage lights dropping to a gentle blue glow before going back to flashing in rhythm with Freese’s drumming at a brightness which rivaled facing those new LED headlights on a back country road.

“Less Than” featured Reznor on the tambourine, an instrument only he could make look tuff.

Freese’s “A Perfect Drug” drum solo exhibited his exceptional precision and power–that man deserves all the Peanut Butter Cups.

At this point, a kind fan held up a sign that read “so impressed with the new guy, Stu.” (NIN recently added bassist and keyboardist Stu Brooks to their touring lineup.) Trent took the opportunity to introduce the band: guitarist since ‘94 Finck, bassist Brooks, drummer Freese, keyboardist/songwriting partner Ross, and of course, Trent Reznor himself, who didn’t bother with his own introduction.

David Bowie cover* “I’m Afraid of Americans” was apt. Its funky beat translates so well live.

*Reznor did six remixes of this song and appeared in the music video with Bowie. So technically a cover…

“The Hand That Feeds” and “Head Like a Hole” paired perfectly, being two of their biggest hits, and got the whole arena screaming the lyrics.

Had to break out the lighter for closer “Hurt,” as the arena was illuminated by phone flashlights for an incredibly sobering end to the night, bringing tears to many eyes, including Reznor’s. The beautifully raw song ended in a wash of feedback, which didn’t cut out until I watched a crew member physically unplug the speakers.

Then all that was left was the post-concert big come down.

To hear Nine Inch Nails and other 80s & 90s alternative, grunge, industrial, and new wave bands, tune in to 120 minutes of Moving in Stereo: Sundays 10pm to midnight, only on WSUM Freeflow.