Nine Inch Nails played Barclays Center (Night 2)

Nine Inch Nails' Peel It Back Tour is an astounding achievement in audio and visual design and reaffirms the band's legacy as arena-rock legends.

Entering Barclays Center to see Boys Noize revving up the crowd while the arena was bathed in blood-red lights was a sight to see and set the tone for the industrial noise that was about to take over the venue. Standing on the smallest of three stages placed across the floor, the DJ got people grooving to some hard dance numbers before dropping a beat at the precise moment when the middle stage's curtain dropped to unveil Trent Reznor alone at a piano. As silence and screams filled the now eerie void, Reznor began to plod out the piano notes to open the night with "Right Where It Belongs" off 2005's With Teeth. With surgical, hospital type lighting above him on the small, square stage, Trent embarked on the solo number before being joined by band members Alessandro Cortini and his now main collaborator Atticus Ross as they unexpectedly eased into the night with slow, somber numbers before making their way through the crowd and on to the main stage as the lights came up to reveal Josh Freese bashing away on "Wish." Over at the end of the arena, the fully formed band was surrounded by what seemed like endless sheets of curtains as their images were projected on them to make them seem infinite and add unbelievable depth to the show. With the band locked in and ready to go, the energy climaxed and the group hit hyperdrive as strobes flashed around the building and images on the screens made the band look larger than life. Pummeling beats led directly into "March of the Pigs" which had the crowd reeling with excitement, fists pumping in the air and heads banging around with a primal force. As has been the case ever since reuniting over a decade ago, the time spent on the production values of the show is astounding and every single second feels prepared with the utmost detail. The levels of practice and diligent attention to detail easily makes it one of the most impressive rock shows, if not any show, of the year. Camera folks run around consistently throughout the show to capture each member of the band in immaculate form and the results that appear back up on the screens make everything feel both elaborate and intricate all at once. When the band ripped into "Copy of A," things hit the extremes as Reznor's body appeared like a shadow across the stage making it look like a choreographed Broadway number set to the band's industrial metal intensity. As they made their way back to the middle stage, they were joined by Boys Noize and began to deliver brilliant, hard remixes of their already muscular tunes. When the beat of "Closer" rang out and it was met with some added layers of digital dynamite, things exploded and the entire room got lost in the moment. As lights lowered directly over their heads, it felt like an intimate club experience and everyone was ready to get down to a version of the song we never knew we needed, but must be able to hear again via some kind of official release between the two. When the camera followed the band back through the crowd and projected the footage back to the screen, it once again brought the crowd closer to the experience with stunning proximity. Dropping the back curtains on the main stage revealed towers of lights that launched the night into maximum heights of hard rock supremacy. Dipping into their soundtrack territory, they unleashed "Burn" and "The Perfect Drug" to much admiration from the already elated crowd and once again dazzled us with dizzying displays of lighting and more of their layered visuals that had them looking like giants. Barely addressing the audience aside from a few thank yous, Trent finally mentioned that he'd had a dark cloud hanging over him all day and the show was exactly what he had needed. The crowd erupted in unanimous joy and the band then rocketed into their unreal finish. "The Hand That Feeds" rocked with purpose, the dense electronics and driving guitar setting the stage for "Head Like a Hole." As the punching rhythm and jackhammer beats belted away, the epic singalong to "bow down before the one you serve / you're gonna get what you deserved" echoed throughout the building and brought things to a bruising finish. Bringing us home with "Closer" gave us all one final epic moment to chant along and gave the night its pristine finish. Whenever Trent Reznor decides to resurrect the touring iteration of Nine Inch Nails, it's sure to be one of the most memorable concerts of the year and the Peel It Back Tour is no exception. Being able to see something of this magnitude is something to behold and certainly one of the best live music events of the year. 

Set list:

01 "Right Where It Belongs"
02 "Ruiner"
03 "Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)"
--
04 "Wish"
05 "March of the Pigs"
06 "Reptile"
07 "Find My Way"
08 "Copy of A"
09 "Gave Up"

--
10 "She's Gone Away" [with Boys Noize]
11 "Closer" [with Boys Noize]
12 "As Alive as You Need Me to Be" [with Boys Noize]
13 "Sin" [with Boys Noize]
--
14 "Somewhat Damaged"
15 "Less Than"
16 "Burn"
17 "The Perfect Drug"
18 "The Hand That Feeds"
19 "Head Like a Hole"
20 "Hurt"