Four years ago, I was at Nine Inch Nails’ first show back after both their self-imposed hiatus and the global shutdown of live music. It was in Raleigh, North Carolina (my first time seeing them after being a fan since I was a kid) and I remember Trent Reznor pausing to talk about how much he missed “the connection.” Not the spectacle, or the lights, but the connection. That word has stuck with me.
So walking into their Charlotte stop on the second leg of the Peel It Back Tour, fresh off a Grammy win for their lead single from the Tron: Ares soundtrack (the first time a film score project was officially released under the Nine Inch Nails name rather than just Reznor and Atticus Ross), I wasn’t just expecting a great show. I was expecting communion. What I got was something far greater.
From the moment tour opener and collaborator Boys Noize took the stage, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a standard arena rock night. His set felt less like an opener and more like a curated descent into a red-lit industrial techno club. He even flipped NIN essential cuts like “Down In It” into pulsing electronic mutations. The arena floor steadily transformed into a sea of black clothing and eyeliner; North Carolina’s goth culture showed up in full force, and they were ready to dance.
When the lights dimmed for Nine Inch Nails, Reznor appeared alone on the smaller B-stage planted in the middle of the arena floor. The opening stretch was restrained, stripped-back, almost fragile renditions that immediately re-centered the night around shared intimacy. It was a bold move in an arena that seats thousands, but it was immediately striking. Start soft and human. Then the rest of the band - Ross, Robin Finck, Josh Freese, and Stu Brooks - emerged.
They transitioned toward the main stage, where a translucent scrim hung like a veil between the audience and the band. “Unpeeled,” in the tour’s visual language. Once old school ripper “Wish” detonated onstage, the pit erupted instantly. Follow that with “March of the Pigs,” and any remaining restraint was obliterated. Projections slammed against the scrim in layered chaos (think static, distortion, and fragmented close-ups) creating a multi-dimensional sensory overload that felt less like watching a concert and more like being swallowed whole by it. Stimulation overload became the theme of the night.
The production was staggering, even by NIN standards. The lighting design alone could’ve headlined its own tour. Deep reds bled into stark whites. Strobes fractured time. The swirling psychedelic colors during a performance of “Find My Way” was particularly incredible to watch. The camera work - projected live and manipulated in real-time - felt like an instrument of its own. It wasn’t passive documentation; it was aggressive, alive, and actively participating in the performance. And then they pivoted again.
The vibe shifted back to the B-stage, now joined by Boys Noize for a run of remixed tracks - including club-destroying versions of “Closer” and “Me, I’m Not” that felt like they belonged in Berlin at 2 a.m. rather than Charlotte on a weeknight. It was immersive and disorienting in the best way possible. The cameraman spun around and around on the smaller stage, with every movement amplifying the tension. You felt like you were tripping whether you were on anything or not.
When the band returned to the main stage for the final stretch, the scrim was gone. Peeled back and now fully exposed, Nine Inch Nails soaked in the glory. The lights blew the place apart as they tore through fan favorites and deep cuts alike, including standout tour debuts like “The Beginning of the End” and “Only”. Reznor has always understood dynamics better than most artists in his lane, but live, it’s almost surgical. The pacing was masterful.
“The Hand That Feeds” and “Head Like a Hole” hit like a one-two punch from a band that certainly has nothing left to prove but still plays like they’re fighting for survival. The entire arena felt charged with dancing, screaming, moshing, and exorcising something communal. After all of that sweat, just as they began the night gently, they ended it the same way.
“Hurt” offered a somber comedown after nearly three hours of near-constant, pulse-pounding music, and there was no better note to end on. This was one of those rare shows where you realize halfway through that you’re witnessing something objectively elite. I’ve seen hundreds of concerts. I’ve seen Nine Inch Nails before. This smoked the vast majority of shows I’ve experienced.
Nine Inch Nails has always been an entirely different (and better) beast live than on record. The Peel It Back Tour isn’t just a celebration of their legacy; it’s a reinvention of it. Industrial goth spectacle meets techno club transcendence meets intimate confession. Reznor once said he missed the connection. In Charlotte, it felt stronger than ever.
Catch Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize on the remaining dates of the Peel It Back Tour.
