At Lollapalooza I caught the very tail end of Nine Inch Nails set and was blown away. Imagine how I felt on Sunday night when I was able to take in all of Trent Reznor and company’s full hour and a half set. It was a game changer.
Hesitation Marks track “Copy Of A” opened the show in epic fashion that was probably the best opening of a set I have seen from a show all year. Trent came out first and starting playing/singing and slowly, one by one, the rest of the band would trickle out as their parts came in. It was a sight to see, and really drew us into the show. From there they ripped through their catalog, a good selection of songs both new, and old.
God damn was the final run of songs some of the most thrilling stuff you can ask for at a rock star. From the funky “Only” to the rocking “The Hand That Feeds” and the impeccable epicness of “Head Like A Hole” this was stuff of rock and roll legend. It’s all of this and more that really makes the beauty of “Hurt” that much more amazing. It’s such a (welcome) change from the rest of the set, that it just sticks it to your gut even more. Reznor puts his all into each song, but you can tell that this is the moment that he lives for. When the entire festival is singing alone with you, how can you not let the song take you over?
I started the weekend as a fairly casual Nine Inch Nails fan, but this show really connected with me. I’ve gained a whole new admiration of Nine Inch Nails, and will definitely be seeing them live again soon enough.
Hit the jump for many cool photos from their set below.
Join the conversation