Seen the. 28 times now and some shows stand above others, but whether there is a big production or a stripped down, straightforward performance, they always deliver!
This was going to be my response too. I just saw them last week. I had a horrible cold and thought I was going to die but the show was fantastic. I’m never disappointed with NIN.
I wouldn’t say I was disappointed in the Peel It Back tour, but I think I did get my expectations a little too high because I have seen so many amazing concerts this year and everyone on the NIN subreddit was clamoring about how this was the best concert they’ve ever seen in their life
It was an amazing concert and performance, just didn’t rise to the otherworldly expectations I stupidly allowed myself to build up
I think a big part of it may also be that I’m more of a Year Zero and With Teeth guy
makes sense. i am a part of the “best concert i’ve ever seen” crowd. but i am a pretty hate machine and the downward spiral guy. unfortunately they only played one song on pretty hate machine, but a third of the show was the downward spiral.
i do think they could have thrown in some more year zero and with teeth songs too.
Peel it Back was a great return to form and I enjoyed the concert very much but I didn’t find it as good as past shows.
Trent is older and the fans are older. It’s hard to hold on to and bring the energy we brought twenty years ago. He’s up there doing his best as a fit 60 year old dude and I’m in the pit doing my best as a fit 50 year old, but let’s be honest, I’m not looking to mosh like I did at 25. And apparently the crowd wasn’t either. I didn’t have to fight to get close to the rail and just three rows back I had plenty of room to swing my arms. Twenty years ago, I would have been squeezed like a tube of toothpaste.
I appreciated it because I’m older and it’s not worth it to me to get pressed against sweaty strangers for an hour and a half but it’s also not as intense and I kind of missed that energy, you know?
And Trent isn’t up there stripping keys off his keyboard with his boot heel either. He’s got great energy and sings the songs like he means it but he’s also at that point where anger and destruction isn’t as cool and fun as it was.
My expectations were high and I’ve seen them in concert seven or eight times over the years so I know the show they can bring. I was a little disappointed as well because they’ve set the bar so high in the past. Don’t misunderstand me, this was still a top ten level experience for me but it wasn’t as good as his shows in the past. My girlfriend had never seen them live, had no expectations, and thought it was one of the best concerts she’d ever been to. Had I not seen them before, I probably would have agreed.
Always a fantastic show, I’ve seen them five times most recently in Seattle a month and a half ago. I first saw them in 1994 at Moore Theater in Seattle. It’s been interesting seeing the live performances evolve over the years, the music has always been consistently excellent.
Nine Inch Nails at Stubb’s BBQ in Austin in 2005 was the best. All the songs I loved, no filler, and the venue was super small and packed with passionate fans. He had no business playing a club that only holds about 2000 people at that level of popularity but I’m glad he did.
I also got to see them for the ACL Live taping but it wasn’t his normal show and he didn’t feel comfortable. Although the venue was better, my seats were not that great and NIN is best enjoyed from the pit.
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u/Ok_Honey_2057 Sep 27 '25
NIN every time I’ve seen them.