Sunday night, Trent Reznor opened the first Nine Inch Nails concert in the metro in a dozen years with a whisper, not a scream.
Immediately after a set of industrial dance beats from German DJ/producer Boys Noize, Reznor promptly began his show just before 9 p.m., alone on a stage in the center of the floor at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.
Sitting behind an electric piano, he performed a stripped-down version of the 2005 album track “Right Where It Belongs” followed by a similarly transformed take on “Ruiner,” one of many of the night’s selections from NIN’s 1994 breakthrough album “The Downward Spiral.”
Reznor’s longtime collaborator and only other official band member Atticus Ross joined him on keyboards followed by touring musicians Robin Finck on guitar, Alessandro Cortini on bass and drummer Josh Freese, fresh from getting unceremoniously fired from the Foo Fighters. (Freese previously played with NIN in the late ’00s and didn’t miss a beat fitting in with the 2025 version of the band.)
After tackling a remix of “Piggy,” the band convened on the main stage for a terrific run of songs that included “Wish,” “March of the Pigs” and an absolutely ferocious “Copy of A.”
Midway through the show, the band returned to the second stage for a set of songs reimagined by the aforementioned Boys Noize, who worked with Reznor and Ross on the upcoming soundtrack for “Tron: Ares.” His electronic tinkering gave NIN’s most infamous song, “Closer,” new life and the joint performance of the new single “As Alive as You Need Me Be” only further amped up anticipation for those upcoming “Tron” tracks.
Back at the main stage, Reznor and company tore through “Mr. Self Destruct,” “Less Than” and a cover of David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans,” a 1997 single that Reznor himself remixed back in the day. They wrapped with the inevitable “Head Like a Hole” and “Hurt.” Throughout it all, Reznor performed with a controlled intensity and focus, which helped bring out the depth and drama of his already dark songs.
It was a thrilling show, to be sure. Reznor could have taken the easy route and merely trotted out the hits. Instead, he delivered a full sensory experience, for the eyes, ears and soul. His willingness — insistence, even — to recontextualize his past may have put off more casual fans, but it more than delivered for his longtime followers.
What made the show even better is that it very well could have never happened. Reznor has long taken extended breaks between projects and has threatened to end it all several times. After all, he’s carved out a celebrated second career with Ross composing well-received film soundtracks for the likes of David Fincher and Luca Guadagnino. The pair won two Oscars in the process!
Sunday’s concert proved Reznor still has business to take care of with Nine Inch Nails and the future looks exciting. Sure hope they don’t take another dozen year break before visiting town again.
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