Fans haven’t been the only ones blown away by NIN’s “Peel It Back” stage show, as fellow musicians have weighed in, as well. Jack White caught a Nashville gig in September, and declared, “The best lighting that I’ve ever seen in a show. Very inspiring.” That’s high praise from a fellow (newly inducted) Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, but it’s hard to argue against White’s assessment. The lighting is absolutely spectacular, taking concertgoers into a futuristic world that is visually mesmerizing.
Tourso, who gives credit to lighting director Paul “Arlo” Guthrie, says, “I think the intention was to create something that kind of seamlessly evolved, so almost like 15 minutes later, you would be just drowning in light and almost feel like, ‘How did I get here?'”
Reznor adds, “I think back to the very beginning of Nine Inch Nails where you have no resources, no budget, you have a few lights in the venue, in the club you were playing maybe as the opening act. The desire’s always been: How can the setting influence how the audience feels? How can it help make the music sound better? How can it help convey and immerse you in the experience?”
He notes there was a period when Nine Inch Nails “was on the trajectory of embracing scale,” but realized “the pinnacle of scale” had been reached by Roger Waters and Pink Floyd with “a flying fucking pig and a wall that crumbles onstage.” “So, if it’s not about scale and it’s not about gimmick, [we asked ourselves], ‘What is the emotional material to dress the set to best convey the intent of the performance?'” Reznor continues. “I think I started by saying to Todd, ‘I want to tell a story on this tour… I want to have an emotion, like it’s a film. I’m not sure how to do that. I’m not gonna literally tell fucking Bruce Springsteen stories in between songs.'”
“Film” is the key word from Reznor, as the “Peel It Back” show is very cinematic — not surprising given Reznor and Ross’ extensive résumé scoring movies, including Nine Inch Nails providing the soundtrack to this year’s visually explosive Tron: Ares.
As Ross notes, “I’d always looked at Nine Inch Nails as a very cinematic experience, not only in terms of the live show, but just in terms of the music. As an entity, it can [range from] ferociously aggressive to neoclassical… I think that the film scores have helped in a number of different ways — there’s an aspect of when you return to Nine Inch Nails, you really want to be there.”
While NIN hit an absolute home run with the visuals, like any concert experience, the most important aspect is the music. And, as someone who’s seen them multiple times over the past 30 years, I can say the band sounds as invigorated as ever.
The two stages provide completely unique experiences, with NIN delivering a full-on rock show on the main stage via crushing versions of songs like “March of the Pigs” and “Mr. Self Destruct,” while delving into experimentation on the B-stage, especially during the “Act” where Reznor and Ross are joined by Boys Noize.
“I feel fond of the catalog we’re working from, and it’s just about it needing to feel exciting for us to play,” says Reznor. “The songs we played with Boys Noize in the middle of the set… for example, ‘Closer’ had started becoming one of the songs that [I felt], ‘I’ve done this enough,’ and now is a highlight to play ’cause it feels exciting. I feel the re-contextualization of it feels current and interesting, and then I see that echoed back from the response in the crowd.”
What rarely gets talked about when discussing NIN’s concerts is Reznor’s vocals, perhaps the most underrated aspect of the band. At 60 years old, Reznor’s voice sounds powerful, as he brings a raw emotion to his dark and poignant lyrics.
“I had to find my own style because I didn’t have the voice I wished I had,” asserts Reznor. “When I listen to Bowie, I always think, ‘Man, I wish I had what seems like an instrument capable of anything.’ So I’ve had to learn how to use it to what I think it can do. And I think through feeling less uptight or more comfortable with myself, I’ve gotten a little looser with how I approach it. That combined with a sense of mortality and trying to take care of myself, which I didn’t have to think about or didn’t wanna think about a large chunk of my life… I wish I had a different raw material to work with, but I’m just trying to make the best sculpture I can out of the gravel kit I got.”
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