It’s no surprise the raw aggression that catapulted Nine Inch Nails into mainstream success in the early 90s is still coursing through its founder, Trent Reznor, during this fall’s Cold and Black and Infinite tour; it offers a concert experience rooted in a dark world that’s experiencing some truly tumultuous times. An eternally misanthropic mainstay of industrial rock, Reznor is in a sense creating a space for fans to release any multitude of tensions, a chance to rage into the night, and, as suggested on “God Break Down the Door,” the single from Bad Witch, the final piece in NIN’s recent EP trilogy, “remove the pain and push it back in.” And yes, there is a political edge to this tour: an updated version of “The Great Destroyer” features sound bites from our current president, and there are frequent timely appearances of the band’s cover of David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans.” A stripped-down stage setup provides a stark aesthetic, while Nine Inch Nails power through a mix of essentials and unexpected rarities many fans have clamored for years to hear live, including the debut of “The Perfect Drug,” a 1997 track Reznor famously had never played onstage before this tour.…
It’s no surprise the raw aggression that catapulted Nine Inch Nails into mainstream success in the early 90s is still coursing through its founder, Trent Reznor, during this fall’s Cold and Black and Infinite tour; it offers a concert experience rooted in a dark world that’s experiencing some truly tumultuous times. An eternally misanthropic mainstay of industrial rock, Reznor is in a sense creating a space for fans to release any multitude of tensions, a chance to rage into the night, and, as suggested on “God Break Down the Door,” the single from Bad Witch, the final piece in NIN’s recent EP trilogy, “remove the pain and push it back in.” And yes, there is a political edge to this tour: an updated version of “The Great Destroyer” features sound bites from our current president, and there are frequent timely appearances of the band’s cover of David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans.” A stripped-down stage setup provides a stark aesthetic, while Nine Inch Nails power through a mix of essentials and unexpected rarities many fans have clamored for years to hear live, including the debut of “The Perfect Drug,” a 1997 track Reznor famously had never played onstage before this tour.…