Between Hurt and Fury: Nine Inch Nails’ Chicago Return Redefines The Arena Show

Aug 20, 2025 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

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By Harrison Kristoff

Nine Inch Nails returned to Chicago last night with their Peal It Back Tour, and what unfolded inside the United Center was nothing short of one of the most intense, technically stunning performances the band has ever delivered. For nearly two and a half hours, Trent Reznor and company transformed the cavernous arena into a pulsating red inferno, a cathedral of sound and light that pushed the limits of sensory overload while still feeling raw, human, and deeply personal. The feel was like being inside a computer, Stage B was the motherboard, Stage A was the RAM, flashing lights rolled and holograms projected like the monitor. Could this be a nod or tie to his Tron Ares connection? I wasn’t around when the band started, but I know the muddy legacy of the rag-tag group of boys start, this was the opposite of that while still had it moments of pure rawness, a refined group is revealed.

The night began with German based DJ Boys Noize (Alexander Ridha), who built a relentless wall of industrial beats that shook the rafters. Boys Noize has also been a part of several NIN remixed including tracks from the Challengers soundtrack. But rather than the usual drawn-out changeover, his set bled seamlessly into Nine Inch Nails’. As his final track decayed into static, the lights dimmed and a giant black curtain in the center of the floor dropped, revealing Stage B, a smaller island in the middle of the audience. There, surrounded by keyboards and electronics, Trent Reznor at the helm like a shadowed conductor. With only a haze of crimson light surrounding him, he began the set with “A Minute to Breathe,” a haunting choice that immediately set the tone for what would be a night of extremes: intimacy colliding with brutality.

Joining Trent on this tour is long time collaborators Atticus Ross and Robin Finck as well as Alessandro Cortini and the return of former drummer, Josh Freese taking over for Ilan Rubin on drums.

From there, the show erupted. Stage B served as the band’s launch pad before they stalked back and forth between it and the main Stage A throughout the night, each transition marked by a new storm of strobes, lasers, and blinding washes of color. The entire arena was bathed in an ominous glow, as light bounced off curtains, projections, and fog machines that seemed to pour endlessly across the floor. Every song felt like its own cinematic moment, with visuals morphing to match the mood, icy blues for “Copy of A,” hellfire reds for “March of the Pigs,” and dizzying strobes that turned “Wish” into an apocalyptic assault.

The setlist was a masterclass in balance. Longtime fans were rewarded with blistering takes on hits like “Head Like a Hole,” “Closer,” and “The Hand That Feeds,” but just as many deep cuts found their way in, including “Ruiner,” “As Alive As You Need Me To Be,” and a rare live remix of “Came Back Haunted” that twisted the familiar into something completely new. Reznor leaned heavily on reimagined versions of staples, many tracks mutated into extended remixes, blending elements of past tours with fresh, experimental production.

One of the night’s surprises was hearing the familiar beats of drummer Josh Freese, who locked into NIN’s ferocious rhythm section with surgical precision, yet played with an explosive looseness that gave the industrial machine a beating human heart. His presence, combined with Atticus Ross’ layered soundscapes and Reznor’s unrelenting vocal intensity, made this iteration of Nine Inch Nails feel both polished and primal.

The finale was inevitable yet devastating. As the band gathered on Stage A for the closing song, the arena fell into near silence. A single white spotlight cut through the haze as Reznor delivered “Hurt.” Thousands of voices sang with him, filling the space with something between a hymn and a confession. For a moment, the spectacle of strobes and lasers gave way to stark vulnerability, a reminder of why these songs endure decades after their creation.

For Reznor, Chicago is more than just another stop. This city shaped him in his early days, through the industrial grind of Ministry, 1000 Homo DJ’s and Pigface and his return carried the weight of that lineage. Now, older, sharper, and still fiercely creative, he continues to honor that history while pushing into new territory.

And this was only night one. Nine Inch Nails return tomorrow for a second United Center show, promising even more intensity. If last night was any indication, Chicago is in for another unforgettable plunge into the beautiful chaos only Nine Inch Nails can conjure. I can only imagine the setlist as wish I could be there for it.

For more on Nine Inch Nails, click here

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Setlist: Nine Inch Nails United Center Chicago August 19th, 2025

1. A Minute To Breathe
2. Ruiner
3. Piggy
4. Wish
5. March of the Pigs
6. Reptile
7. Heresy
8. Copy of A
9. Gave Up
10. Vessel
11. Closer
12. As Alive As You Need Me To Be
13. Came Back Haunted
14. Mr Self Destruct
15. Less Than
16. The Perfect Drug
17. I’m Afraid of Americans
18. The Hand That Feeds
19. Head Like A Hole
20. Hurt

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• Alessandro Cortini, Atticus Ross, Chicago, DJ Boys Noize, Industrial Music, Josh Freese, Nine Inch Nails, Peal It Back Tour, Robin Finck, Trent Reznor, United Center

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