Nine Inch Nails
Toyota Center
September 12, 2025
I take you where you want to go
I give you all you need to know
Don’t be afraid of growth, kids.
If you’re like the apparently thousands of people at last night’s Toyota Center show — who also just happened to see them at Numbers* — you probably first got to know Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails through their industrial assaults against greed and hypocrisy. Songs like “March of the Pigs,” and “Wish” were blistering jeremiads that established NIИ at the forefront of ’90s alt rock.
Some of us are also old enough to remember when “Head Like A Hole” was mocked for being “fake industrial” music. I don’t remember if that was the Nitzer Ebb enthusiasts I used to hang out with or Spin magazine, honestly.
Whatever you think of Pretty Hate Machine, the band’s debut — or Broken, or The Downward Spiral — Reznor has always pushed boundaries. Transitioning from Godflesh-style industrial metal to the burgeoning electronica of Year Zero to the ambient atmospherics of Ghosts I-IV. Oh, and he and Atticus Ross (the only other permanent band member) have also carved out a nice career scoring motion pictures (The Social Network, Gone Girl, Soul), winning awards and pulling within sniffing distance of an EGOT.
Maybe a With Teeth-inspired Broadway musical is in the works…
Reznor, Ross and NIИ (drummer Josh Freese, guitarist Robin Finck, bassist/keyboardist Alessandro Cortini) returned to Houston for the Peel It Back tour, the band’s first live excursion since 2022. And at this point, they could easily just “play the hits.” But instead they showed their ability to evolve.
Witness the beginning of last night’s show, which was just Reznor on a piano (on a secondary stage that would come into play later) playing a stripped down version of “Right Where It Belongs” (from With Teeth) and “Ruiner,” before being joined by Ross, Finck, and Cortini for “Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now).” It was a deceptively disarming way to intro the show.
Those tracks were almost torturous in the anticipation of what was to come, like waiting for a beat drop dangled tantalizingly out of range. And sure enough, the quote-unquote “quiet” part of the concert pretty much ended as the band returned to the main stage, where they tore through the likes of “Wish” (yours truly’s favorite off the Broken EP), “March of the Pigs,” and “Copy of A,” which used the stage drapery to produce a cool effect of multiple Reznors.
That song, from Hesitation Marks, was also probably the most inclusive song of the night. You’re not the only one playing a part, you see.
And don’t let the relative down tempos of “Reptile” and “Heresy” fool you. The former is still as scathing a rejection of intimacy as NIИ has recorded, while the latter is a snarling response to evangelical fear mongering. And hearing 10,000+ people scream along to “God is dead/And no one cares” might be enough to get those Bible thumpers who used to show up outside metal shows out of retirement.
They returned to the “B-Stage” with opener Boys Noize. who offered chopped versions of “Closer” and “As Alive As You Need Me To Be,” the night’s sole new cut (from the upcoming Tron: Ares). The movie stars Jared Leto, and despite not having seen it yet, I’m still prepared to declare the soundtrack the best part based solely on who’s playing lead.
It was this section perhaps more than any other that showcased Reznor’s desire to shake up his own legacy. “Closer” is arguably NIИ’s most recognizable song, but allowing it to be remixed live by a German DJ proves Reznor will likely never be one to trot out a greatest hits tour.
The setup wasn’t minimalist by any stretch, and the band stretched the production admirably with projection effects and an impressive light setup. This was even more apparent as they returned to the main stage for the final run of songs, including “Mr. Self Destruct,” “The Perfect Drug” (from the Lost Highway soundtrack), and a cover of David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans,” before closing out with the lethal combo of “The Hand That Feeds,” “Head Like A Hole” and bummer extraordinaire “Hurt.”
That final set was a blistering affirmation of what makes a NIИ show a nigh transformative experience. And as gratifying as it is to see Reznor and Ross recognized for their film work, last night showed just how much Nine Inch Nails means to people, and how vital they still are.
*Reznor asked if anyone remembered seeing them at the legendary club and I swear half the audience cheered. Kind of like how everyone claims to be at those early Police shows where ten people were in attendance.
Personal Bias: You say I embarrassed myself screaming along to “Wish.” I say I did Gen X proud.
The Crowd: Aging rockers and goths who evidently had a hard time figuring out which concert T-shirt to wear (Primus?).
Overheard In The Crowd: “Did you know there’s another merch table in the back?”
Random Notebook Dump: “I wonder if Mr. Self Destruct is related to Mr. Bad Example.”
SETLIST
B-Stage
Right Where It Belongs
Ruiner (partially acoustic version)
Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)
Main Stage
Wish
March of the Pigs
Reptile
Find My Way
Copy of A
Gave Up
B-Stage (with Boys Noize)
She’s Gone Away
Closer
As Alive as You Need Me to Be
Sin
Main Stage
Mr. Self Destruct
Less Than
The Perfect Drug
I’m Afraid of Americans (David Bowie cover)
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like a Hole
Hurt
