From his earliest works, control has been a theme in Trent Reznor‘s music: Who has it, who craves it and how it’s being deployed. On the Feb. 14 date of Nine Inch Nails‘ Peel It Back Tour in Newark, New Jersey, Reznor, the sole permanent band member since its 1988 inception, took firm control of his band’s legacy, remixing and recontextualizing deep cuts and hits alike to create an urgent, noisy tapestry of his work.
Opening on a smaller stage in the middle of the floor, Reznor played the heartbreaking ballad “(You Made It Feel Like) Home,” from his “Bones and All” soundtrack with Atticus Ross, as a solo piano and voice piece. While it was miles from the flood of noise to come, the longing lyrics about young cannibals that just can’t make it in the world were co-opted by scores of goth couples earnestly crooning to each other at the Valentine’s Day show.
Reznor was then joined for deep cut “Non-Entity” and remixed early hit “Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)” by most of the band, with his right-hand man (and only other permanent member) Ross on keys, brand new bassist Stu Brooks and longtime guitarist Robin Finck. Gradually cranking up from the quiet opening, “Piggy” ended with an extended drum outro from recently rehired phenom Josh Freese, which allowed the group to assemble at the main stage for a plugged-in segment.
From the first notes of fan-favorite “Wish,” it was clear Reznor and company were using volume as texture, with roaring guitars that would leave eardrums thumping days later for those without protection. Yet the sound was mixed expertly, especially given an echo-prone arena like the Prudential Center. It was all the more impressive given that, depending on where on the “industrial” and “metal” scale the song landed, Reznor could be on guitar or keys, Freese could be playing in tandem with programmed drums, and Brooks could be on synth bass — yet the balance felt totally in control, if eye-wateringly loud.
The opening trio of songs — “Wish,” “March of the Pigs” and “The Frail” — made it crystal clear that no matter how many films he scored, Reznor can easily slip into his rock star shit. Impossibly cool at 60 years old, Reznor is all swagger, with his soaring, sneering vocals sounding as strong as his first decade recording. Additionally, the NIN stage show is calibrated with interesting visuals that range from nearly obscuring the band in smoke to projecting them larger-than-life, with skittering lights and strobes that could render the uninitiated (or too stoned) speechless.
During an inspired middle section, Reznor and Ross travelled back to the B-stage and were joined by tour opener DJ Boys Noize, who did live remixes of some of NIN’s more electronically minded tracks. Opening with “Year Zero” deep cut “Vessel,” the trio didn’t wholly reinvent the songs, but instead added enough drama to remain a vital part of the live music process. This section also included one of the night’s biggest crowdpleasers, the outrageously horny “Closer,” which had the Valentine’s crowd buzzing. The final song on the B-stage was a bit more unexpected, with a take on their bold “Tron: Ares” track “As Alive as You Need Me to Be.” As inessential as the film was, the song felt like a comfortable fit alongside the group’s best material.
The last act of the show was a return to the main stage, where NIN bashed out some beloved fan fare like “The Downward Spiral” album opener “Mr. Self Destruct” and the skittering, catchy “The Perfect Drug,” which was written for David Lynch’s “Lost Highway” well before Reznor was an Oscar-winning film composer.
The closing victory lap — dance-rock track “The Hand That Feeds,” the group’s signature “Head Like a Hole” and mournful closing ballad “Hurt” — was a perfect encapsulation of Reznor’s strength as an artist, able to turn songs about anger, defiance and pain into arena-shaking rockers. And even if he is spending part of his time scoring Pixar movies, he can still blow the roof off a rock show.
Pictured above: Nine Inch Nails performing on Feb. 5 in New Orleans.