Nine Inch Nails 3Arena

On the way home from Nine Inch Nails at the 3Arena, and I’m still feeling the after affects, a raw and loud performance, the entire venue shaking constantly, roaring guitars and screaming vocals.

Strobe lights and some of the most innovative concert staging I’ve seen yet.

Starting out with an acoustic set out on a B-Stage before moving to the main stage, and the whiplash I received when they moved to the main stage and played to the opening riff to “Wish” was extreme and disorienting, but in the best way.

One of the most talented musicians on the planet, Trent Reznor, with his backing band out on a screamer and a non-stop, full on, action packed and hit after hit of a set.

Around the main stage was a transparent sheet hanging down from the roof, on which they beamed the visuals and camera footage, and that cameraman they have, running around the stage constantly and getting perfect shots, was honestly the star of the show.

This was Nine Inch Nails first show in over 2 and a half years and they are back on their top form, after watching live videos from 2022 I was a little worried as Trent’s vocals sounded strained and worn out, but he drove all those worries away with the first screaming vocals he put out, and he held up the standard throughout the show.

Quite a few songs from their magnum opus “The Downward Spiral”, one of my picks for the greatest album of all time, were played, everything from the opening track “Mr. Self Destruct” and the closing track “Hurt”.

“Hurt” is a song that I have adored and admired for years, from the gut wrenching original, written by a man in the depths of his heroin addiction in his twenties, to the heartbreaking Johnny Cash cover sung just months before his own death, which left us with two versions, of the same song, that couldn’t be more different in their meaning.

The ending chord of “Hurt” is something that will always stay in my mind, after listening to that entire album, which is a concept album about depression, drug abuse and suicide, to end with that loud distorted guitar chord, is like being hit by a semi truck.

Stage Setup: 10/10, between main stages and B-Stages, with the best lighting work, and the best camera work I have ever seen at a concert, the lighting from the lasers to the stage lighting to the beaming of the footage onto the stage curtain, was second to none.

Band performance: 10/10, calling Nine Inch Nails a band is a bit of a misnomer, as until quite recently it was only Trent Reznor who was a member, but his longtime backing guitarist, and some other touring musicians, along with him put together a high energy, note perfect set, with absolutely no slippage from Trent’s voice, which sounds better than it did a few years ago.

Support: N/A, there was no official support act but another artist they collaborated with previously joined them on stage in the middle of the concert.

Merchandise: 10/10, I wish Nine Inch Nails didn’t make such good merch, because it is so outrageously expensive, their merch has always been pricy, wether official merch in store, or off their website, it has always fetched a high price, for a reason, they had t shirts, hoodies, ponchos, AirTag holders even, but at a cost, a cost well worth it to me, and my inevitable buyers remorse.

Crowd: 10/10, a scary crowd but an energetic and a crowd you could tell was passionate about the music, although it was extremely warm in the venue and I am rather glad I was not in the standing section, as I don’t know if I would have stuck it to the end.

Overall: 10/10, probably, in my opinion, the single best concert I have been to, Nine Inch Nails have been one of my favourite bands for years, since I first listened to “Reptile” on Spotify and hating it, and hating the band, and then months later re-listening and feeling like Shackleton first setting eyes on Antarctica, astonished as the incredible, dark, passionate and beautifully written and composed music I had found.

Next up: Zach Bryan 20/6/25