Nine Inch Nails returns to the stage for the first time in 3 years for their Peel It Back tour. Announced with practically no fanfare and practically radio silence, not in support of a new album (at the time the tour was announced, Tron: Ares had a release date of Oct. 10 and the soundtrack for it was subsequently announced for release on Sept. 19, the same day as the last show of the tour).
With most shows in arenas and the remaining at festivals in Europe, the only interesting detail was that some of the non-festival shows would have a B stage, a first for NIN. What would this entail?
Not content with just another normal show (although, let's face it, if that's all this was, most of us NIN fans would have been ok with that anyway), Trent and company decided to spice things up by reinterpreting some songs for the B stage. The show would be split into 4 unique parts, alternating between 2 stages. Opening act Boys Noize, a German DJ played an hour plus set that segued directly into NIN's set which began at the B stage with just Trent on a piano.
Accor Arena, Paris, France - Jul. 7, 2025
Setlist:
B Stage:
1. Right Where It Belongs - Trent performs this alone on just a piano
2. Ruiner - Trent is slowly joined by the other members of the band for this one, and we slowly go from quiet and acoustic to loud and electric
3. Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now) - as the song ends, we are treated to drummer Ilan Rubin on the A stage as he closes out the song which allows the other members to make their way from the B stage to the A stage
Main Stage:
4. Wish - we begin the A stage portion of the with this one, which always hits. The stage setup has the band surrounded on all sides with a curtain displaying a projection of them playing
5. March of the Pigs
6. Reptile - this one always hits whenever it's played
7. The Lovers
8. Copy of a - cool visuals as usual for this setlist staple
9. Gave Up
B Stage:
10. Vessel - Trent and Atticus take to the B stage and are joined by opening act Boys Noize for this section which featured new interpretations of songs that were more beat heavy and leaned more to dance/techno
11. The Warning - my personal favourite song of the night and both shows I attended in fact. Grooving to a dance/techno version of this parable for our bleak world has never sounded better!
12. Sin - this new interpretation is quite awesome, and the crowd response reflected that
13. Came Back Haunted - it was a bit strange listening to this new interpretation at first, but I really warmed up to it by the end
Main Stage:
14. 1,000,000
15. Heresy - I love that this is a new setlist staple because I love it
16. Closer - all the Downward Spiral songs are just fire and they never miss
17. The Perfect Drug
18. Burn - not from The Downward Spiral, but a Downward Spiral era song that goes hard
19. Head Like a Hole
20. Hurt
All told, a fantastic show, the B stage really kept things fresh, and I would love an entire show of songs in the style of the 1st B stage section (quiet and almost acoustic), and same for the 2nd B stage section (the new techno/dance interpretations with Boys Noize).
My 2nd show would be in Madrid, but as a festival show, this show would not have a B stage, which was a highlight of the Paris show, but thankfully this would allow for more setlist variation without the B stage.
I was seated at the end of the arena for the Paris show, which gave me a great view of the show and appreciate the visuals, but being in the crowd for the Madrid show is just a different vibe and one I always prefer over seats (although with my age I may have to go for seats more in the future!).
Mad Cool Festival, Madrid, Spain - Jul. 11, 2025
1. The Beginning of the End - you really gotta be on your toes because they just came out and started playing without warning (just like the Bend show I was at in 2022 actually)
2. Wish
3. March of the Pigs
4. Piggy - unlike the Paris show, this is the original album version rather than the remix version
5. The Frail
6. The Wretched - it's nice to have this back in regular rotation after The Frail again, there was a time where they would sometimes play The Frail without The Wretched, and it just seemed wrong
7. Heresy
8. Less Than
9. Echoplex
10. Find My Way - I read a review somewhere that NIN doesn't play to win over crowds or attract casuals, and this deep cut is a good example. Festival shows typically feature more up-tempo and heavier songs, but this slower non-guitar heavy track is really the antithesis of that, it's one of my faves from Hesitation Marks
11. Closer - of course, I just said what I said and they follow that deep cut with the song they're probably most well known for
12. Copy of a
13. 1,000,000
14. The Good Soldier
15. Every Day Is Exactly the Same
16. Burn
17. The Perfect Drug
18. The Hand That Feeds
19. Head Like a Hole
20. Hurt
It's almost a bit of a shame that this crowd didn't get a B stage because they were moshing and dancing to most of it (or maybe I just didn't notice it in Paris because I was further away in seats?). The Peel It Back tour continues in North America, all shows on this leg will be supported by Boys Noize and contain a B stage. The shows should remain structurally and visually similar, but I'm
hoping for some new songs I didn't get in Paris or Madrid, perhaps the
new single from Tron: Ares?
As indicated in the title, this is just part 1, and part 2 will follow with my thoughts on the Portland and Vancouver shows.
