With their tour originally scheduled for 2020, Nine Inch Nails finally brought their battered and bruised touring set—featuring plenty of fog machines—to the majestic Met Theater in Philadelphia this week. This was the second of a two-night stint, and unlike the first night, they opened the show with a propulsive trio of "Wish," "Last," and "Letting You." As is typical for the band, the opening was a full-frontal assault of the senses—loud, blinding, and kinetic.
Reznor took the stage with a guitar, pounced on his keyboard, and throttled his mic stand like a pilot trying to regain control of a crashing plane. Never one to banter between songs, the set was tight with few interludes. A blistering cover of David Bowie’s "I'm Afraid of Americans" made the political statement of the night, addressing what was on everyone’s minds, especially with the heavy police presence outside the venue. "Head Like a Hole" and "Hurt" closed out the set with fans singing along.
Check out photos from the evening below.
