On a cold February night in 2026, I walked into TD Arena in Boston with an open mind.
I’m not a big Nine Inch Nails fan. I’ve seen them at festivals before and was never impressed. Industrial music has never really been my thing. If I’m in the mood for cold synths and mechanical pulse, I’d honestly rather throw on Gary Numan and call it a night. As for Nine Inch Nails? I know “Head Like a Hole” — mostly because Miley Cyrus has covered it in concert. I know “Closer” because it was unavoidable in seventh grade, that taboo anthem that felt dangerous and weird when you were 13. And I know “Hurt,” but mostly because of Johnny Cash’s devastating version.
That’s about it.
So maybe I wasn’t the target audience. But I’ve seen hundreds of concerts. I’ve been blown away by bands I didn’t know. I’ve walked into shows indifferent and walked out converted. That’s the magic of live music.
This wasn’t one of those nights.
For diehard Nine Inch Nails fans, the show at TD Arena was probably a masterpiece — dark, aggressive, layered, intense. For me? It was boring, bloated, and one of the worst arena shows I’ve seen in a long time.
Act 1: B-Stage – Slow Burn or Slow Death?
The show opened on a smaller B-stage with “Something I Can Never Have” (Still version), complete with a snippet of Depeche Mode’s “Stripped.” It was sparse and moody. The lighting was minimal. Trent Reznor stood in near darkness, hunched over piano and mic.
The crowd around me swayed reverently.
I checked my watch.
I understand atmosphere. I respect mood. But arena shows need momentum. Instead, the first act felt like a funeral rehearsal. “Non-Entity” followed, partially acoustic, and then “Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now).”
There’s a certain intensity in restraint — but this wasn’t tension. It was lethargy. The arena felt half-awake. Even visually, the staging felt oddly small for a venue that size.
By the time Act 1 ended, I wasn’t intrigued. I was concerned.
Act 2: Main Stage – Volume Without Energy
Things shifted to the main stage for “Wish.” Finally, some aggression. The lights exploded into strobes. The guitars roared. The crowd woke up.
But here’s the problem: loud does not equal exciting.
“March of the Pigs” followed — frantic, chaotic, all jagged edges. It’s clearly a fan favorite, and the floor section responded appropriately. But from my seat, it felt like being trapped inside a malfunctioning factory machine.
Then came “The Frail” and “Reptile,” pulling things back into that slow, oppressive atmosphere. The stage production leaned heavily on harsh white lights slicing through smoke. Stark. Cold. Mechanical.
I get that it’s the aesthetic.
It just doesn’t evolve.
“Find My Way” and “Copy of A” blurred together into pulsing loops and processed vocals. Everything felt clinical. Detached. There was very little crowd interaction, almost no warmth. Reznor stalked the stage with intensity, but rarely with charisma.
“Gave Up” closed the act with raw noise and screamed vocals. It should have felt cathartic.
Instead, I felt exhausted — and not in a good way.
Act 3: B-Stage with Boys Noize – EDM Detour Nobody Asked For
If the first half felt cold, Act 3 felt confused.
The band returned to the B-stage, this time joined by Boys Noize. Suddenly we were in remix territory.
“She’s Gone Away” morphed into a remix version with electronic flourishes and elements of “Vessel” and “Girl Crush.” It sounded like a Berlin warehouse at 3 a.m., except we were in Boston at 9:15 p.m.
Then came “Closer.”
This was the moment I’d been waiting for — the one song from my youth I genuinely recognized beyond surface level. The crowd erupted at the opening beat.
And then… remix.
Industrial dance breakdowns. Extended electronic passages. Pulsing bass that swallowed the vocals. It felt like someone had taken the one accessible hook in the entire set and buried it under club production.
The energy was high, sure. But it felt impersonal. Like a DJ set awkwardly stitched into a rock show.
“Parasite” (a How to Destroy Angels cover) followed, then “As Alive as You Need Me to Be,” both extended with Boys Noize outros. By this point, I felt completely disconnected. The arena atmosphere had shifted from concert to art installation rave.
Maybe fans loved the experimentation.
From my perspective, it dragged.
Act 4: Main Stage – Finally Familiar, But Too Late
Back to the main stage for the final act.
“Somewhat Damaged” roared out of the gates with grinding guitars. There was a sense that this was the “home stretch.” The crowd energy ticked upward.
“Less Than” and “The Perfect Drug” followed — the latter a track I vaguely remembered from late ’90s radio buzz. Visually, this was the most dynamic section of the night. The screens flickered in rapid-fire glitch patterns. Lights strobed in rhythmic pulses. It finally felt like a production worthy of an arena.
But emotionally? Still distant.
“Burn” came with band introductions — a rare moment of acknowledgment that yes, there are humans onstage. That was refreshing.
Then “The Hand That Feeds.” Another recognizable riff. The crowd sang loudly. For a brief five minutes, it felt like a shared experience instead of a solitary endurance test.
“Head Like a Hole” hit next — the one song I truly know, even if Miley Cyrus is my gateway. This should have been the knockout punch. It’s punchy. It’s direct. It has hooks.
And it was good. Not transcendent. Not explosive. Just good.
Which is frustrating. Because that means they can do good.
Finally, the inevitable closer: “Hurt.”
I’ll admit — this one landed.
Stripped-down lighting. Minimal instrumentation. Reznor alone in a halo of dim white light. The crowd quieted. You could feel the reverence.
But here’s the thing: every time I hear “Hurt,” I hear Johnny Cash. His weathered voice. His mortality. His final statement.
Reznor’s version, while sincere, didn’t hit me the same way. And as the final note faded, I didn’t feel devastated.
I felt relieved.
The Setlist
Act 1 – B-Stage
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Something I Can Never Have (Still version; with Depeche Mode’s “Stripped” snippet)
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Non-Entity (partially acoustic)
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Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)
Act 2 – Main Stage
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Wish
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March of the Pigs
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The Frail
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Reptile
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Find My Way
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Copy of A
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Gave Up
Act 3 – B-Stage with Boys Noize
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She’s Gone Away (Remix; with “Vessel” intro and elements of “Girl Crush”)
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Closer (Remix)
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Parasite (How to Destroy Angels cover; Remix with “Xpress Yourself” elements)
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As Alive as You Need Me to Be (Extended outro)
Act 4 – Main Stage
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Somewhat Damaged
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Less Than
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The Perfect Drug
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Burn
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The Hand That Feeds
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Head Like a Hole
-
Hurt
Why It Didn’t Work for Me
Let me be fair: Nine Inch Nails are precise. Tight. Professional. The sound mix was clean. The lighting design was deliberate. There were no technical disasters.
But great concerts are about connection.
This show felt emotionally cold and musically repetitive. The industrial textures blurred together into a gray wall of sound. The pacing dragged. The remix-heavy middle section killed what little momentum existed. There was almost no personality on display beyond intensity.
Intensity alone isn’t enough.
If I want bleak futurism, I’ll listen to Gary Numan. If I want emotional devastation, I’ll play Johnny Cash. If I want a high-energy arena spectacle, I’ll go see a band that actually looks like they’re enjoying being there.
Nine Inch Nails fans around me were ecstatic. They sang every word. They raised their fists. They seemed transported.
I wasn’t.
I was checking the time, texting friends, wondering how many songs were left, and thinking about how many incredible shows I’ve seen over the years that didn’t require me to endure almost two hours of sonic punishment to reach three songs I recognized.
Music is subjective. Art is subjective.
But for me, this was a long, gray, industrial slog.
And when the lights came up at TD Arena in Boston, I walked out into the freezing February air feeling one thing above all else:
Done.
** I’m not going to waste a half hour breaking this into single songs. Here is the entire video of the show, I’d sooner forget it than work on it any longer **
The Video