Playing their first slew of shows in nearly four years, Nine Inch Nails took a deep dive into their discography when they played FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin on Sunday night.
There was plenty of excitement and a large amount of black clothing worn as fans channeled their inner goth personas heading into the sold-out show. Boy Harsher led off the evening with a short but fun 40-minute performance, where it was obvious that the headliners significantly influenced band members Jae Matthews and Augustus Miller. The duo produced an electro-centered sound but, unlike Nine Inch Nails, infused a more pop-centric sound into their performance.
As the early crowd trickled into the venue, Boy Harsher created a small dance atmosphere as fans swayed to the music. As the performance continued, it was clear that the duo was glad to be on stage, and that was showcased in Matthews’ smile as she wore it through the entirety of the group’s set before waving goodbye to the Nashville crowd.
Nine Inch Nails didn’t take long to dive deep into their 30-plus-year catalog, as lead singer Trent Reznor and company went straight into “Terrible Lie,” off the band’s 1989 debut album, Pretty Hate Machine. That was just one of three songs that the group performed off the band’s first record, as fan-favorites “Sanctified” and “Head Like a Hole” were also featured on the setlist.
Since Nine Inch Nails’ last concert, Reznor and Atticus Ross had stayed busy, including winning their second Academy Award for Best Original Score for their work on the Disney and Pixar film Soul. Some of that Tinseltown flair made its way into Nine Inch Nails’ Sunday performance. The Music City area audience was blinded early and often but the strobe lights that the group brought with them. Additionally, Reznor displayed several emotions throughout the set, which only helped engage the crowd further into the show.
One of the more fun aspects of heading to a Nine Inch Nails concert is the fact that fans never know what to expect when it comes to the setlist. The group got its 2022 dates started on April 28 in Raleigh, North Carolina, before headlining Shaky Knees two days later and then Franklin on Sunday. During each show, Reznor and company have been adding and featuring different tracks for performance.
That shuffling did lead to some more notable omissions during Sunday’s set. While staples like “The Hand That Feeds” and “Hurt” were included, favorites like “Closer,” “Only,” and even the David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails rendition of “I’m Afraid Of Americans” were left off the list.
Those notable omitted tunes allowed the band to explore and bring out tracks it hadn’t performed in some time. Reznor joked early into the performance that the inclusion of those rarely performed songs made him have to dig into his memory to remember the lyrics. Even while he had to recall those words, it was clear that Reznor and his bandmates were glad to be back on stage in front of a live crowd. “I’ve been cooped inside for the last two fucking years. It is great to be out to be able to do this,” Reznor said. “I was climbing the fucking walls ready to do this again. Thank you, I really mean that. Thank you for being here.”
Nine Inch Nails will continue touring through the remainder of 2022. The complete list of show dates can be seen here.
Words & Photos by: Zach Birdsong