Note- All photos taken with a digital “point and shoot” camera from my seat.
Though the weather is still on the cold side in Columbus, Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize brought the heat with easily the best visual display touring the country at the moment.
Fans were slow to trickle into the Arena (traffic around this area is always a nightmare), but Boys Noize quickly got the night started with his signature dark, electronic tunes. It was hard to pay attention to his set because I was constantly getting up to allow people to find their seats. His stage was also on the opposite side of the arena to where I was sitting, so I could not get any photos. Based on the amount of fog coming from behind him, I wouldn’t have seen much of him anyway. Overall, I enjoyed the moody vibes he was playing, and it was a good way to start the show.
As soon as Boys Noize stopped their set, Nine Inch Nails immediately started with the ballad “You Made It Feel Like Home” from the smaller ‘Side B’ stage in the middle of the floor. The (most likely) sold-out crowd lost their collective minds. The next song was one I haven’t heard since college: “Non Entity.” This was a staple at my local club/bar’s goth night and it brought back so many good memories. At this point, most of the band joined lead singer Trent on stage. Now it was time for me to lose my mind because the intro to one of my favorite songs ever, “Wish,” started playing. During the intro, the band could be seen literally sprinting to the main stage. This was also the first instance where most of the crowd could be heard singing the chorus together. The visual masterpiece mentioned earlier was now on full display. The band performed behind a gigantic sheer curtain that projected either visuals of the band performing in real time or some fun pre-programmed graphics. On each side of the stage was also a single fabric piece that displayed the band playing at all times. After about six non-stop songs on the main stage, their lights went dark, and the “Side B” stage lit up with Boys Noize joining the fun for a few songs like “Closer,” ‘Vessel,’ and the Tron theme song “As Alive As You Need Me To Be.” After this laser-filled and energetic performance, the band made their way back to the main stage. This set was without the previously mentioned curtain. During the song “The Perfect Drug,” we were treated to a phenomenal drum solo from none other than the legendary Josh Freese. Once that glorious display was done, Trent took a minute to introduce and thank the other members of the band. We were then treated to a cover of the David Bowie hit “I’m Afraid Of Americans,” which was a welcome surprise. Closing out the set were the classics “The Hand That Feeds,” “Head Like a Hole,” and “Hurt.”
I cannot give enough praise to the performance Nine Inch Nails (and Boys Noize) gave us. Pleasing visuals aside, the guys gave every song their all with such energy and emotion, all while having to sprint between stages. The crowd was engrossed the whole time and could be heard singing every lyric for most of the night. Definitely see this tour if you can, it is worth the cost!
