Nine Inch Nails at Ball Arena on August 15, 2025
Trent Reznor announced to the near capacity crowd at Ball Arena recently that he was “blown away” that so many people came to see Nine Inch Nails. As a fan from the first moment I played the promo tape Wax Trax received in 1989, I was surprised by his surprise. Even though he has written scores for more than a dozen films over the last 15 years, I don’t think anyone in attendance expected him to sit behind a keyboard and play instrumental tracks all night. I certainly wasn’t disappointed with the setlist or the energy of the show.
The show started with German-Iraqi DJ Boys Noize filling the cavernous space with a wall of techno dance grooves from a platform at the other end of the arena. The crowd directly in front of him had seats on the floor and stood watching him for the first third of his set, until one whole section sat down. Sitting behind the DJ gave me a perfect view of what he was seeing, the backs of a bunch of lame-ass Denver fans who couldn’t be bothered to even shimmy in their seats. I was embarrassed by their level of disrespect. It must be boring to only know the radio friendly tracks of NIN. Sometimes Denver crowds suck.
After Boys Noize’s hour-long set, the curtain around a small stage in the center of the floor dropped revealing Reznor sitting alone at a keyboard. He opened with an acoustic piano version of Nine Inch Nails 2005 hit “Right Where It Belongs” which bled into a bit of the earlier “Somewhat Damaged.” As he played the band’s “Ruiner” from 1994’s “The Downward Spiral,” his ferocious vocals seemed fresh as ever and the intensity he played with reminded me that piano is a percussive instrument. I respect any musician who can perform a 30-year-old song and make it feel as fresh as the first time they played it.
Atticus Ross, the only other permanent member of NIN (though not an OG), and touring band member Alessandro Cortini joined Reznor on stage for more “Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now).” As Reznor’s final line, “Nothing can stop me now, ‘cause I don’t care anymore.” faded away, drummer Josh Freese hammered out the opening beats of their 1992 hit “Wish” from the main stage. Freese, self-proclaimed “freelance drummer to the stars” looked at home playing with NIN, a spot he last held in 2008. Reznor and the rest of the band joined him on stage and the guitar assault began. I’ve always found a raging wall of sound the perfect way to scrape the detritus of a long day off my brain. The attack continued with “March of the Pigs” and I was in heaven.
The set, heavy with choice tracks from the 90s” continued from the main stage for a few more songs and then Reznor went back to the center stage and was joined by Boys Noize for four songs. They played “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” from the upcoming Tron: Ares soundtrack. It comes out September 19, and at Disney’s insistence, the album will be credited as a Nine Inch Nails project. In the past Reznor and Ross have not used the band’s name on soundtracks and Reznor has said this change has added pressure to their process. The single sounds like “With Teeth” era NIN (except for some poppy “yea yea yeas”) and I have no doubt the soundtrack will be huge.
The hour and a half show concluded on the main stage with classics including “Closer,” “Head Like A Hole,” and Reznor’s typical closing song “Hurt.” Its brutally honest lyrics about depression, drug abuse and a destructive lifestyle may be 30 years old, but they will never lose the power to connect with listeners. Nine Inch Nails will always draw crowds.
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