What a show! Purely from a production standpoint, Nine Inch Nails’ Peel it Back tour is a knockout of stage and lighting design, not to mention flow. No detail seemed unconsidered, all making for a dazzling knockout at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Tuesday night. Where to even start? The curtains.
The main stage, which they’ve dubbed the Unpeeled Stage, featured multiple curtains made of illuminated translucent fabric: one in front of the band, another midway back, and one behind everyone. You could always see everyone, but also served as billowy jumbotrons for lighting effects and projections of the band. It often made for a hologram effect, with giant 3D images floating above Trent Reznor and the rest of the band, and it could also create a psychedelic effect with each of the same curtains showing the same footage but slightly out of synch.
There was a cameraman on stage the entire time, surprisingly unobtrusive and acting almost as a sixth member of the band, with his footage manipulated in real time on those magical curtains. The pinnacle of this merger of sight and sound for me came during “Copy of A” where there were dozens of Trent Reznors on stage, house of mirrors style, and more towering above.
The show didn’t begin there, though. There was a smaller stage in the middle of the floor that was draped in black curtains while Boys Noize played his opening set of heavy, dark techno. On the last note of his set, the curtain dropped to reveal Reznor alone of the stage performing “Right Where It Belongs” on piano. That led into “Ruiner” and Atticus Ross, Alessandro Cortini, and Robin Finck joined him, one by one and finished with “Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now).”
Then seamlessly the action went back to the main stage where Josh Freese was behind the drum kit, marking his return to the band with a drum solo that had the crowd hypnotized as the rest of Nine Inch Nails assumed their positions. After opening their set on a somber note, this portion of the show hit us with the rippers: “Wish,” “March of the Pigs,” “Reptile,” “Heresy,” the aforementioned “Copy Of A,” and “Gave Up.” During that last one, Trent and Atticus disappeared from the stage and made their way back to the center of the floor where Boys Noize was waiting on the B Stage.
The “rave stage” set, as we dubbed it, was my favorite part of the the night, musically, with reimagined clubbier versions of “Vessel,” “Closer,” “As Alive As you Need Me To Be” from the upcoming Tron: Ares soundtrack, and “Came Back Haunted.” There was a “lid” of lights that descended down to just about Trent, Atticus and Boys Noize, searing them in crimson like they were under a restaurant kitchen’s salamander broiler. The lighting design here was fantastic, rimming the stage and sending out undulating ribbons of color across the masses on the floor as strobes blasted us and those main stage LED curtains showed footage of the band twiddling knobs. They should really release a proper version of “Closer” with Boys Noize.
Those curtains were off the main stage when the band returned to the main stage for the final segment of the night, making for more of a traditional heavy rock show filled with some of their biggest songs, including “The Hand That Feeds,” “The Perfect Drug,” “Head Like a Hole,” their version of David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans” (dedicated to Bowie after band introductions, which was one of the very few times Trent spoke all night), and the closer “Hurt.” Where 20 years ago you might have seen a wall of amps behind the band, here was a wall of directional light that blasted much the same way. The curtains, now flanking the stage, served as more traditional big screens but they still made use of the hazy layering even though the screens were basically on top of each other.
The band sounded phenomenal and had extra oomph from Josh Freese who seemed to revel being back behind the NIN kit again. And judging by the especially loud cheers for him during the band introductions, the fanbase is reveling in his return too. He’s a monster as a rock drummer, but at one point was playing breakbeats that could get him a job with Goldie or Roni Size. Nothing but love for Ilan Rubin but in the Great Drummer Swap of 2025, Nine Inch Nails were clearly the winner.
As “Hurt” crescendoed in a swirl of noise, black curtains dropped from the ceiling across the main stage with the iconic NIN logo, making for a mirror to the start of an amazing show.
I also need to shout out Todd Tourso, who has also worked with Lady Gaga, is creative director on the Peel It Back tour and worked with longtime NIN collaborator Paul “Arlo” Guthrie for those jaw-dropping visuals. As great as Nine Inch Nails are as a band, and they are, this really made the show.
Check out the setlist and a few videos from the show below. Nine Inch Nails play Barclays Center again tonight.
SETLIST: Nine Inch Nails @ Barclays Center 9/2/2025
B-Stage
Right Where It Belongs
Ruiner
Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)
Main Stage (Unpeeled Stage)
Wish
March of the Pigs
Reptile
Heresy
Copy of A
Gave Up
B-Stage
Vessel (with Boys Noize)
Closer (with Boys Noize)
As Alive as You Need Me to Be (with Boys Noize)
Came Back Haunted(with Boys Noize)
Main Stage (Peeled Stage)
Mr. Self Destruct
Less Than
The Perfect Drug
I’m Afraid of Americans (David Bowie cover)
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like a Hole
Hurt