If you weren’t at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans last night, you missed a serious piece of music history. Nine Inch Nails just kicked off the second North American leg of their Peel It Back Tour, and let’s say Trent Reznor isn’t slowing down—he’s leveling up.
The lineup is a total powerhouse: Reznor and Atticus Ross are joined by legends Robin Finck (guitar) and Josh Freese (drums), plus their secret weapon, new bassist Stuart Brooks.
A Visual Fever Dream
Forget those boring giant LED screens you see at every other concert. This production—dreamed up by Reznor, Todd Tourso, and MTLA.studio—is basically a high-art fever dream. They’re using translucent fabrics, raw handheld camera work, and 3D projections to make the stage feel like a living, breathing nightmare in the best way possible.
NIN Photo Credit: Jenn Devreaux
The Setlist Surprises
The show is broken into four distinct acts, and the first night in NOLA was packed with “holy crap” moments. Trent started solo on the B-stage with a haunting “Something I Can Never Have.”
The band dusted off “Non-Entity” for the first time in 17 years. If you were there, yeah, you have bragging rights. Electronic wizard Boys Noize pulled double duty, opening the show and then joining NIN for a wild Act 3 that included “Vessel,” “Closer,” and the rare “Parasite.” They capped off the third act with a massive performance of their brand-new Grammy winner, “As Alive As You Need Me To Be.”
Don’t Miss the Bus
The 2025 dates already saw nearly half a million fans lose their minds across Europe and the US, and critics are calling it the “Live Act of the Year.” If you want to see what NME calls a “visual masterpiece,” check out the remaining stops:
Head over to nin.com to snag the last remaining tickets before they’re gone. Trust us, your ears (and eyes) will thank you.
NINE INCH NAILS: PEEL IT BACK TOUR 2026 DATES:
Thu Feb 05 — New Orleans, LA — Smoothie King Center
Sat Feb 07 — Jacksonville, FL — VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
Tue Feb 10 — Charlotte, NC — Spectrum Center
Wed Feb 11 — Washington, DC — Capital One Arena
Fri Feb 13 — Boston, MA — TD Garden
Sat Feb 14 — Newark, NJ — Prudential Center
Mon Feb 16 — Montreal, QC — Bell Centre
Wed Feb 18 — Hamilton, ON — TD Coliseum
Fri Feb 20 — Columbus, OH — Schottenstein Center
Sun Feb 22 — Grand Rapids, MI — Van Andel Arena
Mon Feb 23 — Milwaukee, WI — Fiserv Forum
Wed Feb 25 — St. Louis, MO — Enterprise Center
Fri Feb 27 — Tulsa, OK — BOK Center
Sun Mar 01 — Austin, TX — Moody Center
Tue Mar 03 — Dallas, TX — American Airlines Center
Fri Mar 06 — Glendale, AZ — Desert Diamond Arena
Sat Mar 07 — Las Vegas, NV — MGM Grand Garden Arena
Mon Mar 09 — San Diego, CA — Pechanga Arena
Tue Mar 10 — Anaheim, CA — Honda Center
Fri Mar 13 — Salt Lake City, UT — Delta Center
Sun Mar 15 — San Francisco, CA — Chase Center
Mon Mar 16 — Sacramento, CA — Golden 1 Center
NIN Photo Credit: John Crawford
