On This Day - May 21, 2014 - Nine Inch Nails, Cardiff Motorpoint Arena

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Nine Inch Nails, at the Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, was a visual and aural assault on the senses. For an hour and forty minutes, they played almost non-stop – the only breaks being the encore and testing a synth pad which had “blown up”.

Nine Inch Nails are officially a one man band, fronted by Trent Reznor. However for this tour he was joined on stage by Robin Finck, Alessandro Cortini and Ilan Rubin. The tour was their first in the UK for six years, and follows the release of their critically acclaimed album Hesitation Marks last September. I’ve been a fan since the mid 90’s and have somehow managed to miss them touring before, so was I was looking forward to this. And they didn’t disappoint.

Right from the off the show was run with military precision, the huge lighting rigs constantly moving, changing colour and pulsing in time with the music. The band silhouetted against a bright background later in the show was particularly effective. Nothing about the show seemed too over-the-top or extravagant, it all came together perfectly for a brilliant performance.

There were quieter moments during the loud, brash guitars and synths based tracks, but there was no lull or moments when then crowd were any less captivated. My favourite tracks were Wish, Gave Up and the set closing Closer, which were just outstanding. Nine Inch Nails played as hard as their name suggests. And I’ll be there the next time they tour.

Courtesy of South Wales Argus

Setlist

  1. Pinion / The Eater of Dreams

  2. Copy of A

  3. The Beginning of the End

  4. Letting You

  5. March of the Pigs

  6. Something I Can Never Have

  7. Reptile

  8. The Becoming

  9. Survivalism

  10. Gave Up

  11. Sanctified

  12. Closer

  13. Me, I'm Not

  14. Came Back Haunted

  15. The Great Destroyer

  16. Hand Covers Bruise

  17. Beside You in Time

  18. Wish

  19. The Hand That Feeds

  20. Head Like a Hole

  21. Hurt