Nine Inch Nails have kicked off their North American tour dates and played their first shows with drummer Josh Freese back in the line-up. Check out footage and the full setlist below.
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The dates in the US commenced on Wednesday night (August 6), with an opening night at the Oakland Arena in California. It marks the continuation of their long-awaited ‘Peel It Back’ 2025 world tour dates, which have already seen Trent Reznor and co. perform in the UK and Europe.
As well as being their first US stop on the tour, the show in Oakland also marked the first performance from Nine Inch Nails since they announced that their drummer Ilan Rubin had left the line-up, and had been replaced by Josh Freese.
Freese had previously served as the band’s drummer between 2005 and 2008, before being replaced by Ilan Rubin. He then joined the Foo Fighters as their touring drummer in 2023, following the sudden passing of their drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022, but was caught off guard when he was kicked out of that group earlier this year.
It now seems that the two drummers have swapped roles, with Freese joining NIN for their remaining tour dates, and Rubin slated to have joined Dave Grohl and co.
With the US tour, Nine Inch Nails have continued the structure of their previous ‘Peel It Back’ dates – performing heavier hits at the main stage, and playing acoustic versions and remixes at a smaller ‘B-Stage’ in the middle of the audience.
After kicking off with acoustic renditions of ‘Right Where It Belongs’, ‘Somewhat Damaged’, ‘Ruiner’ and ‘Piggy’ on the B-Stage, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross were joined by the remainder of the band (including Freese) on the main stage, breaking out blistering tracks ‘Wish’, ‘March of the Pigs’, ‘Reptile’, ‘Heresy, ‘Copy of A’ and ‘Gave Up’.
Making their way back to the other stage, they were joined by opener Boys Noize for ‘Vessel’, ‘Sin’, ‘Came Back Haunted’ and the live debut of ‘As Alive As You Need Me To Be’. The latter is their latest single, and was written exclusively for the soundtrack to the upcoming Tron: Ares film.
Closing out the set at the main stage, Reznor and co. wrapped things up with ‘Less Than’, ‘Closer’, ‘The Perfect Drug’, ‘The Hand That Feeds’, ‘Head Like a Hole’ and ‘Hurt’.
Check out more footage below, along with the full setlist.
Nine Inch Nails’ setlist was:
B-Stage
‘Right Where It Belongs’ (piano acoustic version)
‘Ruiner’ (partially acoustic version)
‘Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)’
Main Stage
‘Wish’
‘March of the Pigs’
‘Reptile’
‘Heresy’
‘Copy of A’
‘Gave Up’
B-Stage
‘Vessel’ (with Boys Noize)
‘As Alive as You Need Me to Be’ (with Boys Noize, Live debut)
‘Sin’ (with Boys Noize)
‘Came Back Haunted’ (with Boys Noize)
Main Stage
‘Somewhat Damaged’
‘Less Than’
‘Closer’
‘The Perfect Drug’
‘The Hand That Feeds’
‘Head Like a Hole’
‘Hurt’
Announcing his return to NIN, Freese shared: “Leaving Nine Inch Nails at the end of 2008 was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. My wife and I were expecting our third child, and I knew I needed to step away from life on the road to be home with my family.
“NIN was a band that left me walking off stage every night, thinking, ‘That was incredible. We absolutely crushed it.’ And it wasn’t just a feeling, it was a certainty. That level of intensity, pride and satisfaction after each show is something I’ve rarely experienced anywhere else.”
He continued: “Now, being back on tour with Trent and the crew – helping them do what they do best night after night – is something I’m incredibly excited about. To be part of that energy again feels amazing.”
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NME also caught Nine Inch Nails’ set in Madrid, and shared: “Judging by their Mad Cool headline set, there is no question that the group won’t be meticulously maintaining their legacy over the next few decades.
“From the exquisite visuals (which, even in their calmest moments, still blow some of the biggest names out of the water) to their effortless on-stage rapport and the sheer quality of their live sound, this sensational outing is vintage Nails. Welcome back, guys. We’ve missed you.”
As well as hitting the road as part of the band, Reznor and Ross have also announced details of Future Ruins, a festival designed to celebrate film and television composers. On the line-up are Danny Elfman, John Carpenter, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Cristobal Tapia de Veer, Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, as well as Reznor and Ross.
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