This was my first time traveling to the Prudential Center via train. Getting to Newark actually wasn’t that bad, even though I’ll always prefer NYC venues. We took the train to Cortlandt and transferred to the NJ PATH via the Oculus. The PATH was crowded at first, but it eventually cleared up. From Newark Penn Station, it’s a quick walk to the Prudential Center, so the trip itself was pretty painless. Unfortunately, that’s where the problems started.
When we got to the arena, there was a massive crowd gathered outside the entrance. This immediately confused me. If you’ve ever been to a big arena show, you know getting inside usually takes maybe five minutes. I’ve gotten into stadium shows faster than we experienced that night.
Instead, we stood there waiting for nearly an HOUR. It got to the point where I was on the verge of missing the opening to NIN’s set. Maybe it’s my fault for thinking I could arrive at the arena at 8 pm and have plenty of time to chill. The only opener was Boys Noize. I had already seen him play in Brooklyn, and he was going to join Reznor on stage anyway, so I thought there was no harm in arriving later.
I wasn’t panicking because I didn’t think the Universe would do this to me after all I’ve been through, but I was very much annoyed. Eventually, staff redirected us to the THREE COMPLETELY EMPTY entrances on the side of the arena. I have never power-walked so fast in my life. I was seconds away from burning the whole place down if I missed the beginning of the set. I didn’t care that I had just seen NIN recently… I was not missing the start of this show. I swear, it’s always Jersey venues that piss me off.
We rushed to our seats, and five minutes later, Reznor appeared onstage. I still can’t believe how close I came to missing that moment. Honestly, I think the Universe also sensed the absolute wrath I would have unleashed if I had missed the start of the concert and decided to spare everyone the pain. The gods know how much I love Reznor.
But the truth is, seeing Nine Inch Nails has always meant more to me than just going to a concert. Their music has helped me through some incredibly heavy periods in my life. When things felt overwhelming or dark, those songs were there. “Beside You In Time” helped me tremendously when my grandfather passed away. I know it will get me through this time in my life now. Because of that, it’s difficult for me to even imagine an end to Nine Inch Nails. I can’t imagine not seeing them live again. I know Reznor has given so much of himself to us for decades, and I’m grateful for every album and every tour. But I’ll admit it, I selfishly hope there’s one more time.
As for the show itself, the setlist was mostly similar to the Brooklyn performance, though there were a few changes. I will admit I’m a little jealous of the crowds that got to hear “Something I Can Never Have” and “The Line Begins to Blur.” Those would have been incredible songs to experience live. There also weren’t many tracks from The Fragile, With Teeth, or Year Zero, which always hurts a little because those albums have some of my personal favorites. I have to stop looking at setlists because it seriously upsets me lol.
Nonetheless, the show was amazing! Our seats weren’t as bad as they seemed on Ticketmaster, and we were in the aisle, so my view wasn’t obstructed much. I just wish people could sit still during a performance. Once my band goes on stage, you won’t catch me going anywhere. I have to be there for every second of the performance. I still LOVE the remix of “Closer” with Boys Noize. I’m so happy I got to hear it a second time. AND “As Alive as You Need to Be” is SO good live. As expected, the band was very energetic and on point, with the stunning light show and camera work for this tour being perfect.
Despite the near disaster at the entrance and Prudential Center officially landing on my shit list, the show itself made the whole night worth it. At the end of the day, when Reznor walks onstage, and the first notes hit, everything else just kind of disappears. For a while, it’s just the music and thousands of people feeling it together.
I honestly don’t think I could ever thank Reznor enough for creating this band. The music has meant that much to me. I also can’t imagine what it would be like to have been born in a time when Nine Inch Nails didn’t exist. I feel lucky that I got to grow up with it, to hear these songs when I needed them most, and to experience them live.
And if this really does end up being one of the last times I get to see Nine Inch Nails live, I’m glad I was there. But I’m still holding onto the hope that someday the lights will go down again… and Reznor will walk out one more time. In the meantime, please excuse me as I mourn not having the chance to hear my favorite Nine Inch Nails songs live…
Setlist:
Act 1: B-Stage
1. (You Made It Feel Like) Home (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross cover)
2. Non-Entity
3. Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)
Act 2: Main Stage
4. Wish
5. March of the Pigs
6. The Frail
7. Reptile
8. Heresy
9. Copy of A
10. Gave Up
Act 3: B-Stage with Boys Noize
11. Vessel (Remix)
12. Closer (Remix)
13. Parasite (How to Destroy Angels cover) (Remix)
14. As Alive As You Need Me to Be
Act 4: Main Stage
15. Mr. Self Destruct
16. Less Than
17. The Perfect Drug
18. I'm Afraid of Americans (David Bowie cover)
19. The Hand That Feeds
20. Head Like a Hole
21. Hurt
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