I was going to post this one after Saturday, when Nine Inch Nails wraps up their final Los Angeles appearance at the Hollywood Palladium for the “Cold and Black and Infinite” tour. But fuck it. I’ll do it today instead, because I feel like it. And if there’s anything more to add, I’ll do it in another post.
Needless to say, this show was a blast. Last Friday was the first night of their Palladium residency. And Trent Reznor and co. delivered one of their best shows in years, playing six “Downward Spiral” tracks, three from the side project How to Destroy Angels, with Mariqueen Maandig showing up for vocals, and a string of others that would please any NIN fan. After a lengthy hiatus, sans their FYF performance last year, it would seem they’ve a newfound love for performing.
Plus, it’s always a pleasure to see NIN return to more moderate sized venues, like the Palladium. The energy’s more concentrated, amped up, and right there in your face. Because you’re actually close enough to see and hear them perform. Arena venues just don’t cut it, when it comes to intimacy and intensity. And NIN benefits from both. The last time they played the Palladium was back in 2009 for the Wave Goodbye tour, which Trent called out midway through the show.
Like I said, they played some favorites, old and new, like “The Hand That Feeds” and their requisite set closer “Head Like A Hole.”
Nine Inch Nails perform “The Hand That Feeds” & “Head Like a Hole” @ the Hollywood Palladium on 12.07.18.
There’s the surprise How to Destroy Angels trio of songs, for which Mariqueen took the stage. It’s great to see the mutual collaboration at work here between Trent and his wife. And HTDA is essentially NIN anyway, so the music translates seamlessly, even getting a bit of an adrenaline boost.
Nine Inch Nails cover How to Destroy Angels’ “Parasite” & “Welcome Oblivion” with Mariqueen Maandig @ the Hollywood Palladium on 12.07.18.
Nine Inch Nails cover How to Destroy Angels’ “A Drowning” with Mariqueen Maandig @ the Hollywood Palladium on 12.07.18.
The EP “Broken” was featured with few tracks, a couple of which I’ve included … “Gave Up” and “Last.” They also did “Wish,” but I included the FYF version on a previous post, so I’ll leave it at that.
Nine Inch Nails perform “Gave Up” @ the Hollywood Palladium on 12.07.18.
Nine Inch Nails perform “Last” @ the Hollywood Palladium on 12.07.18.
And then there’s a couple new ones, the manic industrial techno evil-sax number “God Break Down the Door,” and the penultimate encore “And All That Could Have Been,” which would’ve been a great closer, if they didn’t follow tradition with “Hurt.”
Nine Inch Nails perform “God Break Down the Door” @ the Hollywood Palladium on 12.07.18.
Nine Inch Nails perform “And All that Could Have Been” @ the Hollywood Palladium on 12.07.18.
I chose to skip filming “Downward Spiral” material, because I just enjoy the hell out of watching it in person. Maybe I’ll capture some of it at tomorrow night’s show, if they play any of it. NIN’s been switching up the setlist every night, so other than a few staples, you never quite know what you’re going to get. For now, enjoy these until I report back. Cheers!
Nine Inch Nails:
How to Destroy Angels:
