Nine Inch Nails at the Alcatraz - Trent Reznor

Credit: Alamy

Watch Trent Reznor perform with early Nine Inch Nails lineup

Mon 26 September 2022 12:30, UK

Legendary frontman Trent Reznor reunited with an early arrangement of Nine Inch Nails members for the band’s previously postponed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction celebratory performance.

Two years after a virtual ceremony for their initial induction during the Covid-19 pandemic, a live performance took place at Blossom Music Center in Reznor’s hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, on Saturday.

For the emphatic performance, Reznor was joined onstage by Chris Vrenna, Richard Patrick, Danny Lohner, and Charlie Clouser, all of whom were members of Nine Inch Nails in their 1990s heyday.

The metal band, who haven’t played in Ohio since 2013, performed a handful of songs from their late 1980s and early 1990s rise to fame, including ‘Sin’, ‘Wish’, ‘Gave Up’ and ‘Eraser’. They also debuted a cover of Filter’s ‘Hey Man Nice Shot’ before concluding the set with their 1989 classic, ‘Head Like A Hole’.

The original Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction for Nine Inch Nails took place virtually in 2020. The band was inducted by Iggy Pop, one of Reznor’s early inspirations and a fan of the group.

During the ceremony, Iggy likened listening to the industrial rock outfit to “hearing the truth”. “Listening to Nine Inch Nails’ music — which is so often called “industrial” — I actually hear a lot of funk… on top of that is a focused and relentless process of emotional destruction which paints a portrait of pain, pressure, and dissatisfaction.”

“It’s… the sound of industrial and digital ambition,” he added.

Nine Inch Nails’ latest albums, Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts, were released back in March 2020. The two-part album was announced as a surprise via social media, with Reznor saying that Ghosts V-VI is made up of “hours and hours of music,” in a post on Twitter. “Free. Some of it kind of happy, some not so much,” he added.

The band’s website added: “Two different records for two different mindsets. Download now for free. Stay safe!” Watch some footage taken at Nine Inch Nails’ Ohio performance below.