Nine Inch Nails Peel It Back Tour: Manchester Live Review

The Return of Industrial Royalty

Nine Inch Nails electrified the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester on June 17, 2025, with the kind of genre-bending, emotionally raw performance that only Trent Reznor and company can deliver. The second show on the Peel It Back Tour, this wasn’t just a concert—it was a meticulously choreographed fine art installation, techno rave, and sonic demolition all wrapped into one unforgettable night.

From ambient Berghain-style techno before the first note to the blood-red lighting and eerie visual projections that blanketed the crowd, Nine Inch Nails delivered a high-concept show that was both emotionally arresting and physically explosive. For new fans, it was a mind-melting initiation. For old-school die-hards, it was a powerful reminder that NIN are still at the top of their game.

Let’s peel back the layers.

Tour Context & Expectations

Peel It Back

: Minimalism Meets Mayhem

The 2025 tour strips down the past grandeur of massive stage rigs and leans into shadowy, minimalist visual storytelling. Reznor himself explained that Peel It Back is about removing excess and focusing on raw presence, texture, and feeling. Each performance adapts to the space and crowd, giving every show its own unpredictable energy.

A New Kind of Industrial Experience

This tour deviates from prior formats like the heavily-produced Tension 2013 or even the broken, fractured chaos of 2005’s With Teeth era. What replaces it is something leaner, darker, and more confrontational.

Venue & Atmosphere at Co-op Live

Manchester’s New Arena Beast

The Co-op Live Arena, the UK’s largest indoor venue, provided the ideal backdrop for NIN’s sensory-heavy performance. Its state-of-the-art acoustics and flexible staging allowed for smooth transitions between NIN’s two performance spaces: the B-stage (in the crowd) and the main stage.

A Blood-Red Beginning

Before the band took the stage, a Hardcore, German-style, techno set pulsated through the arena—dark, minimal, hypnotic. Bathed in crimson light and fog, it set a disorienting tone. When the lights finally dimmed, there was already an apocalyptic energy in the air.

Lights, Laser & Live Art Installation

Projections of a “Copy of A”

During the performance of Copy of A, the stage transformed into an artistic hallucination. Ghostlike projections of Trent Reznor danced seconds behind his every move, as though we were watching a copy of a copy of a copy glitch in and out of reality.

War Zone Aesthetic

Massive columns of white light flashed through smoke. Crowd silhouettes were cast in eerie negative space, making the audience itself part of the installation. The lighting echoed war photography—gritty, oversaturated, and uncomfortably beautiful.

Soundscape & Production Design

Audio Terrorism, Executed Beautifully

From chest-thumping sub-bass to surgical synth precision, this was a masterclass in sound design. The sonic palette felt like standing inside a living machine—pulsing, glitching, grinding. There were no pyrotechnics, just the violent power of sound.

The Boys Noize Techno Interlude

During the mid-set techno section featuring Boys Noize, the B-stage exploded with industrial club energy. The lighting resembled a Berlin warehouse—bolts of light, lava flows, strobes synchronised to the crowd’s movement. It was like Berghain meets Blade Runner.

Opening: Piano B-Stage Solo

Alone in the Crowd

Trent began the show seated at a piano in the center of the audience. One white spotlight. Silence. Then came “A Minute to Breathe.” The crowd hushed to reverence.

Rarities Unleashed

Next, he played “That’s What I Get”—a song not performed live since 1991. Fans lost their minds. Then came a haunting new version of “The Fragile”, unseen since 2009. The intimacy was surgical, dissecting the room with raw emotion.

Main Stage Assault

From Quiet to Cataclysm

As Reznor walked toward the main stage, the opening half of “Eraser” built into a crescendo that exploded into “Wish”, followed by the chaotic “March of the Pigs.” It was a sonic bloodbath.

Reptile: A Personal Peak

“Reptile” was a highlight—not just for its grinding groove and snarling lyrics but for how unified the audience became, shouting along to every word. It was cathartic, tribal, primal.

Copy of A & Gave Up

These mid-set staples maintained a ferocious tempo. “Copy of A”’s pulsing rhythm was perfectly matched with its fractured visuals. Then came the devastatingly heavy “Gave Up”, with live drums sounding like cannon fire.

Boys Noize B-Stage Inferno

Techno Violence, NIN-ified

Joined by Boys Noize, the trio dropped a techno-industrial triptych: “Vessel,” “Branches/Bones,” and “Came Back Haunted.” The energy here was unlike any prior NIN tour—a full-on underground rave dropped into an arena setting.

The Grand Finale

Setlist Surprises

They returned to the main stage to deliver deep cuts and fan anthems—“Somewhat Damaged” and “Less Than” were tour debuts.

Then came “Heresy”, which sparked the loudest crowd chant of the night:

“Your God is dead and no one cares!”

Peak Climax: “The Perfect Drug” & “Head Like a Hole”

“The Perfect Drug” was a nuclear event—its live drums detonating like artillery. When “Head Like a Hole” dropped, the crowd shook the arena floor with synchronised screams.

Closing with “Hurt”

Collective Vulnerability

The show ended with “Hurt.” Quiet, haunting, devastating. Everyone sang. Some cried. For those moments, 20,000 people stood still, wrapped in shared emotional space with one of the world’s most emotionally raw performers.

Fan Surprise Moments

• “That’s What I Get” performed for the first time since 1991
• “Fragile” and “Somewhat Damaged” both tour debuts
• Electronic reimagining of “Vessel” turned into a techno bombshell
• “The Perfect Drug” gets full live drum arrangement

A Look Back: Comparing Past Tours

This show wasn’t about nostalgia, though it honoured it. Compared to 2013’s tech-heavy Tension tour or the deconstructed 2009 shows, this was leaner, more conceptual, and emotionally scarier.

Audience & Critical Reception

The Times, Consequence, and fans online all echo the same:

“This is the most artistically coherent and sonically brutal Nine Inch Nails show in years.

What’s Next on Tour

Catch upcoming UK dates and European stops on their official site. Expect variations in setlist and staging—each night is truly unique.

How to Prepare for a Show Like This

• Arrive early to catch the ambient pre-show
• Bring ear protection—it’s LOUD
• Don’t film everything—experience it
• Be emotionally open—Reznor will get to you

Quick Takeaways

• Rare tracks and surprise setlist choices stunned fans
• Artful visuals and red-soaked lighting set an eerie, unforgettable tone
• The techno B-stage section was a visceral highlight
• Trent’s piano intro created an intimate, emotional opening
• Massive crowd response to “Heresy,” “Reptile,” “Head Like a Hole,” and “Hurt”
• This tour reinvents live industrial music as art and ritual

A Show for the Ages

Nine Inch Nails’ Peel It Back Tour is a triumph. What Manchester witnessed on June 17 wasn’t just a concert—it was a full-spectrum assault on the senses and spirit. From intimate piano ballads to seismic industrial techno, the night was a journey through noise, beauty, rage, and vulnerability. Every detail, from lighting to setlist to sound design, was crafted to provoke, thrill, and haunt.

For longtime fans, it’s the most rewarding live evolution of the band since the late 90s. For newcomers, it’s the ultimate initiation. Either way—this show will stay with you long after the lights go out.

If Nine Inch Nails are playing anywhere near you: Go. Now. Peel it back.

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