Nine Inch Nails original line-up reunion in 2022 was 2 years in the making
Nine Inch Nails’ reunion concert including former members, held on September 24, 2022, at the Blossom Music Center, marked an event more than two years in the making. Led by Trent Reznor, who originally founded NIN in Cleveland back in 1988, the concert saw the return of former band members who had not performed with the group in nearly two decades.
Among the notable returning members were guitarist Richard Patrick, who had departed following the 1991 “Pretty Hate Machine Tour,” and drummer Chris Vrenna, who had moved on after Nine Inch Nails reached international fame with “The Downward Spiral.” The long-awaited reunion, initially scheduled for 2020 to coincide with Nine Inch Nails’ induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, faced postponement due to the COVID-19 lockdowns that gripped the world.
However, with the easing of the pandemic in 2022, Nine Inch Nails seized the opportunity and announced a “one night only” concert at the Blossom Music Center for the occasion. Prior to the performance, Trent Reznor and the former bandmates reunited for a panel discussion at the Rock Hall, reminiscing about their time together and the journey that led them to this momentous event.
At the concert, the crowd was treated to an electrifying performance as the former bandmates graced the stage to play beloved fan favorites, including “Eraser,” “Wish,” “Sin,” and “Gave Up.”
But the highlight of the night came when Richard Patrick picked up his guitar and sang “Hey Man Nice Shot,” a hit from his band Filter, which he founded after departing Nine Inch Nails in 1993.
Reflecting on the night, Richard Patrick expressed his overwhelming gratitude for the audience’s love and support, calling the experience a defining moment in his life. Reznor from his side posted on his Discord after the show, “When/If we tour again, it will be different. Not like [2018′s “Cold Black Infinite” tour] era – It’s over.”
About Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1988 as the recording project of Trent Reznor. Working as an assistant engineer at Right Track Studios and inspired by Prince’s practice of playing every instrument himself, Reznor recorded demos alone, programming drums and playing the rest, and performed under a band name despite being its sole permanent member. Nine Inch Nails played its first live show on 27 October 1988 in Pittsburgh, and released its debut album, “Pretty Hate Machine,” through TVT Records in 1989.
After a contractual dispute with TVT, Reznor signed with Interscope Records and founded his own imprint, Nothing Records, releasing “The Downward Spiral” in 1994 and “The Fragile” in September 1999. The band left Interscope after “Year Zero” (2007) and self-released the instrumental “Ghosts I-IV” (2008) through the Null Corporation before returning to major-label releases with “Hesitation Marks” (2013), “Bad Witch” (2018) and the companion albums “Ghosts V: Together” and “Ghosts VI: Locusts” (both 2020).
English musician Atticus Ross became an official member in 2016 after years of production work with Reznor, including their Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning score for David Fincher’s “The Social Network” (2010). Guitarist Robin Finck first joined in 1994 and has rejoined the touring band multiple times since; drummer Josh Freese first joined in 2005. Nine Inch Nails was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 7 November 2020, alongside Ross, Finck and other past members. Nine Inch Nails’ touring lineup has included guitarist Robin Finck, who first joined in 1994 and has rejoined the band multiple times since.
Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!
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