After a prolonged leave of absence, Nine Inch Nails return to the London O2 Arena with a performance that promises to be nothing short of transcendent. Tonight was a phenomenal masterclass in sound until the anticlimax.
Nine Inch Nails
The O2 Arena – 18 June 2025
Words: Dany Jones
Fronted by the ever-commanding Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails deliver an electrifying set that fuses industrial aggression with precise artistry.
From the first note, the sound is immaculate, razor-sharp, crisp and viscerally powerful. The show’s architecture allows for seamless movement between the main stage and a central quadri-podium for those intimacy-enhancing moments, while the production values are impressive with an avant-garde spectacle of lighting and fast imagery designed to immerse as much as to awe.
The setlist is a carefully curated journey through the band’s vast and varied catalogue that embodies something for every fan. After the solo acoustic melange of Right Where It Belongs with a snippet of Somewhat Damaged in the prologue, the full band emerge from the lower ground, unleashing a tandem of the more contemporary beat-driven material, the deep cuts and the anthemic staples that see the entire crowd singing, jumping and simply celebrating in unified catharsis. 
The energy is palpable and the connection indisputable to the notes of Closer, March Of The Pigs, Wish or Head Like A Hole. However, as the show reaches its climax, momentum gets abruptly and jarringly halted.
Without warning, the stage goes dark and a prolonged silence follows.
At first, one might assume it to be a deliberate interlude part of the theatrical design, but as the minutes drag on, uncertainty gives way to confusion.
A visibly unimpressed Reznor eventually emerges to explain that this is in no way planned nor part of the show and that the band are experiencing persistent technical difficulties that see two significant interruptions. They manage to fit in the Bowie cover Afraid Of Americans for the PA to once again give in.
Never one to shy away from directly expressing his feelings, the singer candidly addresses sharp comments at the technical crew and instrumentation gets thrown around out of frustration.
Understandably, emotions run high when months of planning and the anticipation built up ought to be marred by circumstance. But even titans of the likes of Nine Inch Nails are not immune to the chaos of the live experience.
The band manage to regain their footing for the final numbers in the set, yet the disruption inevitably leaves a mark on the spell that they so meticulously built throughout the evening. The closing Hurt feels rushed and tarnished by the disappointment undone by the faltering gears behind the curtain.
One cannot predict the unexpected. However, despite the tribulations, Nine Inch Nails have proven why they remain one of the most compelling live acts of our time and indeed re-affirm their supremacy as the architects of a subculture that remains powerful and very much alive.
