"Been listening to nin since the beginning when pretty hate machine came out. Used to dance in the clubs in chicago it was my favorite album of the time. Saw them years ago can’t remember probably Downword Spiral tour. This tour was one of my favorite shows of all time. Lighting direction music everything. The reaction from the crowds truly an unforgettable moment in time."

"This was my first time seeing NIN in 20 years! Previous to this, I saw them 4 times between 2005-2006. I have been a fan since the day Pretty Hate Machine came out, and changed me from a high school pom-pon squad girl, into a deep, downward spiral of rebellion. NIN sounded like how I truly felt on the inside. I was sick of being what everyone wanted me to be, and it freed me from those chains. The show last night did that for me all over again, but this time from a busy, middle aged mom of two, back into the little goth girl I still am deep in my heart. NIN allows me to feel all the things I often repress or hide because of the million responsibilities we have as adults now. When Trent played 'Something I Can Never Have' I lost it (in a good way) That song hit me differently this time. The crowd was quiet, laser focused, and we were all feeling a million things, just inside different bodies. I walked away with gratitude for the talent Trent shares with us all, and for the way the slow songs brought the crowd together in a silent awe. I hope it won’t be 20 more years before seeing them again!"

"I am a freelance illustrator/comic artist who is a gigantic Metal Gear Solid/Godzilla/Batman/Tron fan and from September to literally this past Monday Feb 23d, I have seen NIN a total of 3 times in about 6 months (@timbaksh on IG and x).

I had heard of NIN over the years (I'm 34) and being my age I've listened to music on ancient tech called radios and from time to time would get fed a classic track from them. Over time I'd come to learn about Trent and Atticus and how they've worked on soundtracks for so many things i've watched. The buildup for my first real dive arrived in the form of the announcement for Tron: Ares. Trent and Atticus weren't simply handling the soundtrack, they were operating as Nine Inch Nails.

My first show ever was in September on the their first night in Los Angeles. Went by myself. I was also familiar with Boyz Noize by that point because I'd of course listened to the Tron Legacy Reconfigured album and his boppin' remixes. They were nosebleed seats but i picked the best angle i could find to get the best grand view of the venue. I was there for As Alive As You Need Me To Be. I ended up getting that and so much more.

Dark. Neon. Ethereal. You can feel it in your body. It's so transportive. It might be the closest I'll ever get to a Batman Beyond/Cyberpunk show without it being overtly cyberpunk, it's so much more about the feelings the genre invokes and taps into. The energy and chaos of self reflection has never sounded so good. It was oddly validating, intimidating, and empowering all at the same time, to think that thoughts like the lyrics of NIN's songs could not only resonate with people across ages (I saw whole-ass little kids in there, absolutely nuts) but be represented in such ways that all of those ages respond to with universal hype and celebration.

After leaving the show, the Ares album dropped and I drove around for the night listening to the whole album. Something I learned that night was one: the album was absolutely everything I had wanted in a Tron film; no orchestra and aggressive dark techno bops. A friend of mine who wasn't a super fan like i ended up becoming describing some of the tracks as 'morbid' lmao. Either way, after just experiencing them live, I then not only got to listen to their new Tron album right away which was hitting my nerdy itches, I realized I was listening to new NIN with the rest of the world, probably before most casual listeners. I'm talking i walked out of the show, into the parking lot, and threw the album on that just released minutes ago.

A few days later, I get invited to the Tron Ares Hollywood Blvd premiere, days ahead of the national release, somehow. I have no idea what email list i got placed on but I was NOT complaining.

I take a friend with me this round, and the premiere was one of the coolest things I've experienced in my life. I could go forever talking about it but bottom line, NIN was there. What i did NOT expect, however, was them PLAYING A MINI SHOW post-movie. They performed in the SICKEST Recognizer stage setup, complete with foggy lights, lasers, and blinking RED wristbands across the audience. Never in my life had I experienced Hollywood Boulevard the way I did that night. And I had found myself in front of NIN WAY sooner than I expected. Mind was absolutely blown. Again, I felt transported away.

The Tron art that I've made since the album and film came out is all seeping with NIN, as that's all I listened to while illustrating them.

Cut to literally last week, where I find a family member has indulged in gen AI usage, and it pisses me off to no end as, again, I am a freelance illustrator. Out of anger, frustration, and not wanting to be in this city for a minute because AI and hollywood and so many things, I recklessly bought General Standing Pit tickets to Milwaukee, where one of my friends and podcast partner BizSnes resides.

If you've never heard of MGSCON, the TLDR is it is a fan con dedicated to the Metal Gear Solid game series, and it's run by fans for fans. Started by one Amanda Brian who recruited BizSnes, Brandee Simons, and myself, the show now has three years under its belt and has quietly set the standards for how indie conventions should operate.

BizSnes and I since then have begun a film review podcast as the creator of Metal Gear Solid cites MANY films as inspiration. With him being in Milwaukee, I was compelled to buy another pit ticket for him to come with me. I was determined to experience NIN with a friend this time.

On Sunday night I went to see Gorillaz perform the new album The Mountain at Hollywood Palladium, and if I had time to go into what kind of a profund experience that was for me as a Bengali American living in Los Angeles, I'd be here all day. So I'll skip to afterwards where I immediately hop on a flight and go to see NIN in the pit it Milwaukee in just under 24 hours.

When we were there, the community vibes BLOOMED. I met so many cool and interesting people in that pit. Being there not only dead center in the crowd next to the mosh pit (and everyone's pit ettiquette was SUPERB, the amount of care people had for each other is almost inspiring) but getting to witness the perspective change of the back and forth stages. The lighting effects from that level become grand on a scale I couldn't have forseen. If I were a lower IQ man I might have considered the culmination of these shows as a religious experience. Thankfully I watch plenty of David Lynch and listened to enough David Bowie in my lifetime (thank you Metal Gear Solid) to differentiate otherwise, but I do get it. I get why people sometimes take these experiences as core parts of their identity. They're such mesmerizing, reality bending performances.

I sit here now listening to the new Tron Ares: Divergence ablum they just dropped hours ago. I don't think NIN will ever not be in my life ever again, no matter how often they come in and out of activity. These experiences alone and the context of their presence in my past means so much to me, more than i could have ever anticipated. I'll be using this energy in my creative processes for years to come, I know I can feel it."