Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock act, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. Since 1988, they have performed throughout the world, including tours in North America, South America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia. During its earliest incarnations, Nine Inch Nails as a live band acted as supporting acts on tours for bands and musicians such as Skinny Puppy, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Peter Murphy, and Guns N' Roses. Subsequent tours have featured Nine Inch Nails as the headlining act, with support from bands such as Unkle, Marilyn Manson, Atari Teenage Riot, and A Perfect Circle.
The group's live performances contrast with its in-studio counterpart. Reznor writes and performs nearly all Nine Inch Nails studio material, with occasional instrumental and vocal contributions from other artists. However, Reznor has typically assembled groups of backing musicians to interpret songs for tours and other live performances. The live-band lineup has changed constantly throughout the band's history, with frontman Reznor remaining the only constant on vocals and guitar, and long-time studio collaborator Atticus Ross officially joining in 2016. Notable musicians who have contributed to live performances include Chris Vrenna, Richard Patrick, Jeff Ward, James Woolley, Danny Lohner, Robin Finck, Charlie Clouser, Jerome Dillon, Alessandro Cortini, Josh Freese, and Ilan Rubin.
Pretty Hate Machine Tour Series (1988–1991)
DurationTour legBand lineupLocation(s)(dates)Other acts Ref.GuitarDrumsKeyboard Oct–Nov1988 Skinny Puppy'sVIVIsectVI Tour — RonMusarra ChrisVrenna North America(8 dates)Headliner: Skinny Puppy Oct–Dec1989 Pretty Hate Machinepromotional tourRichardPatrickChrisVrenna NickRushe North America(9 dates) Jan–Mar1990 Jesus and Mary Chain'sAutomatic tour DavidHaymes North America(30 dates) Headliner: Jesus and Mary Chain Mar–Apr1990 Peter Murphy'sDeep tour North America(26 dates) Headliner: Peter Murphy May–Aug1990 Hate tour Lee Mars North America(39 dates) Support: Meat Beat Manifesto, Die Warzau, Pure, Cold Front Dec 1990–Feb 1991 Sin tour Jeff Ward North America(32 dates) Support: Die Warzau, Chemlab Jul–Aug1991 Lollapalooza JamesWoolley North America(25 dates) With: Jane's Addiction, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Living Colour, Ice-T & Body Count, Butthole Surfers, Rollins Band, Violent Femmes Aug–Sep1991 European tour Europe(13 dates) Headliner: Guns N' Roses, The Wonderstuff, Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine
Self-Destruct (1994–1996)
DurationTour legBand lineupLocation(s)(dates)Other acts Ref.GuitarBassDrumsKeyboard Mar–Aug1994 Self-Destruct Robin Finck Danny Lohner Chris Vrenna James Woolley North America, Europe(53 dates) Support: Marilyn Manson, Type O Negative, Fem2fem, PIG, Die Krupps, Treponem Pal Aug 1994–Feb 1995 Further Down the Spiral tour North America(82 dates) Support: Marilyn Manson, Jim Rose Circus, Pop Will Eat Itself, Hole Apr 1995 Alternative Nation Festival Charlie Clouser Australia(3 dates) With: Faith No More, Ice-T & Body Count, Lou Reed, Violent Femmes, Primus, Tool, L7, The Tea Party, Ween, Live, The Flaming Lips, Pennywise, Pop Will Eat Itself, Powderfinger Sep–Oct1995 Dissonance/Outside tour North America(26 dates) With: David Bowie Support: Prick Nov–Dec1995 Club Tour North America(7 dates) Support: Helmet Aug–Sep1996 Nights of Nothing tour Kevin McMahon North America(3 dates) With: Marilyn Manson, Meat Beat Manifesto
Fragility (1999–2000)
DurationTour legBand lineupLocation(s)(dates)Other acts Ref.GuitarBassDrumsKeyboard Nov 1999–Jan 2000 Fragility v1.0 Robin Finck Danny Lohner Jerome Dillon Charlie Clouser Europe, Japan(16 dates) Support: Atari Teenage Riot, Skingame Jan–Feb2000 Big Day Out 2000 New Zealand, Australia(6 dates) With: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Atari Teenage Riot, Blink-182, The Chemical Brothers Apr–Jul2000 Fragility v2.0 North America, Europe(53 dates) Support: A Perfect Circle
Live: With Teeth (2005–2006)
DurationTour legBand lineupLocation(s)(dates)Other acts Ref.GuitarBassDrumsKeyboard Mar–May2005 Spring club tour Aaron North Jeordie White Jerome Dillon Alessandro Cortini North America, England(30 dates) Support: Carre Callaway, The Dresden Dolls Jun–Aug2005 Summer international tour Europe, Japan, Australia(26 dates) Support: The Dresden Dolls, Saul Williams, Eagles of Death Metal, The Bird Blobs, The Follow Sep – Dec2005 Fall arena tour North America, South America(45 dates) Support: Queens of the Stone Age, Autolux, Death from Above 1979 Alex Carapetis Josh Freese Feb–Apr2006 Winter arena tour North America(32 dates) Support: Moving Units, Saul Williams May–Jul2006 Summer amphitheatre tour North America(31 dates) Support: Saul Williams, TV on the Radio, Bauhaus, Peaches
Performance 2007 (2007)
DurationTour legBand lineupLocation(s)(dates)Other acts Ref.GuitarBassDrumsKeyboard Feb–May 2007 Spring tour Aaron North Jeordie White Josh Freese Alessandro Cortini Europe, Australia, Japan(52 dates) Support: The Popo, Ladytron, Serena Maneesh Aug–Sep 2007 Summer / Fall international tourEurope, Asia, Australia, Hawaii(28 dates) With: Foo Fighters, Silversun Pickups Support: Intacto, Theodor Bastard, Serena Maneesh, The Dandy Warhols, Ladytron, Alec Empire, Unkle, The Lovesong, White Rose Movement I Dublin, August 22, 2007.
Lights in the Sky (2008)
DurationTour legBand lineupLocation(s)(dates)Other acts Ref.GuitarBassDrumsKeyboard July–Dec2008 Over North America Robin Finck JustinMeldal-Johnsen Josh Freese Alessandro Cortini North America(60 dates) Support: A Place to Bury Strangers, Boris, The Bug, Crystal Castles, Deerhunter, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Health, White Williams October 2008 Over South America South America(3 dates) Support: Vigilante
I The North American and South American legs overlapped in mid-October.
Wave Goodbye (2009)
DurationTour legBand lineupLocation(s)(dates)Other acts Ref.GuitarBassDrumsKeyboard Feb–March 2009 2009 Tour Robin Finck Justin Meldal-Johnsen Ilan Rubin — Australia & New Zealand (8 dates) Support: The Naked and Famous, Jaguar Love May–August 2009 NIN | JA 2009 North America,Europe, Asia(59 dates) With: Jane's AddictionSupport: Street Sweeper Social Club August–September 2009 Wave Goodbye New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto (11 dates) Support: The Horrors, Mew, Alec Empire, Health, Queen Kwong, io echo
Twenty Thirteen Tour (20132014)
DurationTour legBand lineupLocation(s)(dates)Other acts Ref.GuitarBassDrumsKeyboardBacking vocals July–September 2013 Twenty Thirteen Robin Finck Josh Eustis Ilan Rubin Alessandro Cortini — North America,Europe, Asia(16 dates) September–November 2013 Tension 2013 Robin FinckJosh Eustis Pino Palladino Lisa FischerSharlotte Gibson North America (34 dates) Support: Godspeed You! Black Emperor/Explosions in the Sky (31 dates)Autolux (2 dates) February–August 2014 NIN 2014 Robin Finck — — North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Latin America (69 dates) With: Queens of the Stone Age, SoundgardenSupport: Brody Dalle, Cold Cave, Oneohtrix Point Never, The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Trilogy Tour (2017–2018)
DurationTour legBand lineupLocation(s)(dates)Other acts Ref.GuitarsBassDrumsKeyboard July–December 2017 I Can't Seem to Wake Up 2017 Robin Finck Alessandro Cortini Ilan Rubin Atticus Ross North America (8 dates) Support: Tobacco (2 dates) June–December 2018 Cold and Black and Infinite 2018 North America, Europe, Asia (59 dates) Support: Queen Kwong, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Kite Base, Jesus and Mary Chain
U.S. 2022 & U.K. 2022 (2022)
DurationTour legBand lineupLocation(s)(dates)Other acts Ref.GuitarBassDrumsKeyboard April–May 2022 U.S. Spring Tour Robin Finck Alessandro Cortini Ilan Rubin Atticus Ross North America (8 dates) Support: Boy Harsher and 100 gecs June 2022 U.K. Summer Tour Europe (6 dates) Support: Nitzer Ebb and Yves Tumor September–November 2022 U.S. Fall Tour North America (12 dates) Support: Nitzer Ebb and Yves Tumor
Peel It Back (2025–2026) DurationTour legBand lineupLocation(s)(dates)Other acts Ref.GuitarBassDrumsKeyboard June–July 2025 Peel It Back Europe Robin Finck Alessandro Cortini Ilan Rubin Atticus Ross Europe (16 dates) Support: Boys Noize August–September 2025 Peel It Back US Josh Freese North America (26 dates) February-March 2026 Peel It Back US Stu Brooks North America (22 dates)
See also List of Nine Inch Nails live-band members Nine Inch Nails live performances
Footnotes
References
External links Nine Inch Nails official site