Concert: Nine Inch Nails at CFG Arena

Concert date: August 26, 2025 - Date posted: August 29, 2025

To even get to the point of seeing Nine Inch Nails live I must begin with all the hoops we had to jump through. And I'm sure you can picture: Long queue for tickets, one of us in the queue being kicked off, the pit being completely sold out. Then, clicking seat after seat just to be told "Sorry this one’s taken”, before finally finding floor seats to buy.

Gotta love this era of Ticketmaster. I wasn’t attending concerts when real queues were a thing, but they had to have been better than this, right? This was my boyfriend/concert partner’s first time seeing NIN. This was a big deal. Years prior, the closest they came to playing anywhere near us was a short tour run that stopped in Cleveland in 2022.

The Venue: CFG Arena in Baltimore

We took a couple days off work to make a proper trip of it, with the concert being our main pull. A few other reasons for this decision A: parking for this particular venue is notoriously bad. B: We live 2 hours away, this concert was on a random Tuesday. C: The Sound Garden record store. If you ever visit Baltimore, please check out this amazing record store.

The whole venue once we arrived was very straight forward. I did read multiple posts saying the security was strict. We made sure we came light, although I did get flagged for my pants chain... they generously let me keep the chain in my pocket. The sections had their own merch stand, food/drink and entrances. We stepped out to the back of the arena floor where our seats were located and 3 stages

1. The main stage: At the other end of the stage front and centered, covered by a curtain
2. Stage B: an elevated square platform center of the entire floor, in the center back of the pit, also covered
3. Stage C: not pictured, appeared as a visual/av control area centered in our floor seat section, later revealed as Boys Noize DJ set

Interlude: Boys Noize

The opener flowed straight from the pre-show songs into his set. Boys Noize plays a cross breed of electronic and industrial. They were playing on Stage c, as I explained was located in the floor seating area, right next to our seats. Once he started getting into it, naturally, people got up to vibe and got a closer look, including us. Within seconds, security asked everyone to return to their seats. Buzzkill.

If they’re putting a DJ setup in the seated section, why not just let people move around and enjoy it? Or let the entire floor be a pit to allow floating between stages? Or maybe I’m just bitter about not being in the pit.

The DJ set lasted for a solid hour. There were plenty of others in our section enjoying the show and getting up in their seats, viewing and jamming from afar. It was a great warm up and also a perfect time to grab merch - which we did do. Boys Noize wrapped up their hour seamlessly to Trent Reznor on stage b right on.

The Opener: Nine Inch Nails

The electronic synths abruptly stopped, to give way to Reznor’s haunting vocals and acoustics for fan-favorite song Right Where it Belongs. He played more acoustic covers on the B stage to a full-of-awe crowd. Trent after much build up bursted out into the main stage with a beast drum solo from Josh Freese as the backdrop. This was our second time seeing Josh Freese play this year, our first was watching him on the Sessanta 2.0 Tour with A Perfect Circle. Hearing him this time was different - it was like experiencing him in his natural habitat, and the drum intro was a warning to our ears.

At this point, I had realized how obstructed my view is from floor seating – especially for someone with a short stature (it’s me, I’m the short one). I will probably not make that mistake of purchasing floor seats again if I can help it. I was able to get long direct glances to see the band play songs like March of the Pigs and Copy of A. Thankfully, there were large side screens that helped. The duration of the concert also included a really incredible light show and a large sheer curtain that projected some visuals over the band. All pulses, shadows, and flickers that synced perfectly with the beat. It filled me with some oohs and aahs.

Reznor and Atticus Ross moved back on stage b, where I can see clearly, where Boys Noize was back and all set up for their arrival. A remix to The Warning played first followed by a remix of Closer. What did we do right in life to experience this mash up? We later discussed how Closer would have been great to hear as the original version but the energy and pure talent playing was magic. They played a good amount of remixed tracks together. It was most definitely the most replayable moment in my head

Back on the main stage for the last time, they went through more of their greatest hits. This part of the concert made me appreciate this opportunity – throughout the night we had heard many of their most popular songs. Yet, they still had enough gas to wrap up strong. It was a grand final 4 song run - Everyday is the Same, The Perfect Drug ** with an insane John Freese industrial drum solo** Hand that Feeds, Head Like A Hole. Instruments and synths were not skipping a beat and Trent’s vocals were a blessing to my ears. Right when it felt like there was no more peak to climb, we are given Hurt.

Phone lights waved around the arena like swaying fireflies, and Trent was at the center giving us his all in this last moment with us. The fucking range on this guy. Trent describes in a documentary that he never explains the intent of his lyrics because we as the listener should relate to the lyrics on our own. This entire crowd was filled with those people who created their own meanings to this song.

The end of the concert came as abruptly and melancholy as it started. After the last note played, the NIN logo projected quietly over the curtain signaling the end. So much had built up to this point and we were waking out of the building overwhelmed. My concert partner, as a life-long fan, called it one of the best concerts he’s ever attended -- which is saying a lot. For me, it ranks easily as my favorite arena show to date. Forgetting the Ticketmaster circus and my seat choice, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Thank you for reading. I am planning on posting weekly: blogging old and upcoming concerts I am planning on attending, maybe music reviews, and photo diaries. My goal is to create a community for all type of music, I would love to hear any comments in my guest book. Have you ever attended a Nine Inch Nails Conert? How was your first expereince?