We walked past Arena to reach Tyla. We so didn't. For Nine Inch Nails pulled us in like a magnetic force, and suddenly we were standing in the middle of a mechanical fair for anger, melancholy and lighting design.
One star
Two stars
Three stars
Fours stars
Five stars
Disclaimer: Apropos Magazine received access or a review copy. As always, we share our own impressions — unfiltered.
Six stars
There are concerts, and then there are experiences. And when Trent Reznor stands up on a stage and opens his catalogue of self-loathing and societal criticism, you know perfectly well what category you're in.
It all started with a bang -- not just musically, but also in intensity. It was as if someone had sent us back in time, but at the same time forward into some kind of dystopian future. The scenery was so black that you could feel it. And the light -- it was used as a weapon. Strobe lights, shadows, silhouettes. An assault on the senses, and it's meant as a praise.
Trent Reznor is not a frontman. He's a cult leader. He doesn't talk between the numbers. He preaches with his songs and you listen -- whether you know the references or just stand and think “why am I suddenly upset about my job?”
“Every Day Is Exactly the Same” came along and shattered the soul into little pieces. The kind of number where you suddenly stand and think about Excel sheets and bad decisions in life. It was wild. And then they played Bowie. “I'm afraid of Americans.” A fuckfinger cover with political sting, delivered with surgical precision and the kind of assertiveness that only men with trauma and distortion-pedals can deliver.
We really wanted to see Tyla. But then came “Hurt.” And then we stood. And maybe cry a little. Johnny Cash made it his, but Trent Reznor reminded us that he wrote it and it still hurts. The entire Arena stood still. Not a phone camera in sight. Only people who were there.
This was Roskilde's take on a golden oldie -- a kind of Radiohead with rust instead of velvet. A reminder that you don't need autotune and TikTok hits to shake people to their foundations.
Let's just put it like this:
Nine Inch Nails blew us backwards with darkness, honesty and precision. It wasn't nostalgic. It was necessary.
