If you were expecting a standard “Greatest Hits” set from Trent Reznor and company this past Saturday, you clearly haven’t been paying attention to the Peel It Back Tour.
Taking over the Sahara Stage at Coachella 2026, Nine Inch Nails didn’t just play their songs – they shredded them. Performing under the collaborative moniker Nine Inch Noize alongside electronic mastermind Boys Noize (Alex Ridha), the band delivered a 45-minute set of “controlled chaos” that has officially become the most talked-about moment of the weekend.
The Staging: A Literal Nightmare
Forget the typical festival light show. The stage was built around a massive pyramidal structure with a steep gray hill that looked more like a dystopian landscape than a music venue. Adding to the unease was a troupe of “zombie-like” dancers in monochrome leotards. They didn’t just dance; they crawled, slinked, and eventually swarmed the stage. The visual highlight? During a brutally reimagined version of “Closer,” the dancers literally clawed at Reznor, dragging him toward the bottom of the stage hill in a display of raw, theatrical aggression.
The Music: Heavy on the “Noize”
This wasn’t a DJ set, but it wasn’t a rock show either. It was a “nightmare rave.” The setlist featured radical remixes of NIN staples, stripping away the familiar and replacing it with punishing industrial techno.
- The Collaborators: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross were joined by Boys Noize on keyboards and programming, creating a wall of sound that felt both terrifying and immersive.
- The Vocals: Mariqueen Maandig Reznor joined for the first four and final two songs, lending her haunting, “celestial” vocals to tracks like “Heresy” and “Parasite” (a How To Destroy Angels cover).
- The Surprises: The crowd went wild for the live debut of the Soft Cell cover “Memorabilia,” and a crushing new remix of “The Warning” from Year Zero.
What’s Next?
If you missed the livestream, you don’t have long to wait for the studio version. The self-titled Nine Inch Noize album is set to drop this coming Friday, April 17th.
For those heading to Indio for Weekend 2: watch out. Rumors are already swirling that Reznor and Ridha might swap out the entire setlist for their second appearance. If you want the heaviest, loudest, and most disorienting experience at Coachella, the Sahara Tent is the only place to be.
Nine Inch Noize Coachella 2026 Setlist:
- Vessel (with Mariqueen Maandig)
- She’s Gone Away (with Mariqueen Maandig)
- Heresy (with Mariqueen Maandig)
- Parasite (HTDA cover) (with Mariqueen Maandig)
- Copy of A
- Me, I’m Not
- Closer
- The Warning
- Memorabilia (Soft Cell cover)
- Came Back Haunted (with Mariqueen Maandig)
- As Alive as You Need Me to Be (with Mariqueen Maandig)
Did you catch the “Nightmare Rave” on the livestream? Let us know in the comments if you think this is the future of NIN!
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