Nearly 30 years into their career, the thought of the Nine Inch Nails live show brings to mind huge rooms, from Madison Square Garden in New York to Los Angeles’ Staples Center. But a long time ago Trent Reznor’s band of electronic/industrial misfits were just another new act tying to make it, and now video has emerged of one of their early live shows, from am April 11, 1990, gig at the Ritz in New York City. NIN was opening for Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy.
Watch “Ringfinger,” “Down In It,” and a very young and energetic Reznor down below. We have no idea how rare these videos are (it’s probably not breaking news to die-hard fans), but it’s a pretty cool glimpse into NIN as a club act. Pretty Hate Machine was released roughly just six months earlier, in October 1989.
The Ritz, by the way, is now known as Webster Hall. And this NIN tour with Murphy, for his Deep solo record, literally came from Boston — it played CitiClub on Lansdowne Street the night before.