In 1990, Trent Reznor was riding high on the recent release and subsequent success of Nine Inch Nails' full-length debut Pretty Hate Machine, which had arrived the year prior. Still in the infancy of his creative evolution and approach to live presentation, he and the rest of NIN (including future Filter main man Richard Patrick) were still deeply ingrained in the industrial dance music underbelly and delivering similarly smoke-shrouded and neon-lit performances like their peers and heroes in Skinny Puppy, Ministry and more.
The video above, taken on May 22nd at The Edge in Palo Alto, California, on the aptly titled Hate Tour showcases the young Reznor, sporting tight blue jeans and long black dreadlocks, at the edge of his comfort zone as he thrashes about the stage to one of the group's earliest hits, Pretty Hate Machine's "Terrible Lie." The pissed, stabbing cut served as the opener for the group's 11-song set, and from there they went on to play the Pigface standout "Suck" live for the first time, cover Queen's "Get Down, Make Love," and ended things on a high note with the still-fresh "Head Like a Hole." Watch above to get sucked into a nostalgia hole where the Eighties and Nineties clashed head first, and see the full set list from the show below.
Nine Inch Nails May 22nd, 1990, set list (via setlist.fm):
Terrible Lie
Sin
Something I Can Never Have
Sanctified
That's What I Get
The Only Time
Suck (Pigface cover)
Get Down, Make Love (Queen cover)
Ringfinger
Down in It
Head Like a Hole
