Philadelphia: Nine Inch Nails (NIN) closed the second night of the ‘Budweiser Made In America’ festival with a set that captured the audience — although the crowd was not nearly as large as Beyonce’s the night before.
Trent Reznor and his bandmates performed 19 songs at the Jay-Z-curated festival on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Reznor didn’t hold back: drenched in sweat and holding the microphone close, he sang his band’s rock hits and tracks from the group’s new album, ‘Hesitation Marks’, out Tuesday.
He emerged onstage in all black while lights flashed behind him during songs like ‘Closer’ and ‘Head Like a Hole’.
NIN went on at 9.30pm, minutes after DJ-producer Calvin Harris electrified at another stage with his familiar hits ‘We Found Love’, ‘I Need Your Love’ and others. Some concertgoers left after Harris’ top-notch performance, and the crowd was not packed when NIN performed, though it filled up throughout the show.
The band’s 90-minute set featured hard rock anthems, songs with techno influences as well as groovy and eerie jams. NIN closed the night with a slow and smoky version of ‘Hurt’, which Johnny Cash famously covered. It earned nonstop cheers from the crowd. Reznor was soft as he sang the song’s verses — making it the set’s highlight.
“Yeah, Trent!” one burly voice screamed, and that was one of many.
“Thank you very much,” Reznor told the crowd, one of the few times he spoke. “Glad you can be here and we thank Jay-Z for the invite.”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis also performed on Sunday, earning cheers from the crowd, as did Miguel and Kendrick Lamar.
The festival on Sunday was more packed than on Saturday, when 2 Chainz, Imagine Dragons and Emeli Sande performed.
