After a multi-year absence from the road, Nine Inch Nails returned last June for their first live performance since 2022, launching the visually ambitious Peel It Back Tour with elaborate staging and dual performance platforms.
The tour has continued into 2026, but recent comments from frontman Trent Reznor suggest it could represent one of the final chapters in the band's traditional live circuit. During Friday's show at the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK (February 27), Reznor addressed the crowd with a mix of nostalgia and uncertainty.
"I think one of the first times we played here, I think maybe it was Cain's Ballroom, like 80 years ago…. I think we were opening for Peter Murphy… and we were playing 'Head Like A Hole,' and I could see someone in the back screaming the fuckin' lyrics back at me, and I thought, 'This is all I ever wanted in life, is to connect with somebody like that dude in the back [of the venue]," said Reznor to the crowd.
"Anyway, that's what I think of when I roll into Tulsa. I don't know if we're gonna be touring anymore after this, but I'm proud of the show that we're doing right now. And I'm fuckin' grateful that you've chosen to spend your evening with us tonight. Thank you very much."
Reznor, now approaching 60, has spent much of the past decade focusing on composing and scoring for film and television alongside Atticus Ross, a role that increasingly dominates his creative output. So who knows – maybe we'll get the announcement of some farewell shows at some point?
