Cold And Black And Infinite Tour

This tour took place between September and December in order to support the trilogy of Not The Actual Events, Add Violence and Bad Witch. It is part of the NIN 2017-2018 touring cycle. Main support for this tour was The Jesus and Mary Chain, who were supported by Nine Inch Nails during the 1990 Automatic Tour. Additional opening acts who took the stage ahead of The Jesus and Mary Chain were Tobacco, Kite Base, Daniel Avery, Death In Vegas, Gabe Gurnsey, HMLTD, and The Soft Moon.

Line-Up

• Alessandro Cortini: Keyboards, guitar, bass, backing vocals
• Robin Finck: Guitar, Keyboards, backing vocals
• Trent Reznor: Vocals, guitar, keyboards
• Atticus Ross: Keyboards, samples, programming, backing vocals
• Ilan Rubin: Drums, keyboards, backing vocals

Stage Set-Up

Photo credit: Jonathan Rach

Photo credit: Jonathan Rach

This touring cycle had a stripped down, back-to-basics approach, similar to that of the Performance 2007 and Wave Goodbye tours. Reznor stated that he had bowed out of the "arms-race" of concert technology and wanted to bring an element of danger and unpredictability. Behind the band was a scrim, and very basic lighting was used. Smoke machines were able to be used, as no elaborate visual elements would be interfered with. The looseness of production allowed for setlists for the overall cycle to be notably spontaneous. An aesthetic element was added with strands of recording tape hanging from mic stands, keyboard stands, and drum structures. This harked back to the music video for "Head Like A Hole", the Hate Tour, and certain portions of the Self Destruct Touring Cycle.

Typical Setlist

The tour had a significant variety in the setlist; however, there were a few regular occurrences:

• "Head Like A Hole" ended the main set, with "Hurt" being the last song played.
• Most shows had a three song passage from Bad Witch: "Shit Mirror", "Ahead Of Ourselves", and "God Break Down The Door".

No fewer than seven songs were played as the opening number, including "Now I'm Nothing".

The opening night of the tour featured the entirety of the Broken EP being played, including the first performance of "Happiness In Slavery" since 1995. The song would appear at several other shows throughout the tour. Broken went on to be performed a second time, with the omission of "Pinion", at the second show in Brooklyn. Subsequent shows had the EP played out of album order but featuring every song, sans "Pinion".

"The Perfect Drug" was played for the first time on the third night, 21 years after its release. "This Isn't The Place" and "Dear World," also made their debuts during the tour.

"Sin" and "And All That Could Have Been" were played at the second show in Chicago; the former being played live for the first time since 2009 and the latter for the first time ever.

The third show in Chicago featured "Subterraneans" by David Bowie, with lyrics from "God Break Down The Door" and "Over And Out" being incorporated into it, as well as some notes from "The Frail" at the end. This was the first time the song was played since 1995.

The first of six shows at the Palladium saw the live debut of the How To Destroy Angels songs "A Drowning" and "Welcome Oblivion (as performed by Nine Inch Nails).

The penultimate show in Los Angeles featured a guest appearance by Mike Garson on "Just Like You Imagined", "On The Wing", "La Mer", and a stripped-down rendition of "In This Twilight". Mariqueen Maandig appeared as a guest on both "On The Wing" and a later performance of "Ice Age". Gary Numan also performed his song "Metal" towards the end of the show.

The final show featured three How To Destroy Angels covers, again featuring Mariqueen Maandig: "BBB", "Welcome Oblivion" and "Ice Age". Mike Garson again appeared to perform the traditional song "Greensleeves", "Just Like You Imagined" and "La Mer".

Song Performance Statistics

The following are all the songs that were played on the tour, sorted chronologically in album order and how many times each song was performed. As such, the current total unique songs performed is 76 (counting "The Eater Of Dreams" as a unique song, though not counting "The Fireman" as it is entirely pre-recorded).

Pretty Hate Machine

• "Head Like A Hole" - 39 times
• "Terrible Lie" - 8 times
• "Sanctified" - 10 times
• "Something I Can Never Have" - 5 times
• "Sin" - 10 times

Broken EP

• "Pinion" - 4 times
• "Wish" - 31 times
• "Last" - 11 times
• "Help Me I Am In Hell" - 15 times
• "Happiness In Slavery" - 15 times
• "Gave Up" - 25 times
• "Physical" - 5 times
• "Suck" - 7 times

The Downward Spiral

• "Mr. Self Destruct" - 17 times
• "Piggy" - 19 times
• "March Of The Pigs" - 27 times
• "Closer" - 18 times
• "The Becoming" - 6 times
• "I Do Not Want This" - 3 times
• "A Warm Place" - 3 times
• "Eraser" - 5 times
• "Reptile" - 21 times
• "Hurt" - 39 times

The Fragile

• "Somewhat Damaged" - 11 times
• "The Day The World Went Away" - 14 times
• "The Frail" - 10 times
• "The Wretched" - 10 times
• "Just Like You Imagined" (with Mike Garson) - 2 times
• "Even Deeper" - 15 times
• "La Mer" - 5 times (2 times with Mike Garson)
• "Starfuckers, Inc." - 4 times
• "The Big Come Down" - 7 times

Still

• "And All That Could Have Been" - 5 times

With Teeth

• "All The Love In The World" - 12 times
• "The Hand That Feeds" - 22 times
• "Only" - 6 times
• "Home" - 5 times

Year Zero

• "The Beginning Of The End" - 5 times
• "Survivalism" - 16 times
• "The Good Soldier" - 5 times
• "Me, I'm Not" - 10 times
• "The Great Destroyer" - 12 times
• "In This Twilight" (reworked piano version with Mike Garson) - 1 time

The Slip

• "1,000,000" - 5 times
• "Letting You" - 11 times

Hesitation Marks

• "Pinion" / "The Eater Of Dreams" - 1 time
• "Copy Of A" - 19 times
• "Came Back Haunted" - 1 time
• "Find My Way" - 5 times

Not The Actual Events EP

• "Branches/Bones" - 9 times
• "Dear World," - 4 times
• "Burning Bright (Field On Fire)" - 12 times

Add Violence EP

• "Less Than" - 17 times
• "The Lovers" - 21 times
• "This Isn't The Place" - 17 times
• "The Background World" - 5 times

Bad Witch

• "Shit Mirror" - 25 times
• "Ahead Of Ourselves" - 21 times
• "God Break Down The Door" - 22 times
• "Over And Out" - 16 times

Other

• "The Fireman" - 21 times (not counted toward song total tally as it is pre-recorded)
• "Now I'm Nothing" - 4 times
• "Burn" - 16 times
• "The Perfect Drug" - 20 times
• "I'm Afraid Of Americans" (David Bowie cover) - 15 times
• "I Can't Give Everything Away (Farewell Mix)" (David Bowie cover) - 6 times
• "Subterraneans" (David Bowie cover) - 5 times
• "Digital" (Joy Division cover) - 2 times
• "Dead Souls" (Joy Division cover) - 4 times
• "Metal" (Gary Numan cover) - 3 times (1 time performed with Numan)
• "Parasite" (How To Destroy Angels cover) - 3 times
• "Welcome Oblivion" (How To Destroy Angels cover) - 2 times
• "A Drowning" (How To Destroy Angels cover) - 1 time
• "On The Wing" (How To Destroy Angels cover) - 1 time
• "Ice Age" (How To Destroy Angels cover) - 2 times
• "BBB" (How To Destroy Angels cover) - 1 time
• "Greensleeves" (with Mike Garson) - 1 time

Tour Dates

Date/Location	Venue
2018/09/13 Phoenix, AZ	Comerica Theatre
2018/09/14 Phoenix, AZ	Comerica Theatre
2018/09/18 Morrison, CO	Red Rocks
2018/09/19 Morrison, CO	Red Rocks
2018/09/22 San Antonio, TX	River City Rockfest
2018/09/24 Memphis, TN	Orpheum Theatre
2018/09/26 Atlanta, GA	Fox Theatre
2018/09/27 Atlanta, GA	Fox Theatre
2018/09/29 Nashville, TN	Ascend Amphitheater
2018/09/30 Louisville, KY	Louder Than Life Festival (CANCELLED due to flooding)
2018/10/09 Washington, DC	The Anthem
2018/10/10 Washington, DC	The Anthem
2018/10/13 New York, NY	Radio City Music Hall
2018/10/14 New York, NY	Radio City Music Hall
2018/10/16 Brooklyn, NY	Kings Theatre
2018/10/17 Brooklyn, NY	Kings Theatre
2018/10/19 Boston, MA	Boch Center
2018/10/20 Boston, MA	Boch Center
2018/10/22 Detroit, MI	Fox Theatre
2018/10/23 Detroit, MI	Fox Theatre
2018/10/25 Chicago, IL	Aragon Ballroom
2018/10/26 Chicago, IL	Aragon Ballroom
2018/10/27 Chicago, IL	Aragon Ballroom
2018/11/18 Mexico City, Mexico	Festival Corona Capital
2018/11/19 Mexico City, Mexico	El Plaza Condesa
2018/11/23 New Orleans, LA	Saenger Theatre
2018/11/24 New Orleans, LA	Saenger Theatre
2018/11/25 New Orleans, LA	Saenger Theatre
2018/11/27 Irving, TX	The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
2018/11/28 Irving, TX	The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
2018/11/30 Las Vegas, NV	The Joint - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
2018/12/01 Las Vegas, NV	The Joint - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
2018/12/03 San Francisco, CA	Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
2018/12/04 San Francisco, CA	Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
2018/12/07 Los Angeles, CA	Palladium
2018/12/08 Los Angeles, CA	Palladium
2018/12/11 Los Angeles, CA	Palladium
2018/12/12 Los Angeles, CA	Palladium
2018/12/14 Los Angeles, CA	Palladium
2018/12/15 Los Angeles, CA	Palladium

Pre-show music

Posted to Spotify by Trent Reznor in 2018[1]

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - "And When The Sky Was Opened"
Soft Cell - "Seedy Films"
Tones On Tail - "Lions"
New Order - "Dreams Never End"
David Bowie - "African Night Flight"
Soft Cell - "Sex Dwarf"
Killing Joke - "Requiem"
Fischerspooner - "Have Fun Tonight"
Brainiac - "Hot Metal Doberman's"
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - "8 Billion"
The Flamingos - "I Only Have Eyes For You"
Brainiac - "Fresh New Eyes"
David Bowie - "Breaking Glass"
Iggy Pop - "Funtime"
Belong - "Come See"
Bauhaus - "Kick In The Eye"
Portishead - "We Carry On"
David Bowie - "A New Career In A New Town"
New Order - "The Village"
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - "Technically, Missing"
Love And Rockets - "Haunted When The Minutes Drag"
POLIÇA and s t a r g a z e - "How Is This Happening"
Cheap Trick - "Hello There"
Portishead - "Silence"
BEAK> - "Yatton"
of Montreal - "Bunny Ain't No Kind Of Rider"
David Bowie - "Warszawa"
Primal Scream - "Accelerator"
How To Destroy Angels - "On The Wing"
Liars - "Mask Maker"
David Bowie - "A Small Plot Of Land"
Radiohead - "Daydreaming"
Liars - "Plaster Casts Of Everything"
BEAK> - "Sex Music"
Belong - "Never Came Close"
DIIV - "Out Of Mind"
Primal Scream - "Can't Go Back"
David Bowie - "Always Crashing In The Same Car"
BEAK> - "Brean Down"
Roxy Music - "Ladytron"
How To Destroy Angels - "Too Late, All Gone"
Liars - "No. 1 Against The Rush"
BEAK> - "Wulfstan II"
The Sons Of The Pioneers - "Tumbling Tumbleweeds"
DIIV - "Under The Sun"
Oneohtrix Point Never - "Black Snow"
Cabaret Voltaire - "Sensoria"
BEAK> - "Rsi"
Roxy Music - "Re-Make / Re-Model"

Physical World Presale

Presale tickets for this tour were initially sold only in-person at the venue box offices in an event dubbed the Physical World Presale. The purpose of this presale was to try to get the best tickets into the hands of the most dedicated fans and to minimize reseller scalping (and to create a social event).

At the presale, there were merch booths setup, selling vinyl, apparel, and accessories, including an exclusive litho listing the presale cities, and an exclusive "In The Physical World" t-shirt with the city name. There were also headphone listening booths setup, where fans could listen to "Play The Goddamned Part" and "Ahead of Ourselves".

After the Physical World Presale, the remaining tickets were later released through normal ticketing channels. The original announcement[2] reads:

TICKETS FOR COLD AND BLACK AND INFINITE NORTH AMERICA 2018 WILL GO ON SALE MAY 19 EXCLUSIVELY AT THE PHYSICAL WORLD PRESALE

WHAT? WHY? PHYSICAL WORLD PRESALE?
THE PROMISE OF A WORLD MADE BETTER BY COMPUTERS AND ONLINE CONNECTIVITY HAS FAILED US IN MANY WAYS, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO TICKETING. EVERYTHING ABOUT THE PROCESS SUCKS AND EVERYONE LOSES EXCEPT THE RESELLER. WE’VE DECIDED TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAT WILL ALSO LIKELY SUCK, BUT IN A DIFFERENT WAY. WE’RE HOPING MANY OF YOU WILL BE HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS, WHILE SOME MAY DO WHAT THEY ALWAYS DO AND BITCH ABOUT IT.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:
YOU (AN ACTUAL HUMAN BEING) SHOW UP AT THE BOX OFFICE, INTERACT WITH THE TICKET SELLER (ANOTHER ACTUAL HUMAN BEING) AND PURCHASE UP TO FOUR TICKETS THAT WILL ACTUALLY BE HANDED TO YOU ON THE SPOT. THE TICKETS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE ONLINE OR ANYWHERE ELSE BEFORE OR DURING THAT DAY. ALL SEATS (INCLUDING THE BEST SEATS) WILL BE AVAILABLE FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE. YOU MAY ACTUALLY ENCOUNTER OTHER ACTUAL HUMAN BEINGS WITH SIMILAR INTERESTS LIKELY WEARING BLACK CLOTHING DURING THE PROCESS AND POTENTIALLY INTERACT WITH THEM. THE EXPERIENCE HAS THE POTENTIAL* TO BE ENJOYABLE. NINE INCH NAILS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER, LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST AND GOOD TIMES.**

ANY REMAINING TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT A LATER DATE.

*NOT GUARANTEED
**NOT ENTIRELY TRUE

Canceled 2020 leg

On May 19, 2020, Trent Reznor stated that an additional leg of the tour had been planned for the fall of that year, but was preemptively canceled due to the pandemic. The opening act would have been Jehnny Beth. Merchandise that had already been manufactured for the tour was put up for sale on nin.com, with the proceeds going to charity.