1994/08/13 Saugerties, NY

Danny Lohner and Trent Reznor during "Happiness In Slavery." Reznor's keyboard eventually broke down, then he slammed the rest with his microphone stand.

On August 13th, 1994 Nine Inch Nails took part in the Woodstock Music and Art Festival. Their performance is considered one of the best in the band's history, despite the band's opinion that it was one of their worst. They took the stage covered head-to-toe in mud. This single performance is widely accepted as the one that made the band famous.

Notes

After "Down In It" was performed, Trent Reznor said:

Well, we said we'd do this fucking thing... I was kinda worried that it would suck, but...
I think it's hard not to be a pretty cool thing. (coughs) I've got mugging and fucking your ass.
Plus, I got the chance to say the word "fuck" on Pay-Per-View. FUCK!

Then, "Dead Souls" began, and Reznor said:

This is something we'll never crawl.

Lineup

Robin Finck: Guitar, backing vocals
Danny Lohner: Bass, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Trent Reznor: Vocals, guitar, keyboards
Chris Vrenna: Drums
James Woolley: Keyboards, backing vocals

Setlist

Video

There is a video for the "Happiness In Slavery" performance that has long circulated the internet through p2p and sites like YouTube. This version is heavily dubbed or poorly mixed, so much that Trent banging on the keyboards cannot be heard. The beginning has sounds from "Pinion" and the end is "Head Like A Hole," including the scene of comedian Calvert DeForest (1922–2007) announcing the band.

Bootlegs

Many bootlegs exist for this performance. On one such bootleg, titled When The Whip Come Down, the liner notes contain the following description:

Like creatures from the black lagoon they slunk on stage, caked head to toe in mud looking like they had just risen from the pits of hell. Nine Inch Nails, without doubt, proved to be the most successful show of the entire festival. They went hell for leather like there was no tomorrow, nothing could stop Trent Reznor and his crew, it was Apocalypse Now brought to life in a field in Saugerties and being transmitted worldwide by pay as you view cable to millions in the safe confines of their own homes. You had to be there as the rain fell to appreciate the sheer beauty of the Nine Inch Nails killing machine on its own out of control rampage. Take no prisoners was the saying of the day as victims fell on all side. Any act that makes even David Letterman sit up and take notice has got to be doing something right. Nine Inch Nails are like taking a helter skelter ride through a tunnel of broken glass. Nine Inch Nails will shred your soul.