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In Trent Reznor’s heroin-fueled, Fragile era, the mop topped frontman of Nine Inch Nails could look out into a sea of blackly clad fans hoisting hundreds of lighters in the air in mutual appreciation.  Over a decade later, the black t-shirts haven’t changed much, but instead of dancing flames Reznor peers into a crowd of lit up iPhones and flashing pocket cameras.  Yes, the musical landscape has shifted since Reznor and company dominated the concert circuit in the 1990s, but the digital era that has been ushered in is, in many ways, representative of a band that has always been comfortable sitting on the cutting edge.

Playing to a crowd of grungy, 90s-influenced rock loyalists and modern radio followers, NIN has managed to transition along with the industry since its 2005 return, establishing itself as a face of the genre rather than another nostalgic zeitgeist act.  With Reznor’s penchant for technology and his ability to run the artistic gamut from industrial to hard rock to pop, NIN is a creature of metamorphosis, at all times teeming with an undercurrent of pulsing animosity.  At the Erwin Center, Reznor seethed as much as ever, churning through tracks both old (“Sin”, “Wish”) and new (“Survivalism”).  As usual, the group spliced the performance with instrumental numbers and busted out a few rarities for the diehards: a cover of Joy Division’s “Dead Souls” was perhaps the treat of the night.

Despite an eclectic and relatively heavy set, the Austin crowd seemed passive, be it due to the early set time (8ish) or just general lethargy.  There wasn’t the usual crowd surfing, gaping mosh pits, or sweat-soaked Mohawks slicing through the audience.  More than a few fans could be overheard complaining that NIN should have been the ultimate headliner, and, in truth, they were probably right.  Not only is NIN the bigger draw, but the band’s toned-down production was absent of the usual visualizations, screens, and large-scale light effects that usually give the shows a grandiose sensibility.  Reznor was later quoted as saying, “Not one of our better shows.  Despite our best efforts, we were unable to win over the crowd.”  Nonetheless, if this is Nails’ last Austin performance – this is rumored to be the group’s final tour – Reznor did his legacy justice.

While Reznor has always been the closed off, incensed rocker, Perry Farrell and Jane’s Addiction play as his counterparts.  Farrell performs with a bravado reminiscent of Freddie Mercury, sassing his way onstage and enticing the crowd.  Dressed in a black musketeer/middle earth arrangement, Farrell wailed through the standards (“Stop!”, “Jane Says”) and the band supplied the rock gravitas that everybody craved.  His voice echoed into itself as he asked the crowd, “Does anyone know how to party?”  While such mindless tidbits seem trite, this is what we want out of a rock show.  It’s as if Farrell recognizes that we yearn for the raw simplicity of it: the solos were revved up, the drums were loud, and, most importantly, the entire set just felt epic, with large porcelain female figures serving as a backdrop to a brightly lit stage.

Say what you will about Dave Navarro.  Sure, maybe he sold out a little.  Ok, a lot.  Maybe he has become a cliché of himself.  But, at the end of the day, he still has the guitarist chops to impress, and his riffage was both sharp and ambitious.  It seemed like he never missed a note, making the complicated solo arrangements all the more impressive.  Simply put, he was in ass-kicking rocker mode, tattoos gleaming in the backlight and showmanship on full display.  The entire band seemed to mesh with this sentiment of theatricality, making for a much larger production than the set of NIN.