Although we arguably need plenty of time to recover from having our minds blown by COLD and BLACK and INFINITE, why not start recording our fantasies for the next tour now? I know I need a distraction to lessen the sting of withdrawal...

In order to provide a bit of structure, I've suggested some questions below to consider, but freeform daydreaming is also encouraged...


  1. MIA Most-Played: Which 5 of the historically MOST-played songs that DID NOT get played in 2017-18 would you like to see return? I'll define "most-played" as a track with at least 50 performances per setlist.fm or nintourhistory.com, which is effectively the same as the top 75 on setlist.fm.
  2. Resurrected Rarities: Which 5 of the historically LEAST-played songs (fewer than 50 performances) that DID NOT get played in 2017-18 would you like to see return?
  3. Benched Live Hits: Which 5 live "hall of fame" songs (setlist.fm top 20, or >275 historical performances) would you like to see benched for the next tour to make room for responses to 1 & 2, as well as (hopefully!) new material? To keep it interesting, try to only pick only 1 of the 3 Hs...
  4. 2017-18 All-Star Live Debuts: Which 3 2017-18 live debuts would you like to see in regular rotation going forward?
  5. Future Live Debuts: Which 3 never-performed-live tracks would you sever a valuable appendage to hear?


Here are my responses to get things going...


  1. MIA Most-Played (ranked in descending order of historical live frequency):
    1. Get Down, Make Love - a personal favorite on record that will forever have me regretting the fact that I missed the W_T summer 2006 leg. Would love to see this take the place of I'm Afraid of Americans next time.
    2. The Only Time - a classic that deserves to be more than an interpolation.
    3. No, You Don't - another personal near-miss during the W_T spring 2005 leg. Great song whose elusiveness has made me want it even more.
    4. Love Is Not Enough - fortunate to have already seen LINE live twice already, but it has only continued to grow on me in the intervening years.
    5. The Warning - a favorite from LITS that is overdue for a comeback. I'd happily trade away some Great Destroyer instances, though I suspect the functional nature of the breakdown (as a breather for most of the band) means it's not easily dislodged.

  2. Resurrected Rarities (ranked in ascending order of historical live frequency):
    1. ​We're in This Together - one of my favorite NIN tracks; probably my live Holy Grail now that TPD has debuted.
    2. Capital G - an essential track? Perhaps not, but rarity value has increased my interest its return.
    3. Please - knowing that this was played at the Tension rehearsal gig but not during the actual tour really piques my curiosity.
    4. Closer to God - fortunate to have already seen this live, and my head nearly exploded at the time. It would be fantastic to have CTG swapped in for Closer every now and again.
    5. God Given - always felt this was an overlooked gem live as on record; Robin's whispering and the funky baseline are divine.

  3. Benched Live Hits (including only 1 of 3 Hs):
    1. ​Gave Up - Realizing I'm totally spoiled, but I'm just burnt out on this. Why not lean on HiS and Last for the next tour (or seven) instead?
    2. Reptile - I'd love to see play counts for Ruiner, Heresy or The Becoming creep up, and Reptile is an obvious trade. Surely the green lights would work for one of them too...
    3. The Wretched - taking this out of rotation would free up space for NYD, Please, ITV or (if we're truly blessed, again) WITT.
    4. The Hand That Feeds - for an uptempo, poppy equivalent, more Less Than, CBH or Discipline would be a breath of fresh air.
    5. Piggy - I've liked Piggy more on record than live for while now, but I recognize it doesn't have many analogues when it comes to mood and tempo. Filtering purely on the latter, however, I'd welcome the return of All Time Low or Vessel.

  4. 2017-18 All-Star Live Debuts:
    1. ​The Perfect Drug - it was even better than I dared hope, especially the tweaked coda; fully deserves to become a future staple until we all turn on it (hah).
    2. Ahead of Ourselves - although GBDTD was the live Bad Witch standout for me, I feel like it demands Shit Mirror and AoO precede it to set the mood (if not Play the Goddamn Part). So, AoO wins for the sake of its versatility in future setlists that are not focused on showcasing BW specifically.
    3. The Lovers - Trent seems to love it live, and so do I. I was shocked when I first heard it at Panorama, since I wasn't sure how it would work - particularly at a festival - but it really does.

  5. Future Live Debuts:
    1. Zero-Sum - the resurrection of ITT in L.A. without the Zero-Sum outro reminded me how integral that was to my love for ITT live, and that I would pay stupid money to hear a standalone rendition.
    2. Memorabilia - Closer to God was among my first NIN purchases, and Memorabilia opened my eyes to the potential for covers and b-sides to be truly revelatory. I fear this will never happen, but 2018 makes me (very, very) modestly more hopeful.
    3. Everything - in a vacuum I might have picked Where Is Everybody? or The Idea of You, but I think the reactions to Everything live would be more amusing to witness.