Nine Inch Nails plots two Fox Theatre shows — with ticketing twist

As Nine Inch Nails locks down its most intimate Detroit shows in 24 years, Trent Reznor is going old-school: Fans who want first dibs on seats will have to get away from their computers and stand in line.

NIN will play the Fox Theatre Oct. 22 and 23, part of the group's just-announced Cold and Black and Infinite Tour. The Jesus and Mary Chain will open.

When tickets go on sale May 19, fans will have to head to the box office at Little Caesars Arena, down the street from the Fox, and get in line — just like they might have done when Reznor's band was breaking big during the pre-dotcom era of the early '90s.

No NIN tickets will be sold online that day. (A limited number of the 10,000 total tickets available for the Fox shows will be held for later release through standard ticketing channels, including online, on a date to be announced.)

The tour-wide experiment was prompted by Reznor's frustration with digital ticket sales — an often-chaotic realm of programmed bots, technical snags and resellers. He and NIN have dubbed it "The 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," reads information from the band. "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."

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The 5,000-seat Fox will be NIN's coziest Detroit venue since May 1994, when Reznor and company played the State Theatre (now Fillmore Detroit) in support of "The Downward Spiral." In the two decades that followed, the group hit the region's big arenas and amphitheaters.

Seats for the Fox concerts start at $75, with a four-ticket limit per buyer. Fans may start queuing up at Little Caesars Arena at 8 a.m. May 19, two hours before the box office opens, and new arrivals will be accommodated through 3 p.m.

In today's info, Nine Inch Nails breaks down the process:

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.**

* not guaranteed

** not entirely true

For more Fox show details: 313presents.com/nin. For the full Nine Inch Nails tour schedule: nin.com

Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.