Sunday night, Trent Reznor opened the first Nine Inch Nails concert in the metro in a dozen years with a whisper, not a scream.

Immediately after a set of industrial dance beats from German DJ/producer Boys Noize, Reznor promptly began his show just before 9 p.m., alone on a stage in the center of the floor at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.

Sitting behind an electric piano, he performed a stripped-down version of the 2005 album track “Right Where It Belongs” followed by a similarly transformed take on “Ruiner,” one of many of the night’s selections from NIN’s 1994 breakthrough album “The Downward Spiral.”

Reznor’s longtime collaborator and only other official band member Atticus Ross joined him on keyboards followed by touring musicians Robin Finck on guitar, Alessandro Cortini on bass and drummer Josh Freese, fresh from getting unceremoniously fired from the Foo Fighters. (Freese previously played with NIN in the late ’00s and didn’t miss a beat fitting in with the 2025 version of the band.)

After tackling a remix of “Piggy,” the band convened on the main stage for a terrific run of songs that included “Wish,” “March of the Pigs” and an absolutely ferocious “Copy of A.”

Midway through the show, the band returned to the second stage for a set of songs reimagined by the aforementioned Boys Noize, who worked with Reznor and Ross on the upcoming soundtrack for “Tron: Ares.” His electronic tinkering gave NIN’s most infamous song, “Closer,” new life and the joint performance of the new single “As Alive as You Need Me Be” only further amped up anticipation for those upcoming “Tron” tracks.

Back at the main stage, Reznor and company tore through “Mr. Self Destruct,” “Less Than” and a cover of David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans,” a 1997 single that Reznor himself remixed back in the day. They wrapped with the inevitable “Head Like a Hole” and “Hurt.” Throughout it all, Reznor performed with a controlled intensity and focus, which helped bring out the depth and drama of his already dark songs.

It was a thrilling show, to be sure. Reznor could have taken the easy route and merely trotted out the hits. Instead, he delivered a full sensory experience, for the eyes, ears and soul. His willingness — insistence, even — to recontextualize his past may have put off more casual fans, but it more than delivered for his longtime followers.

What made the show even better is that it very well could have never happened. Reznor has long taken extended breaks between projects and has threatened to end it all several times. After all, he’s carved out a celebrated second career with Ross composing well-received film soundtracks for the likes of David Fincher and Luca Guadagnino. The pair won two Oscars in the process!

Sunday’s concert proved Reznor still has business to take care of with Nine Inch Nails and the future looks exciting. Sure hope they don’t take another dozen year break before visiting town again.

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Fear’s become such a powerful force in American life that I admit to being concerned as I approached the Dudley Riggs Theatre on Saturday night. Would the latest comedy revue from Brave New Workshop — the company founded by the venue’s namesake over 60 years ago — live up to Riggs’ reputation for encouraging comedy that’s as audacious and irreverent as possible? Or would it seek a safer route?

Well, my worries were unfounded, for “Hypocralypse Now” holds true to the principle that if you see something stupid, you should say something. In this case, director Caleb McEwen, his company of five performers and music director Jon Pumper have created a high-energy mix of sketches and songs that address what they see as maddening contradictions currently pervading American culture.

“Hypocralypse Now” may be uneven in comedic quality, but it’s scathingly funny at its best. Such scenes usually come when the cast takes us to Washington, D.C., and unleashes its collective imagination upon the chaos of the current administration. Yes, the president makes a cameo or two, but the focus here is more on the ways in which his supporters can tie themselves into ethical knots to justify their actions.

The show is spiced with songs that tap into retro styles in witty fashion, from the maraca-shaking soca calypso of the opening “Hypocrisy” to the industrial hip-hop of “Complain Online” (the unsatisfying solution to your suffering) to a tutorial on internet truth seeking, “Two Clicks More,” set to the tune of Dolly Parton’s 1978 hit, “Two Doors Down.”

But you may need an even more expansive long-term memory to fully appreciate the cleverness of the show’s best song, a takeoff on the old “Schoolhouse Rock” civics lesson, “Only a Bill,” in which Doug Neithercott tries to sing us through the ingredients list for the “Big Beautiful” budget bill. It’s one of a handful of scenes that Neithercott steals, alongside channeling the vindictive spirit of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and the sycophantic social climbing of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

If this revue feels like a big step forward for Neithercott’s way with comedic characterizations, the same could also be said for Isabella Dunsieth. Always the sunniest member of any Brave New Workshop cast she’s been in (and, hence, a foil for her more cynical castmates), Dunsieth delights with her portrayals of a conservative Christian cooking show host who confronts some confounding quandaries and, especially, the denial-driven frontwoman for a ’60s-style girl group who inspires an intervention from her backup singers.

And what a pleasure it is to have Taj Ruler back in the BNW fold, even if the sketches don’t give her quite enough to do and the ones that do peter out after making their point. The same description could be used for a hapless attempt to address Israel and Palestine and a Trump press conference that’s reduced to one way-too-long fart joke.

So yes, it’s uneven, but, when it’s on, the comic timing is excellent, and Lauren Anderson and Denzel Belin always give it a shot of adrenaline when it flags. If the current state of things has inspired your anger or exasperation, you might find this show cathartic. And not the least bit safe.

Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.

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Brave New Workshop’s ‘Hypocralypse Now’

When: Through Nov. 1

Where: Dudley Riggs Theatre, 824 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.

Tickets: $51, available at hennepinarts.org

Capsule: Uneven in comedic quality, but biting at its best.

State Fair police requested a safety alert to be sent Sunday morning after three “armed and violent” people robbed gas stations in Roseville and Little Canada, assaulting a clerk during one robbery and leading police on a chase that ended in a crash in St. Paul, authorities say.

A Facebook post by the Ramsey County sheriff’s office gave the following details:

The first robbery occurred at 6:54 a.m. at a Speedway gas station in the 2200 block of Rice Street in Roseville. The second was at 8:34 a.m. at a BP gas station in the 300 block of Little Canada Road in Little Canada. The third robbery, in which a clerk was assaulted, occurred at 9:05 a.m. at a BP gas station in the 3100 block of Cleveland Avenue in Roseville.

Police later spotted the getaway vehicle and chased the suspects into St. Paul, where the vehicle crashed near Pierce Butler Route and Prior Avenue North. One of the three suspects was arrested. The other two escaped into the woods. Deputies and K9 teams continue to search for them.

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By Galit Altstein and Dan Williams, Bloomberg News

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Sunday to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to expand operations in the Gaza Strip, rather than attempt to negotiate an end to the war under which Hamas would free its last hostages.

Organizers said that as many as half a million people attended the main rally at Tel Aviv’s “hostage square” in the evening, a massive turnout by Israeli standards.

Earlier on Sunday, as Netanyahu suggested calls to end the war would embolden Hamas, police scuffled with demonstrators blocking roads across Israel, making at least 30 arrests and turning a water cannon on participants at a sit-down protest at a Jerusalem access tunnel.

Almost two years into an offensive that’s pushed Israel toward global isolation and left much of the Palestinian enclave in ruins, Netanyahu’s government this month gave the army the green light to take control of the de facto capital, Gaza City, and crush Hamas holdouts.

The families of 50 hostages who are still held by Hamas in Gaza — 20 of whom are thought to be alive — designated Sunday as “Israel on Hold” day, calling on all Israelis to strike during the daytime in solidarity with their fight to free their loved ones. In a statement late Sunday evening, they said that “over 1 million people participated in hundreds of actions held across the country.” They vowed to intensify their actions.

The plan to take over Gaza City is deemed to be of high risk to hostage lives, all of whom are thought to be in poor medical and mental condition and suffering from acute malnutrition. They’re also thought to be at risk of execution or being caught up in crossfire.

While the Israeli military’s tanks and troops have yet to get rolling, some members of Netanyahu’s security cabinet have complained that the planned scale of the operation is insufficient. At the same time, his envoys look poised to resume mediated talks on a truce and hostage release if Hamas softens its terms. There’s been no indication so far that the Iran-backed faction will do so.

A once unwavering domestic backing for the war, which was launched in response to Hamas’ killing and kidnapping rampage of Oct. 7, 2023, is long gone. Polls show most Israelis want a deal to bring back the 50 hostages, even if the remnants of Hamas are left intact.

In scenes recalling the kind of anti-government demonstrations that preceded the war, groups organized over social media and flooded several highway intersections on Sunday, the first day of Israel’s workweek. Many held up Israeli flags and photographs of hostages.

Netanyahu has vowed victory against Hamas. His timeline for achieving this has proven elastic, and he hasn’t given details on who might next rule the shattered Gaza Strip, where the Hamas-run health ministry — which doesn’t distinguish between combatant and civilian casualties — says 61,000 Palestinians have died.

“Those calling today for the end of the war without a Hamas defeat are not only hardening the Hamas position and making the freeing of our hostages less likely,” Netanyahu said Sunday, signaling he was not impressed by the protests. “They’re also ensuring that the horrors of Oct. 7 recur time and again, that our sons and daughters will have to fight time and again in a forever war.”

While Israel’s main labor federation declined to join in Sunday’s strike, the protesters found support from the private sector. The local operations of Apple and Microsoft pitched in, as did New York-listed web platform developer Wix.com and online marketplace Fiverr, as well as Qumra Capital and Pitango Ltd. The companies allowed workers to take the day off to attend the demonstrations.

“We are at a fateful moment for the Israeli nation and we do not intend to sit idly by,” the Hi-Tech Forum, a coalition formed in 2023 to protest the government’s proposed judicial overhaul, said in a statement. “This is a moment when every Jew and Israeli should show their support for the (hostage) families and call for an end to the war and the return of all hostages.”

Eli Cohen, a member of Netanyahu’s security cabinet, said the Israel Defense Force would on Sunday finalize orders for the takeover of Gaza City, part of about 25% of the territory previously avoided during military incursions on the belief that hostages are being held there.

The plan targets six to eight weeks for the forced evacuation of as many as 1 million Palestinian civilians before the main assault, Cohen told Channel 14 TV, adding that he would press for its acceleration: “This can be done in two to three weeks.”

Shva, operator of Israel’s national payment processing infrastructure, reported that as of 12 pm local time, the day’s credit card spending was down 5.1% from a week ago, suggesting a moderate impact on businesses from the strike. The Israel Business Forum, a group of 200 of the country’s top business leaders, met with hostage families but stopped short of formally backing the strike.

Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group in much of the West, wants any Gaza truce to guarantee a full Israeli withdrawal. It’s signaled it might cede some power, but refuses Israel’s demand to disarm. On Sunday, Hamas denounced the Gaza City plan as “the beginning of a new wave of brutal genocide” by the Israelis.

Israel lost 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in the Oct. 7 attacks and more than 450 troops in Gaza combat since. Israel’s longest war has spilled onto several fronts, including with Iran, and strained the military.

“Today’s demonstrations show the difference between the Israeli government and its people,” said Noa Tishby, an Israeli-born Los Angeles actress/producer and social media influencer on the conflict. “Israelis are exhausted from more than two years of protesting against this government, and yet are out today resisting the war in Gaza.”

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(With assistance from Ethan Bronner and Fadwa Hodali.)

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