By Emily Coovert and Whitney Waters

The last time Nine Inch Nails was in Lexington, Daniel Rose did not have high expectations for its concert.

The last album he had listened to in its entirety was “Downward Spiral,” which was released 14 years ago. In that time span, his passion for the band faded.

“I don’t know if I grew up or what happened,” said 30-year old Rose. “I felt like he (Trent Reznor) kind of lost his balls for a moment. But I also never really gave the other stuff a chance. I just kind of gave up on him.”

Rose said that he lost interest in Nine Inch Nails during the five-year period between “Downward Spiral” and the album “The Fragile,” which was released in 1999.

“Between that time, I moved on. It was years and years,” he said. “He disappeared, and I guess I did too. You got to keep your fans stimulated some how to keep them giving a shit.”

So, in 2006 when Reznor came on stage at Rupp Arena, Rose found himself standing with a group of friends behind the energetic crowd just lazily nodding his head to the music.

But then a note from one song struck a chord with Rose — “March of the Pigs” from “Downward Spiral.” Rose dropped everything and took off toward the front of the crowd to get in the mix.

“I remember just handing over the flask, taking off and never coming back. I was kind of in the zone after that,” he said. “I came out drenched in sweat and banged up a bit. And probably smiling a bit.”

Despite being engulfed by the excitement at the last show, concerns over high ticket prices have kept Rose from buying a ticket for Sunday’s concert when Nine Inch Nails comes back to Lexington as part of its “Lights In The Sky Tour.”

“The only reason I’m tossing (going to the show) around is because I knew it would be expensive,” Rose said. “With paying that much for a band, they better damn well put on a good show. It’s $40 for general admission, and $50 after Ticketmaster (after fees are added) … it’s kind of obscene.”

But not every fan feels the same way.

“All through ‘07 and the beginning of ‘08 I was searching for any information about upcoming tour dates, and I actually found out about this tour on Facebook,” said Lexington resident Robert Ford, 23. “My reaction could only be described as spastic excitement.”

Jillian Tauffener, of Columbia, Ky., who has been a fan of the band since sixth grade and owns all of the band’s albums, said she plans to get to Rupp Arena about eight hours before the show starts to ensure that she gets a good seat.

Michael Trent Reznor created Nine Inch Nails in 1988. Reznor, who released his first album “Pretty Hate Machine” in 1989, is the only official member of the band and controls its musical direction. Unlike the vast majority of industrial artists, Reznor’s albums, called Halos, feature melodic, traditionally structured songs where lyrics are a focal point, according to an MTV band biography.

In spite of being disgruntled about higher ticket prices, Rose may find himself once again standing in Rupp Arena listening to Reznor.

“I’m not going to start buying his CDs again,” Rose said. “To be honest, I might throw in an old one, but I’m not going to be a Nine Inch Nails freak again. Time and place, I’m not there anymore. But I can still be a fan. I can still go to the show.”