Joined onstage by Kevin Armstrong, the band performed the entirety of their eponymous debut album with the exception of "Video Crime", augmented with cover version of songs from Bob Dylan and Johnny Kidd & The Pirates.
The band played in "fashionable black suits" in front of stark lighting in what was described as a departure from lead vocalist David Bowie's previous solo tour.
The Los Angeles Times had a positive review of Tin Machine's first show of the tour in New York City, saying "the band was full of life, raucous and brash, good-natured and smart.
"[4] Rolling Stone described fans who had gone to see "the Thin White Duke crooning 'Young Americans'" as receiving a rude awakening as Bowie offered "no oldies, no encores and no apologies."
Reactions to the shows in the United States were mixed, as fans and critics felt that the proximity to Bowie was often more exciting than the music the band was playing.