Garbage burst onto the scene 30 years ago to become one of the biggest bands of the 90s and early 2000s. The band has kept the same lineup for all 30 years, drummer Butch Vig, legendary producer of Nirvana’s Nevermind, Duke Erikson and Steve Marker, each on guitars, bass, and keys, and the iconic Shirley Manson on vocals. I think it’s pretty safe to say that in those 30 years the band never experienced a concert quite like the one at College Street Music Hall.
Please scroll below for the MisplacedStraws Garbage live photos and review –
Los Angeles band Starcrawler kicked the night off and from the first note blew the crowd away. Frontwoman Arrow deWilde prowled the stage with a confidence that made it impossible to look away. Guitarist Henri Cash was a modern-day Johnny Thunders while bassist Tim Franco, drummer Seth Carolina, and guitarist Bill Cash propelled the songs with a driving force. Thier songs are raw, in-your-face rock & roll and their energy recalls the days when bands like Motley Crue and WASP ruled the Sunset Strip. The band’s last studio record was 2022’s She Said, but after experiencing Starcrawler live, I’m excited to see what they do next.
Garbage is on the road promoting their 2025 release Let All That We Imagined Be The Light. Since returning from their brief hiatus in 2007, Garbage has released 4 records that stand strong as contemporary descendants to their earlier heyday. The first track from the new record, “There Is No Future In Optimism”, kicked off the set with Manson all in black against stark, white spotlights. After the song is when things got interesting. Manson addressed the crowd saying that she is having severe vocal issues and may have to adjust the setlist, however cancelling was not an option as the band was forced to cancel their last appearance at the venue due to COVID. With the crowd fully supporting her, the band launched into another new track “Hold” before making the first tweak to the normal set, skipping 2016’s “Empty” and going straight into “I Think I’m Paranoid”, although some vocal help from the crowd was needed on the chorus.
I’ve been to many shows where a performer has had vocal issues, Shirley Manson is such a great performer that if she didn’t mention it throughout the night, you probably would not have been able to tell. The mid part of the set stayed on course with their usual setlist, including an incredible take on “The Trick Is To Keep Breathing” from the Version 2.0 record. Manson told the story of how Garbage received permission from Scottish author Janice Galloway to use the title of her classic book about struggling with mental health in a song that carried the same themes. After 2021’s “Wolves”, the set became fluid.
Manson once again apologized for her voice and said she needed to sub out some songs, promising a set no other show would have. The band, augmented by bassist Nicole Fiorentino, was more than up for the challenge of creating a set list on the fly. The first audible was the inclusion of the early smash “#1 Crush” followed by “Queer”. The capacity crowd roared at the inclusion of these two favorites from the band’s early period. Visually, the show was just as stunning as the music. Lights and fog created a special atmosphere that these songs thrived in.
The new song “Chinese Fire Horse” slotted perfectly after the classic “Bleed Like Me” before another audible with “When I Grow Up”. After some debate, the band decided to include my favorite Garbage track, 1998’s “Push It”, once again, Manson leaned on a very willing crowd for the chorus before summoning everything she had to belt out the final chorus of the song. Things slowed down after “Cherry Lips” for a story around the writing of the last song on the new record “The Day That I Met God”. Manson spoke of knowing she had to write something beautiful to match the haunting music. At this point, her voice, shredded from powering through a full set, turned to something angelic for a song that transcended the closing number of a set into something unforgettable.
Few artists would have enough care for their fans to perform when not 100%, and few fanbases would have the empathy to cheer, encourage, and help a performer through it. This night was the perfect mix of both. Butch Vig, Steve Marker, Duke Erikson, and Nicole Fiorentino showed a compassion for their bandmate and rolled with a set made up on the fly while Shirley Manson showed that even at her lowest, she still possesses a talent that lifts her above most of her peers. As Garbage proved, the trick, indeed, is to keep breathing.
