By Rory Archer
PHOENIX — Nov. 2 marked the penultimate concert of Garbage’s “Happy Endings” tour, promoting their latest album “Let All That We Imagine Be The Light.”
The 32-year-old rock band played at The Van Buren, a popular, medium-sized standing room venue in downtown Phoenix.
“This is sort of technically—well, not technically, but it is in at least me as a person living in LA—This is our last show of this year. We’ve got one more show to play in Los Angeles, but that’s not till next week, in the middle of next week. So to me this feels like the end of this incredible tour,” said lead singer Shirley Manson during the show.
Most shows on the band’s North American tour were opened by the glam rock band Starcrawler. Starcrawler quickly caught the crowd’s attention with their high-energy solos from guitarist Henri Cash, bassist Tim Franco, and drummer Seth Carolina. Lead singer Arrow de Wilde, however, kept the crowd’s energy with her country-inspired dancing through sets, leaning into every note she sang as she danced along the stage. They performed ten songs in their set, including one cover, “Pet Semetary” by The Ramones.
Bathed in a red glow, Arrow de Wilde looks to her left before beginning a shuffle as she sings.
After a thirty minute intermission, the lead-in to Garbage’s set started with the eerie hum of “Laura Palmer’s Theme,” the theme song of the popular 90s TV show “Twin Peaks”, directed by the late David Lynch.
“When I heard Laura’s Theme play, I was just like, ‘Oh my God,’” said Birdie Baer, a concert attendee. “I was so excited, I couldn’t believe it.”
The melody is a very popular introduction and closing melody at concerts, especially due to the influence its television series had on popular culture today, especially to bands who were starting out around the time the show aired, like Garbage.
The show began with a song off the band’s newest album, “There’s No Future in Optimism”, and “Hold,” before falling back on some of the best-known Garbage songs, such as “I Think I’m Paranoid.”
Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson stands at the front of the stage; an audience member can be seen recording her.
Garbage, and especially lead singer Manson, are known for engaging with their audience by pausing to address them and opening the microphone to the crowd during some songs. However, just because they are happy to talk with fans doesn’t mean they will stand for any harassment. Five songs into Garbage’s set, a concertgoer was being harassed by another audience member, prompting Manson to stop singing.
“I’m really, really sorry,” Manson began, sternly. “But I’ve had a fucking hell of a couple of months, and I am not in the mood for bullshit. […] So I don’t know what’s going on back here, but you better fucking chill the fuck out.”
After a few moments of rowdiness from the crowd in response to Manson’s anger, some shouting, “Kick them out!” the concert resumed as normal, with security ensuring there was no additional conflict.
Manson can be seen holding a microphone to the crowd during “I Think I’m Paranoid.”
Later in the show, Manson had also noticed a young girl in the front row who had lost her earplugs, and paused the show to ask the crowd if anyone had extra hearing protection. Some backstage crew were able to retrieve earmuffs, and Manson asked the girl to return the hearing protection after the set, “so we always have some for the next show.”
While two other songs from the new album were included in the later half of the set, specifically “Chinese Fire Horse” and ending with “The Day I Met God,” the show continued its trend of splicing in some of the most popular Garbage hits. After an almost five-minute pause, the show’s encore ended with “Stupid Girl” and “Only Happy When it Rains,” from their first album, self-titled “Garbage.”
Manson points to the crowd during the encore, directing them to sing along.
In their three decades of experience with tours, Garbage has its formula down to a T, knowing exactly how to direct the crowd for not only energy and enjoyment, but to tamp down bad behavior quickly.
Garbage’s latest album, “Let All That We Imagine Be the Light,” is available for streaming and purchase.