Garbage, the band who is celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut release, is calling it a day. Shirley Manson (vocals), Duke Erikson (guitar), Butch Vig (drums), and Steve Marker (guitar/keys) announced on social media that their current tour – The Happy Endings Tour – would be their last headlining North American tour. But if this had to be the a curtain call (only for now, we hope), it was one for the history books.

Opening the evening was a band I had been hoping to see for the past few years but always managed to miss for one reason or another. Starcrawler, the LA-based rock band put on an energetically thrilling set, playing to the audience and making me kick myself for not seeing them sooner.

Being a fan of the TV series Twin Peaks, hearing the theme being played as the lights dimmed gave me a wave of nostalgia before singer Shirley Manson began singing “Are you ready for love?,” signaling the start of “There’s No Future In Optimism” from the recent release, Let All That We Imagine Be The Light.  Taking center stage, the indomitable figure of Manson beckoned through blasts of strobe light flashes. 

These newer songs like “”Hold” had a heaviness that was exciting but grounded in these deep human fears. Lines like “You call it fear, I call it madness / The monster sleeps, it feeds on sadness / And when it wakes, it terrifies me / No one to love, no one to love me” touch on an anxiety that’s all too relatable. 

I don’t think this band and Shirley Manson in particular get enough credit when it comes to song-craft. Some of the best songs straddle this line between uplifting pop beats and weighty, philosophical musings on life. 

As the band started in on an older single from their sophomore record, Version 2.0, “I Think I’m Paranoid,” the crowd reacted with a deafening cheer. If you were thinking for a band that’s been performing for over 30 years there’d be some slowing down you’d be sorely mistaken.

Taking a breather in between songs, the band marveled at the size of the audience. “It’s a long far cry from the Black Cat,” Shirley Manson told the crowd referencing the legendary DC club.

This night seemed to be a celebration of a band that has been consistently putting out amazing records as they played a little bit of everything. The only record they didn’t pull from was Not Your Kind of People, the band’s 2021 release which also marked the band’s return after a lengthy hiatus.

Check Out the Official Video for “There’s No Future In Optimism” by Garbage:

Songs like “Hammering in My Head,” with it’s thumping groove, sounded just as vital and compelling as ever. And as the song came to its conclusion Manson swapped out lyrics to say “So a hammerin’ in my head don’t stop / In the bullet train from Tokyo to Washington, DC.”

There was one moment when Shirley Manson stopped the show when someone in the crowd was getting rowdy but she masterfully calmed things down before the band headed straight back into rocking away the night.

Check Out the Official Video for “Only Happy When It Rains” by Garbage:

Nearing the end of their set, Shirley Manson told the crowd that this would be their last headlining North American tour siting the state of touring and the record industry the past several years. I, as a fan, hope to hear more from this band who continue to create important art.

Part of the new album was written while Manson was recovering from hip surgery, she told the audience. And the recovery changed how the band typically writes as the other three would send her music to work on. One of those songs, “The Day That I Met God,” their last number of the regular set, is a profound meditation on mortality with the chorus telling the story, “And so there I was / Face to face with God / It was everyone I’d еver loved / And I didn’t say a word / Let’s call it what it was / It was еverything I’d ever wanted.”

“I’m going to play you a couple of crowd pleasers because you’ve been such an amazing crowd,” Manson told the crowd as the band returned to the stage before Garbage played arguably their biggest hits “Stupid Girl” and “Only Happy When It Rains” from their debut.

I couldn’t help, as I’m sure more than most of the fans at The Anthem Wednesday night, getting a little choked up at the thought of not seeing this band again (or at the very least in a long time), but the way they played – pouring their hearts out – made this night feel special.

Garbage continue their North American tour through the end of October and, if you have the opportunity to see them do it!

The setlist included:

There’s No Future in Optimism
Hold
Empty
I Think I’m Paranoid
Vow
Run Baby Run
The Trick Is to Keep Breathing
Not My Idea
Hammering in My Head
Wolves
Parade
No Gods No Masters
Bleed Like Me
Godhead
Chinese Fire Horse
Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)
Push It
Why Do You Love Me
The Day That I Met God

Encore:
Stupid Girl
Only Happy When It Rains

Check out more photos of Garbage rocking their hearts out at The Anthem on September 17, 2025. All photos are copyright David LaMason.

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And check out photos of Starcrawler opening the evening at The Anthem:

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