Garbage brought their Happy Endings tour to the Van Buren Sunday, November 2nd, 2025. The entry line stretched down 5th Avenue as fans waited to be admitted.
Just after seven o’clock, the doors opened as concertgoers emptied the courtyard and headed inside.
The stage looked like a rock n’ roll Barbie play set made life-size, with pink guitar amps, cabinets, and road cases. Starcrawler took the stage as a recording of “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” played.
Arrow De Wilde and company served up a 10-song set that harkened back to the glam and hard rock of the 1970s. With big lapels and glittery guitars, Starcrawler were kinetic as they bounced around the stage.
De Wilde whipped her hair as the band exploded into “Goodtime Girl.” Drummer Seth Carolina pounded out rhythms as bassist Tim Franco laid down the low end.
Guitarists Henri and Bill Cash delivered raw riffs on tracks “Roadkill,” “Stranded,” and a cover of “Pet Sematary” by The Ramones.
Starcrawler closed out the 30-minute set with “Bet My Brains” from their 2019 album Devour You.
Cheers rose from the sold-out crowd as the house lights dimmed and Garbage emerged from the wings.
Vocalist Shirley Manson took command of the stage and didn’t relinquish it for the next 95 minutes.
The band opened the set with “There’s No Future In Optimism” from their latest studio album Let All That We Imagine Be The Light.
With dark lyrics for dark times, the song describes “people marching” and “cops swarming” before giving way to a message of hope.
Four songs into the set, the music stopped abruptly and the house lights came on.
“I’m not sure what the fuck’s going on back there and you better chill the fuck out!” scolded Shirley Manson. With order restored, the band restarted “Run Baby Run” and the party continued.
Garbage steadily raised the tempo as Butch Vig’s drumming and Nicole Fiorentino’s bass fueled the band’s electronic-infused alternative rock.
The second half of the set combined the band’s extensive list of hits while indulging die-hard fans with some deeper cuts.
“It feels like we’re stacked with old school Garbage fans,” said Manson as she scanned the crowd.
Longtime fans were treated to a heavy dose of 90s hits, including “Vow” and “Queer” from their 1995 self-titled debut and “I Think I’m Paranoid” and “Push It” from 1998’s Version 2.0.
Other highlights included “#1 Crush,” with Nicole Fiorentino playing the menacing bass line as guitarists Steve Marker and Duke Erickson added ringing guitar notes to the mix.
Unofficial Garbage anthem “Bleed Like Me” was a call to be kind to your fellow humans, while the melodic “The Day That I Met God” was the perfect choice to close out the set.
After a brief exit, Manson and company returned to the stage for a two-song encore that featured two of the band’s biggest hits.
Once again returning to 1995, Garbage ended the night with “Stupid Girl” and “Only Happy When It Rains.”
Fans danced and sang along as the show came to a close. It was a special night that spanned a prolific 30-year career.
If this was truly the band’s last North American tour, Garbage gave fans one last unforgettable evening.
Starcrawler will join Garbage in Los Angeles before heading to the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on November 20th.
Garbage wrapped up the U.S. leg of the tour in Los Angeles before continuing on to Mexico City and New Zealand. The band will close out 2025 in Sydney, Australia.
