On the evening of Friday August 20th Garbage welcomed adoring fans back to live music at the Ameris Bank Amphitheater in Alpharetta, Georgia. The band is currently opening for Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill anniversary tour. The tour itself was set to kick off on June 2nd, 2020 but as everyone knows, the world including the music industry came to a screeching halt due to the coronavirus pandemic just mere months before the tour was planned to start. Despite the past year of uncertainty, fans were able to see the light at the end of the tunnel with the tour back on and rescheduled dates on the books.
Fans poured into the amphitheater, some donning babydoll dresses and combat boots and some wearing flannel despite the heat of an Atlanta summer. The fashion of the evening was a direct nod to the 90s style of yore, a perfect accoutrement for a concert whose lineup consisted of legendary female powerhouses that notably dominated the disproportionately male-led alternative rock era of the times. It is rare that a venue is packed out at the time an opener hits the stage but it was clear no one wanted to miss a band as iconic as Garbage as seats were filled quite early on and the excitement for the band was electric.
Garbage took to the stage as the crowd roared with excitement. Shirley stepped into the spotlight donning a stylish white jacket, leopard tights, black boots and beret topped on her trademark fiery red hair. Manson would occasionally take a beat between songs to interact with the massive crowd, her distinct thick Scottish accent echoing throughout the venue. All original band members were in attendance including guitarists Steve Marker and Duke Erikson, and the legendary Butch Vig on drums. Shirley commanded the stage with her confident and sultry voice as she crossed back and forth across the stage in her signature circling strut. Manson waxed poetic about her and Alanis’ career paths, the hand MTV played in skyrocketing them to stardom (despite the lack of music being played on the channel currently), and how incredibly hard the past year and a half had been during the pandemic. Shirley was nostalgic, witty, endearing and most of all, she brought an unwavering energy to her set that she has prided herself on for over 25 years.
The setlist included tracks off their current album No Gods No Masters and a well-rounded selection of their biggest hits throughout the decades including specific inclusion of singles off their highly underrated 2001 album BeautifulGarbage. The band most recently announced BeautifulGarbage will be going into production as a re-issue to celebrate the album’s 20th anniversary.
Garbage Setlist – 8/20/2021 Alpharetta, GA
