Live Review: Garbage at Mission Ballroom

Garbage’s recent show at Denver’s Mission Ballroom was bittersweet. On one hand, they sounded great. Vocalist Shirley Manson was a commanding presence from the first lines of opener “There’s No Future in Optimism.” Never wavering as she and the band made their way through nearly 20 songs. But things took a more somber turn when Manson started to discuss the state of the music industry.

Halfway through the evening, she took a break from the songs to explain “we have announced that this is our last tour of North America. By that I mean it has become completely unsustainable for a band like us to tour anywhere but the coasts.” She went on to describe how she brings this up every night because she wants everyone to understand what’s happening and offer an “alarm call for the next generation of musicians.” Manson also talked about all the companies and people profiting off music creators. And how we may ultimately start missing out on “adventurous, risk-taking and esoteric weirdos,” if things don’t change.

The band just hit the 30th anniversary mark, so they know a thing or two about the industry. They’ve also never been shy about exploring societal and personal issues in their music. Themes that could be heard in songs like “The Trick is to Keep Breathing,” “Wolves,” “Push It” and “The Day I Met God.” Garbage finished the night off with a pair of hits, “Stupid Girl” and “Only Happy When it Rains.” The crowd ate it up and most certainly left hoping they somehow find a way to make it back.