“A Garbage concert is audio and visual perfection.”

What’s more surprising?  That it’s been 20 years since Garbage’s debut album was released or that the band could tour that album 20 years later, performing every song from that album front to back, and still sound as fresh and energetic as ever?     The Toronto stop on the “20 Years Queer” tour found them performing to a packed Phoenix concert theatre (easily one of the most jammed crowds we’ve ever seen there).    The band took the stage performing “Subhuman” the 1st song from their debut album.   The backlit opener soon gave way to beautiful lighting and projections which utilized multiple on stage cameras and gave the visuals a dreamlike look that you’d see in James Bond title sequences.

The band and crowd energy built through the night, 1st peaking with their cover of “The Butterfly Collector”, and escalating throughout the set to it’s highest point with “You’re Only Happy When It Rains” & “Stupid Girl” preceding the 4 song encore which featured the tour debut of “Automatic Systematic Habit” from their last album “Not Your Kind Of People”.

Few bands sound so sonically perfect as Garbage and they’re not relying on pitch correction and backing tracks to do this.   Butch Vig’s drums, mixed with an assault of guitars build a wall of sound that envelops Shirley Manson’s voice and makes their shows sound as good or better than their studio productions.   Watching Butch play makes me hope for a supergroup featuring both him and Dave Grohl on drums.  Can you imagine?

Garage 20 years later isn’t a band going through the motions.   It’s a band full of energy, bombast and conviction.  Fronted by one of the best and most captivating singers to come from the 90’s…or any decade for that matter.

Music In The 6 rates Garbage at the Phoenix a 5 out of 6.