Garbage, Ferocity and Elegance in Chicago

Garbage brought their electrifying mix of menace and melody to the Salt Shed in Chicago, touring behind their latest release, Let All That We Imagine Be the Light. Nearly three decades into their career, the band proved they’re not just keeping pace but pushing forward, blending new material with the songs that made them icons.

The set opened with selections from the new album, immediately showcasing its cinematic electronics and jagged edge. Tracks like “There’s No Future In Optimism” surged with urgency, seamlessly woven into a setlist that balanced reinvention with recognition. The crowd locked in quickly, treating the new songs not as unfamiliar experiments but as vital extensions of Garbage’s sonic world.

Of course, the classics still hit hardest. The throb of #1 Crush and the swagger of Stupid Girl drew ecstatic reactions, reminding fans why Garbage’s sound has endured across eras.

At the center of it all was Shirley Manson, commanding yet vulnerable, delivering sharp-edged vocals and wry stage banter with equal conviction. One moment she prowled the stage with venom, the next she leaned in with intimate gratitude for Chicago’s long-standing support. Behind her, Butch Vig, Steve Marker, and Duke Erikson locked into a muscular groove, their interplay as precise as it was explosive.

Visually, the Salt Shed became a shifting canvas of shadows and strobes, amplifying the show’s tension between darkness and light—perfectly echoing the new record’s themes.

Garbage closed the night with Only Happy When It Rains sending the sold-out crowd into the cool Chicago night buzzing. If Let All That We Imagine Be the Light is a call to imagine better futures, Garbage’s performance was a reminder of the power music has to both confront and transcend.

Photos and review by Steve Sym from Garbage performance at The Salt Shed in Chicago on September 29, 2025