106.5 The End Weenie Roast f. Garbage
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Sept. 16, 2012
Manson was clearly in the spotlight — literally — from the moment the quintet hit the stage. As her bandmates — drummer Butch Vig, guitarist Duke Erikson, guitarist Steve Marker and touring bassist Eric Avery (formerly of Jane's Addiction) — sat in the shadows, the flame-haired fireball practically did an aerobics workout as she bounced around the stage singing hit after hit.
Wearing a pair of boxing shoes, 46-year-old Manson was in fighting form with her vocals, displaying perfect power and poise despite obvious in-ear monitor problems. While sound may have been an issue on stage, the band sounded great from the amphitheatre — the kickdrum and bass providing enough booming low-end to the band's upbeat pop-rock anthems.
Though only performing 10 songs during its 50-minute set, Garbage pulled out a bit of everything from four of its five studio albums including "Stupid Girl" and "Vow" from its self-titled debut, "Paranoid" and "Push It" from Version 2.0, "Cherry Lips" from Beautiful Garbage and "Automatic Systematic Habit" and "Blood for Poppies" from its latest, Not Your Kind of People.
The night's stand-out song came during set-closer "Only Happy When it Rains." The song's intro was stripped and slowed down before ramping up to its catchy chorus. It'd be nice if the band could return to Charlotte for a full show sometime before another dozen years pass by.
Encore
Self Esteem