It's Throwback Thursday so here's an oldie but goodie.
A certain kind of magic is almost inevitable when you take two
legendary bands, each fronted by iconic female rockers and you have
them hit the road together for a 27- city North American tour. The
Rage and Rapture Tour, co-headlined by Garbage and
Blondie seems to have only picked up momentum as it rolled into a
series of East coast dates. The Aug. 2nd tour stop in
Philadelphia at The Mann Center, a beautiful outdoor venue
nestled in Fairmount Park, was absolutely everything that I had hoped
it would be. You know how sometimes you see a show that's so
fantastic that when you wake the next day you're still carrying it
with you? This was one of those for me. I left the venue a little bit
changed. I'm not exactly sure how or why, but I do know that it's a
good thing.
I've
always been entranced by Shirley Manson, from the very first
moment that MTV introduced her and the rest of Garbage to me. My
college-girl self thought that she was the epitome of cool, drop-dead
stunning and most importantly, she was smart. As Manson took the
stage, 25 years after my first impression of her was made, she was
still all of those things and more. Fire from the top of her hair to
the tips of her combat boots, owning every inch of the stage.
“Here
we are in the city of brotherly love. This is the city I fell in love
with when I grew up on the tiny little island of Scotland.” proclaimed Manson after the band’s first few songs. Clad in star
stockings, a shimmering silver dress and of course, a head full of
flame-colored hair Manson owned every bit of the stage as she lost
herself in the music. At times she seemed to be stalking the cords
and then in other moments, she was vulnerable to the point of
fragility before bouncing back with authority.
Manson has a way of
making you feel the anguish of her songs while turning them into a
bit of performance art. She appears almost catatonic for part of “#1
Crush” and then twirls with abandon through “Stupid Girl”.
Manson
introduced several songs by weaving in bits of her own personal
history as well stories of strong women rockers that affected her
and drove her to get to America, somehow. She was intensely connected
to the band and the audience simultaneously and somehow managed to
absolutely break my heart along with hers during a very still
rendition of “Cup Of Coffee”.
Their
set continued gaining momentum for well over an hour so that by the
time Garbage cranked out one of their anthems, “Only Happy When
It Rains”, it truly gave the audience the eventual outburst
that it needed. Manson started the song sitting on the stage and as
she slithered through the opening lyrics The Mann was fixated. By the
time the music crashed in, she was lying face down, soaking up the
cheers as the band enjoyed an energetic and deserved moment in the
spotlight.
As
The Rage and Rapture Tour continues
it's North American run I'm going to bet that it'll only get better
with each show. Garbage can't help but leave absolutely everything on
the stage.
No
Horses
Sex
Is Not the Enemy
#1
Crush
Empty
I
Think I'm Paranoid
Cherry
Lips (Go Baby Go!)
Blackout
Special
Cup
of Coffee
Even
Though Our Love Is Doomed
The
World Is Not Enough
Stupid
Girl
Only
Happy When It Rains
Push
It
Vow
Vow