Garbage Band Opens Up About Touring Life in 2025

The music industry has pushed many bands to their financial limits. At The Anthem in Washington, D.C., Shirley Manson spoke about why big tours can't work anymore. The Garbage lead singer pointed to broken industry systems as the root cause.

Manson said, "We all feel that we've been so immensely privileged and we've enjoyed unbelievable support from our fans, from you," according to NME.

The band's Happy Endings tour marks their final major trek across North America. Starting in Orlando, the band will play their last U.S. show at the Hollywood Palladium on November 5. Then, they'll play in Mexico City on November 14.

The state of touring hits new acts hardest, Manson stressed. "Sometimes they're sleeping in their van, sometimes they're staying in really, really dodgy so-called motels, and it's dangerous, and it's really unacceptable, and it really has to stop," she said.

In May, Garbage released Let All That We Imagine Be The Light, a critically acclaimed album with themes of love and empowerment. Manson said to NME, “I've never really written about love very much. I always think it's been written about by people a thousand more talented than me. I'm just not a romantic person, really.” Despite industry pushback, fans stuck by them. "At times in the music industry, they've told us we're old, we're over, nobody's interested. And then you lot came along. You were like, 'get behind us, Satan'. And we won't forget it," Manson added.

Since 1993, Garbage has left their mark on music. Their peak came in 1998 when Version 2.0 topped UK charts. Hits like "Stupid Girl," "Push It," and the James Bond theme song, "The World Is Not Enough," made them stars. The tour started on September 21 in New Haven, Connecticut. Shows run through early November. Tickets and copies of the album are available on Garbage's website.