Concert Review and Slideshow: Garbage at House of Blues

Garbage

While the alt-rock group Garbage didn’t exactly qualify as a supergroup when it formed in the early ’90s, the members did bring some serious musical experience to the table. Prior to joining Garbage, singer Shirley Manson had recorded an album as Angelfish and drummer Butch Vig achieved fame for producing Nirvana’s Nevermind. That experience translated into massive album sales and Grammy nominations before the group imploded in 2008.

That experience was again on display last night at House of Blues as the band, which reformed two years ago and issued a new studio album last year, showed its expertise during a thrilling two-hour concert. Led by the 46-year-old Manson, an excellent front person whose performance was unaffected by the fact that she was downing shots of what looked to be whiskey (in celebration of Easter, she said) all night long. She came out dressed in a flowing black scarf but quickly stripped down to a cleavage-exposing black dress that allowed her to move about the stage more freely. And move she did. She swaggered like Mick Jagger on the rocking opening tune “Automatic Systematic Habit” and bobbed and weaved like a rapper on the hard-hitting “Blood for Poppies.”

This article appears in Mar 27 – Apr 2, 2013.