Garbage in concert... and what else can I ask for??

Via

 

 

By now it should be clear that one of my favorite bands in the world for many years have been Garbage. And no doubt when I heard they were returning to Monterrey for a full concert after that tease @ the MTV World Stage, I prepared myself for the showdown, this time solely devoted to them. And quite a show it was!!

 

The date: April 16th, 2013

The  place: Arena Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico

The setlist:

1. Automatic Systematic Habit

2. I Think I'm Paranoid

3. Blood For Poppies

4. Hammering in My Head

5. Control

6. Why Do You Love Me

7. Queer

8. #1 Crush

9. Battle In Me

10. Cup Of Coffee

11. Special

12. The One

13. Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)

14. The Trick Is To Keep Breathing

15. When I Grow Up

16. Only Happy When It Rains

17. Vow

18. Beloved Freak

19. Push It

20. Stupid Girl

21. You Look So Fine

  

It's incredible the amount of energy these guys have, at their age (Duke Erikson is 62), something having to do with the great chemistry they have as a band. Definitely, they looked the part while on the stage and didn't dissappoint at any minute. With the banging start "Automatic Systematic Habit", they made it clear that this was NOT a night where you have to be sitted.



Shirley Manson is a veteran at this point in life on stage, and certainly made it clear from the beggining. Although she really made some long speeches that I'm positive half of the arena didn't understand, she is obviously in love with Mexico and mexican culture. They made a contest where you have tomade any form of art resembling two very mexican things: Frida Kahlo (she declared to be a fan of her work) or "Día de Muertos" (All Souls Day). And basically, through various assertions, she declared all the thing that made her so attached to our roots, and I appreciated that, for being a nice and a really genuine gesture.



We had the chance to revisit the greatest hits of this magnificient band, as well as songs from their last album. But really, their catalogue is just breathtaking. Hit after hit, the sounds of the people were mixed with those from the instruments morphing into a wave of emotions that flowed all over the place. This music trascends time and space, and effectively teleported us into a world I'd like to call "BeautifulGarbage", as the name of their third album, and the best in my opinion.



There were only a screen behind them projecting videos and collages, and a very decent set of lights. The show was very simple in its manufacturing, but who does it need all that paraphernalia if you have this type of band? Seriously. And they delivere every single note and every single riff as if there's no tomorrow. This is the work of a band that definitely don't take things for granted and show the appreciation for their fans. And I'm humbly thankful for that.



For me, the nostalgia was present since the first song. After listening to them when I was just a teenager (oh, those were the days), this reminded me simpler times and the fact that this was the soundtrack of one of the most special stages of my life. Maybe this would sound melodramatic, but their music was a constant presence during those years, and it is unforgettable. So for me, this band is beyond a "flavor of the moment" band to a "cult" band, if you like.



So definitely it was an awesome concert. And definitely I have proof of that. You are more than welcome to dropping my You Tube page, where you can find the entirety of this show (the whole thing!) It is my duty to let people know how inspiring and commited this band is on stage, and why they have remained as a part of my life with their music.

So please, enjoy it!

New Music: Garbage, "Not Your Kind Of People"

Hola a todos! Esta sección hablará de los nuevos lanzamientos que vaya escuchando y me gusten. No soy crítico de música... bueno, no uno que le paguen, pero espero que mis opiniones les decidan a escucharlos, al menos en Internet. Si son pudientes, pues a comprarlos de iTunes o en su discoteca favorita (¿quién usa esa frase hoy en día? ¡jajaja!)

Garbage ha sido desde sus inicios un grupo importante dentro del rock pop mundial. Recuerdo que la primera canción que escuché de ellos fue Only Happy When It Rains y me gustó por su atmósfera depresiva, al igual que su letra. Pero cuando verdaderamente m atraparon fue con >"Version 2.0" y esas inolvidables canciones, Special y When I Grow Up, y su momento James Bond en The World Is Not Enough.

Sin embargo, el grupo no ha tenido el mismo impacto comercial que tuvo en sus inicios, cosa injusta considerando que "BeautifulGarbage" es su mejor disco hasta ahora en su carrera (para mí, al menos). Lo cierto es que su fórmula noventera a muchos les parece ya desgastada, aunque no me imgino que un virtuoso como Butch Vig, quien fue capaz de cambiar el rumbo de la música con Nirvana y su "Nevermind" del 91, sea capaz de hacer música "de fórmula". Me niego a creerlo.

Y luego, después de una ausencia de más de 6 años, llega "Not Your Kind Of People". Sinceramente, si esperan la reinvención de Garbage como grupo y una nueva era buscan en el lugar equivocado. Garbage no cambiará su forma de hacer música, pero al final del día, a la gente que nos gusta ese grupo nos encanta saber que la banda seguirá refinando su sonido cada vez más sin traicionar sus raíces y ofreciendo canciones de calidad, que aunque no lleguen a ser sencillos, al menos traerán de regreso aquella época tan ideal de nuestras vidas que fue los 90's.

Y no es un disco aburrido, al contrario. Si bien su lado electropop ha quedado relegado a un par de loops en algunas de sus canciones, siguen teniendo esa melodía y ritmo que hicieron un éxito a canciones como Stupid Girl o Vow, hasta Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go). Aquí se encuentran dosificadas, pero sin duda alguna están y hacen que el disco se convierta en un viaje sonoro que nos remonta a las mjores épocas del grupo, con una mejor ejecución y madurez que sólo el tiempo puede brindar.

Aunque debo reconocer que su elección como primer sencillo, Blood For Poppies, no fue la más acertada, el disco merece una oída para todo aquel que recuerda a este grupo como uno de los pilares del rock pop de los noventa. Sin duda será de su agrado y les recordará que estos señores, porque ya son cincuentones, realmente son talentosos y definieron el sonido de una era en la cual muchos de ustedes crecieron.



¿Y qué otra cosa quieren que la maravillosa voz y presencia de Shirley Manson? Una verdadera belleza, con una presencia casi etérea.

Espero poder escucharlos en vivo pronto.

Canciones favoritas: Automatic Systemtic Habit, Big Bright World, I Hate Love, Man On a Wire, The One.