When legendary new-wavers Blondie conjure a co-headline tour with ‘90s alt-rock heavies Garbage, what you get is exactly what’s spelled out on the marquee, “Rage and Rapture.” Last Thursday evening their new tour mantra couldn’t have rung any truer, even under consistently stormy skies. In fact, fans outfitted with rain gear and umbrellas saturated the lawn at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap to watch 2 of the most prominent female voices in rock music perform, back to back.
The joint tour has carried Blondie and Garbage through most major US cities from California to New York since its start in July, and perhaps this tour was a long time in the making. After all, some 11 years ago in March of 2006, Shirley Manson gave the introductory speech that welcomed Blondie into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
To get the evening’s audience primed, the tour enlisted the help of LA garage-rock duo Deap Vally. Their punky retro-blues sound was a fitting addition. When Garbage ultimately hit the stage, there was a strange tension that wasn’t released until nearly halfway through their set, evident as Shirley Manson paced the stage in short circles like a wolf eyeing its prey. She was incredibly on point, almost fierce.
As for the band themselves, I swear they get better each time I see them, however it wasn’t until Garbage broke into their empowering hit, “Stupid Girl” that the crowd really came to life. Although late in their set, it was a high point of the show. Simply phenomenal.
When Blondie took the stage the band wasted no time, diving head first into their classic “One Way or Another,” Debbie Harry’s vocals ringing powerful and crisp. Donning a cape that read “STOP FUCKING THE PLANET,” Harry seemed completely in her element. She still belts the notes with attitude and took a moment to speak about one of her great passions in life—bees. Then it was right back to business with “Call Me,” “My Monster,” and “Rapture”—classics one after another.
Touring to support their eleventh studio effort Pollinator released in May of 2017, the band has had quite a ride with its latest effort. It debuted at number 4 in the UK album charts and peaked higher than their last three albums. Pollinator features songs written with David Sitek, Johnny Marr, Charlie XCX, Sia, and Dev Hynes and marks a true departure from their last few studio albums. Pollinator is available in a limited edition red vinyl.
BLONDIE
GARBAGE
DEAP VALLY
BLONDIE SETLIST
One Way or Another
Hanging on the Telephone (The Nerves cover)
Fun
Call Me
My Monster
Rapture
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (Bob Dylan cover)
Fragments (Unkindness cover)
Long Time
Atomic
Heart of Glass
The Tide Is High (The Paragons cover)
Dreaming
GARBAGE SETLIST
No Horses
Sex Is Not the Enemy
#1 Crush
Empty
I Think I’m Paranoid
Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go)
Black Out
Bleed Like Me
Even Though Our Love Is Doomed
The World Is Not Enough
Stupid Girl
Only Happy When It Rains
Push It
Vow
