Garbage, the American alternative rock band that emerged in the 90s, is currently in the middle of their first tour in Latin America in a decade. The tour began on March 12 in Colombia and continued through Chile and Argentina before arriving in Brazil this Friday (March 21). On April 6, after 11 years of absence, Garbage will perform in Monterrey, Mexico, at the Tecate Pa’l Norte festival.
“It’s great to be back in Mexico, and to do it at such an important festival is even better,” says vocalist Shirley Manson to Billboard Español about their participation in the second day of the event, where stars like Olivia Rodrigo and Kings of Leon will also perform. “Each one represents a different generation and type of music. We are different sides of the same coin,” Manson adds. “Having different options in one place seems fantastic to me.”
Since their beginnings, Garbage has been a beloved rock group by Latin American audiences. Songs like “Stupid Girl,” “Only Happy When it Rains,” and “I Think I’m Paranoid” have transcended over the years, creating a strong bond with the audience in the region. When asked about her thoughts on the growing globalization of Latin music, Manson responds, “The expansion of Latin music has been very fast. Listening to music in Spanish is becoming more and more common, and that’s great. Nowadays, there is a lot of openness, and that is wonderful.”
The reunion with their fans has been very positive. At the Rec Festival, which took place recently in Concepción, in southern Chile, they shared the stage with the group Los Tres, Suede, and Julieta Venegas, among other 40 talents that brought together around 360,000 people at the event, according to reports from the Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Heritage of that country. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Obras Stadium was packed with fans who were waiting to see them since their last performance at the legendary Luna Park in 2014. Shirley Manson’s connection with this South American country is especially close to feminist movements; the singer even participated in a colloquium there in 2019.
For their performance at Parque Fundidora in Monterrey, where Tecate Pa’l Norte will take place from April 4 to 6, at least 100,000 people are expected daily, with an eclectic lineup of stars such as Green Day, Massive Attack, Justin Timberlake, Caifanes, Foster The People, Benson Boone, El Tri, and Eden Muñoz, to name a few. Garbage, completed by Butch Vig, Duke Erikson, and Steven Marker, has released covers of artists like David Bowie (“Starman”), U2 (“Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses”), Siouxie & The Banshees (“Cities in Dust”), and Patti Smith (“Because the Night”) in the last two years. Their fans are eagerly awaiting new music from the group on May 30, when their eighth studio album, Let All That We Imagine Be, is set to be released.