The Criterion, Oklahoma City, OK
October 10, 2025
Review and Gallery by Ally Arens
Alternative rockers Garbage are alive and kicking just as fiercely as ever after over 30 years on the road, bringing their Happy Endings tour to audiences of devoted fans all across the United States. With the tour being the band’s first headlining run in the country in nearly a decade, and potentially their last full cross-country jaunt, it is certainly not to be missed as Shirley Manson and co. are giving their all on stage every night. The Encore Nights had the honor of catching the tour as it stopped by The Criterion in Oklahoma City on October 10 – marking the group’s return to the city for the first time since the late 90s – and the show that ensued was nothing short of phenomenal.
Kicking off the festivities was Starcrawler, an alternative rock group led by the ever-so-dynamic Arrow de Wilde. They exude an effortless punk rock energy that fit right in with Garbage’s aesthetics, and as someone who’s been a fan since the drop of their most recent album She Said in 2022, I was so excited to finally be able to catch them live – and they completely exceeded my expectations with their performance. Setlist highlights included “Roadkill”, their rendition of “Pet Sematary” (originally by punk legends the Ramones), and set closer “Bet My Brains”, which saw guitarist Henri Cash go into the crowd for an extended solo. They even got an extra shoutout from Shirley Manson herself during the main event, and I think all who were in attendance can agree that Starcrawler are a band we should all keep our eyes on.
Right around 9 p.m., Garbage took the stage to a roar of applause that did not once wane through the night, kicking things off with “There’s No Future in Optimism” and “Hold” from their most recent album, May’s Let All That We Imagine Be The Light, before throwing things back to 1998 with “I Think I’m Paranoid”. For a band who’s been on the road as long as they have (and with their core lineup still fully intact!), the show that they put on was absolutely mesmerizing, and I felt privileged to be able to witness it live.
As someone who was not yet alive when the band first emerged onto the scene, it was moving to be able to see people of all ages, whether they’d been around since the early days or this was their first concert ever, be able to come together and share their love of Garbage and their message of unity. This was especially evident when Shirley launched into a moving speech about humans needing to be kind to one another and stop “othering” people in the midst of our tumultuous world politics before leading into “Bleed Like Me”, a heartfelt track highlighting that even with our differences, at our core we are all just human beings who deserve the same rights.
The band also apologized to the crowd profusely, as they admitted that they’d realized that they had not performed in Oklahoma City since 1998, and performed an extra encore track in the form of “Special” as a note of appreciation to those who were in attendance.
The Happy Endings tour picks up in Seattle, WA on October 15 before continuing along the West Coast, concluding on November 5 at The Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. Tickets and upcoming tour dates can be found on the band’s website – don’t miss them if they’re playing near you soon!
The Encore Nights 