Blondie, Garbage and Sky Ferreira played the Hollywood Bowl (review, pics, setlist)

A stacked triple bill bridging three generations of great performers lit up Sunday night in Los Angeles. Blondie and Garbage brought the early leg of their Rage and Rapture tour to the Hollywood Bowl, where they were joined by pop singer (and burgeoning actor) Sky Ferreira.

At her best, Sky’s songs conjure a kind of intimacy that’s unique among her avant-pop peers. I couldn’t help but find that intimacy somewhat muted in the daylight (and rather scorching heat) of the Bowl while many were still finding their seats. Still, she’s undoubtedly a talented performer and she sounded pretty much flawless.

Garbage took the stage around 8 PM and delivered what felt to me like the set of the night. Those songs are so glossy and huge, the band so precise, and they feel absolutely made to be experienced in the biggest venue possible. Part of that is because Shirley Manson is a singer with a rare ability to go from hushed, seductive croon to howling at the moon without missing a beat. And speaking of not missing beats, she sounds every bit as powerful as in Garbage’s late-90s heyday, carrying the night with a combination of huge, distinctive presence and staggering vocal chops (showcased particularly well on their James Bond theme song “The World is Not Enough,” which was dedicated to Butch Vig’s daughter). The band seemed to gain power as the show went on, and by the time they closed with the peerless triple-whammy of “Only Happy When it Rains,” “Push It,” and “Vow,” the crowd was in an absolute frenzy.

They stayed that way when Blondie took the stage. Debbie Harry and company treated us to a bombastic, winding set that hit the classics but spent a lot of time with their new album Pollinator. They opened with “One Way or Another” and closed with “Heart of Glass,” but in between there was plenty of time for fire-breathing guitar solos and video installations, all tied together by Debbie, who hasn’t lost an ounce of her presence or ability to command everyone’s attention. She’s still just so fucking cool, and I, and pretty much everybody in the venue from the looks of it, just felt blessed to be in her presence (dear). She performed the first two songs wearing a golden bee mask, making everyone immediately excited for when she would take it off (she was still wearing sunglasses underneath). It was an extremely fun set delivered by an extremely professional group of musicians, the perfect cap to a great night.

Blondie and Garbage bring their tour to NYC for a sold-out show at Beacon Theatre on August 1. Check out some pictures and setlists for all three acts from the LA show below.

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BWYHbkShnXd/

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BWW_hH2F4_Z/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWYWXSmFER1/

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Sky Ferreira — 7/9/2017 Hollywood Bowl Setlist
24 Hours
Ain’t Your Right
Guardian
I Blame Myself
Voices Carry (’Til Tuesday cover)
You’re Not the One

Garbage — 7/9/2017 Hollywood Bowl Setlist
No Horses
Queer
#1 Crush
Empty
I Think I’m Paranoid
Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)
Special
Cup of Coffee (with Inara George)
Even Though Our Love Is Doomed
The World Is Not Enough
Stupid Girl
Only Happy When It Rains
Push It
Vow

Blondie — 7/9/2017 Hollywood Bowl Setlist
One Way or Another
Hanging on the Telephone (The Nerves cover)
Fun
Call Me
Rapture
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (Bob Dylan cover)
Fragments (Unkindness cover)
Long Time
Atomic
Too Much
Heart of Glass

Encore:
Union City Blue
Dreaming