Garbage wrapped up their 2026 tour on Saturday (Nov. 14) with a free concert at Mexico City’s Zócalo, paying tribute to a country they have visited for three decades with a nod to its culture.
The Scottish-American band performed their song “The World Is Not Enough” from the James Bond film of the same name with a mariachi arrangement. They also invited Paulina Villarreal, drummer of the Mexican rock band The Warning, to sing their iconic track “I Think I’m Paranoid.”
Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson, 60, made history by becoming the first non-hispanic woman to headline the Zócalo, drawing a crowd of 90,000 people, according to official figures. Before her, superstars Rosalía and Shakira had packed Mexico’s most important public square in 2023 and 2026, respectively.
“It’s one of the biggest honors of our entire career [to play at the Zócalo], and the whole band is very excited,” Manson told Billboard Español before taking the stage. “Really, we’re all really emotional, and we’re so proud to be here tonight, and it’s an extraordinary… It’s a culmination of 30 years of coming to Mexico and playing in this amazing city.”
The Scottish-born artist noted that her outfit — featuring a white veil, a floral tricolor headdress and braided hair — paid homage to Mexican culture, particularly the legendary Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, whose life and work have inspired her.
During their performance, the band — also including drummer Butch Vig, guitarists Duke Erikson and Steve Marker, as well as guest bassist Nicole Fiorentino — surprised fans with their own rendition of The Cure’s classic “Lovesong.”
The setlist kicked off with “No Future,” followed by “Hold,” “Have We Met (The Void),” “Vow,” “The Men Who Rule the World,” “Chinese Fire Horse” and “Run Baby Run.” The group also performed “The Day That I Met God,” “Control,” “Fix Me Now,” “Special” and “Stupid Girl,” taking fans on a journey through 30 years of their career and eight studio albums, including Garbage (1995), Version 2.0 (1998), Beautiful Garbage (2001) and Let All That We Imagine Be the Light (2025).
Garbage joins an exclusive list of acts who have performed at Mexico’s Zócalo, the second-largest public square in the world after Tiananmen Square in Beijing. This iconic venue has hosted legendary artists and bands, such as Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, Justin Bieber, Manu Chao, Shakira, Rosalía, Café Tacvba and the late icon of Mexican regional music Vicente Fernández. The concert was organized by Mexico City’s government through its local Department of Culture.
The record for attendance at free Zócalo concerts is held by Colombian superstar Shakira, who drew over 400,000 people in March 2026, according to city authorities. She is followed by the Argentine rock band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, who brought in 300,000 attendees in June 2023, and Grupo Firme, who gathered 280,000 fans in September 2022.
Here are the five standout moments from Garbage’s show at Mexico City’s Zócalo.
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“Shirley, Sister, You’re Already Mexican”
The traditional Mexican shout to express brotherhood also reached Manson, who went down into the crowd twice to make the encounter more intimate. With the Mexican flag tied around her neck, the performer sang “Chinese Fire Horse” while greeting and hugging some fans. The chant “¡Shirley, hermana, ya eres mexicana!” (“Shirley, sister, you’re already Mexican!”) echoed through the city’s iconic plaza also known as the First Square, moving her to tears.
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Female Power With The Warning’s Villarreal
Image Credit: @wearecaptique One of the most anticipated moments of the night came with the appearance of Paulina Villarreal, a member of The Warning, whom Manson had already announced as a guest. The Mexican rocker joined the band during “I Think I’m Paranoid,” a song that has become one of Garbage’s signature tracks. The performance sealed a moment between two female rockers from different generations who have made history.
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Nostalgia With “Lovesong” by The Cure
Image Credit: @wearecaptique A surprise the group prepared for this special night was a heartfelt rendition of “Lovesong” by the iconic British band The Cure. The opening chords sparked euphoria among the audience, who joined Manson in singing at the top of their lungs, creating a unique and deeply moving moment.
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Support for Palestine
Manson, who has stood out for her activism in favor of women’s rights and the LGBT community, took a moment during the concert to express her support for Palestine upon noticing some flags waving in the Zócalo square.
“It makes me happy that people are fighting for those who don’t have very much in life and who are in need of protection and who are struggling against a power that is threatening to completely destroy them,” the artist said. “The important thing I think to remember is that we’re all absolutely exactly the same. Doesn’t matter if you come from f—ing Palestine, whether you come from Mexico City, whether you come from Edinburgh, Scotland, or Madison, Wisconsin, or from Boston, Massachusetts. We’re all the f—ing same”.
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“The World Is Not Enough” to Mariachi Rhythm
Image Credit: @wearecaptique Garbage took the iconic theme song “The World Is Not Enough,” which they originally recorded in 1999 for the James Bond film of the same name, to another level by transforming the symphonic orchestra sound into traditional Mexican music, accompanied by the Mariachi Fiesta de México. The arrangements for the piece were crafted by sound sculptor Héctor Ruiz, who elevated it to a dramatic and festive level. The performance served as the finale to a concert by a band that helped define the sound of rock in the 1990s.
