Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson took a moment to call out an audience member with a beach ball during their set at Good Things in Melbourne: “It’s disrespectful and musicians have had enough”
Garbage’s set at Good Things Melbourne 2025 was interrupted today due to an incident with a festivalgoer and a beach ball, which appears to have set off frontwoman Shirley Manson.
In a video uploaded by Rockandwrestlingreviews, Manson can be seen directly addressing an audience member during her set.
It’s unclear exactly what behaviour sparked Manson’s rant, as the video starts after the frontwoman had already begun calling out the audience member in question.
“Oh, you’re getting rid of the balloon now, you big f****n’ dou**e,” the singer would start in the video.
Manson would continue to address the festivalgoer, saying:
“It’s disrespectful, and musicians [have] had enough. And we’re fed up [with] not getting paid properly, and fed up [with] having to play for d******bags like you.” Manson would continue to scold the audience member, saying, “You’re a f**kin middle-aged man, in a f**kin’ ridiculous hat, and you’re a f***in f*k face. I want to ask people to punch you in the f**kin face. But you know what, I’m a lady, so I won’t. But, truly, I would love to send my crew over to fuckin mess you up. And you know what, I won’t, because I pity you cause you’re a small man with a small d*ck.”
It’s unclear what initially sparked Manson’s strong reaction to the man in question, and how the audience member was antagonising the performer from the crowd. In the video, the crowd doesn’t seem to agree with Manson’s outburst either, as the video captures a mix of boos and reluctant clapping.
Manson has been open about the struggles musicians have been facing recently on tour, calling it “unsustainable” for most. During their performance at the Mission Ballroom in Denver (billed as their final headline North American tour), Manson would reveal to the crowd,
“It has become entirely unsustainable for a band like us to come and tour anywhere except the coasts,” Manson said.
“Most of the music industry is not made of these big pop stars. They’re made of working musicians,” she said. “And this is not a pity party for us. This is an alarm call for all the young generations of musicians who are in our wake and we feel duty bound to speak up for because there’s nobody speaking up for them.”
Garbage is set to perform in Sydney and Adelaide for the remainder of Good Things before returning to Melbourne for a sideshow at the Palais Theatre on December 10.
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