Alex G’s Headlights Tour

Desarey Elizondo Lopez 

Music Journalist 

I had the opportunity to see Alex G on tour this past Wednesday for his latest album, Headlights. After listening to his music for years, I was finally getting to experience it in person and knew I was in for a very special night. The energy and the anticipation of the crowd at Stubb’s would foreshadow the chaos of later that night, and there was no better way to celebrate the first day of October than witnessing the greatness of Alex G live at Stubb’s in Austin.  

When I arrived, I saw that the line wrapped around the block, and I ended up waiting for over thirty minutes for the doors to even open. The venue itself was somewhat large, but fortunately I was able to secure a spot closer to the front, making for a more personal experience. 

Opening for the night was alternative indie band Nilüfer Yanya, who had been with Alex G the entirety of his tour. Taking in elements of jazz and soul as well, the band brought a very upbeat and exciting energy to the stage that night. Included in the band is saxophonist Jazzi Bobbi as well, which I thought added a really unique and fun layer to the sound. 

The anticipation of the crowd waiting for Alex G was suffocating, but it made the agonizing wait all the more rewarding. After what seemed like an eternity, the lights dimmed and the crowd erupted into cheering as the band finally began to set up on stage. The lights then blinded the crowd and they started the setlist off strong with the song, “Louisiana”, from his new album.  

Their setlist mostly contained songs from their new album, Headlights, as well as some older songs from other albums. The discography that night was so varied and guided the mood of the entire night, and Alex G’s presence onstage seemed to command the attention of everyone at the venue. During “June Guitar”, he ripped an accordion solo, then shifted the energy onto the piano later that night. Everyone in the band had great chemistry and seemed to be having fun onstage and interacting with the crowd. 

After playing a few songs from their new album, the band hyped up the energy of the crowd with “Brick”, where the crowd broke out of its trance-like state and began to mosh. I found myself enveloped in the chaos and was shoved up front, where I shouted alongside everyone else to “Blessing”. It was an unexpected but very fun experience moshing and dancing to Alex G. His vocals alongside the instrumentals were on point, and their sound was perfect during every song. The “last” song they played for the night was “Headlights”, before stepping off the stage and the lights shown back on. 

They finally ended the night when they played three encore songs after stepping back onstage, which included “Far and Wide”, “Harvey”, and “Message”. The crowd ruptured into cheering once again, especially during “Harvey”, as they played the remaining notes of the last few songs. 

Finally seeing Alex G was very cathartic for me and was an experience that won’t be forgotten anytime soon. I have been waiting years to finally see Alex G, so seeing him in person and knowing and singing along to every song with the crowd was a life changing experience for me.