Gary Numan – First Avenue – Minneapolis MN – March 31st 2026

Gary Numan – First Avenue – Minneapolis MN – March 31^st 2026

Review and photos by Legion Ratfell

I got to see Gary Numan for the 3^rd time at First Avenue on March 31^st, 2026, and it just provided further evidence that he is one of my absolute favorite artists of all time. He always delivers and never disappoints, and the packed room reflected it as well.

Opening for Gary was Tremours, a melancholy, floaty duo that echoed through the space and filled it with a hazy, almost droning atmosphere. It was easy to get lost in the songs. There wasn’t too much by way of dynamics, it was a little bit flatline for me personally, but I think it was a good way to get the crowd loosened up and put into a nice energy before Gary came on.

The last time I saw Gary Numan was during his Intruder tour, so obviously there were a lot more songs from that album in that setlist. This setlist was a lot more varied, with songs from all over his discography. From The Pleasure Principle to Dead Son Rising, Savage to Pure, he’s made a lot of different kinds of music, but they bleed together excellently in a live setting.

Gary Numan’s energy and music is ethereal, otherworldly, brutal, and beautiful. His sailing melodies, the much-heavier-in-person synths and guitars, the immense amount of fog, and the brightest of lights flooding behind him, made the entire set feel like I got transported to another world. I could barely see the drummer and synth player for most of it, and the guitarist and bassist commanding the sides of the stage with their long skirts and haunting looks only added to the epic site.

Gary Numan is a performer through and through, and I never tire of watching him. He is worth seeing multiple times, because the songs are transformed in a live setting.

Of course, all the phones came up during “Cars,” THE song that I’m sure a lot of people were there for, and it of course was a delight as it always is. But I was waiting for “My Name Is Ruin,” which he played last to my immense enjoyment.

At the end of the day, if you like any form of synth-rock, industrial, synthwave, or anything, it’s worth it to see such an icon in the genre. I will always be seeing him when he comes through near me, and I highly recommend it.

Setlist:

Halo
Metal
Haunted
Everything Comes Down to This
Films
Is This World Not Enough
Down in the Park
M.E.
Here in the Black
Ghost Nation
Love Hurt Bleed
Cars
The Fall
The Chosen
A Prayer For The Unborn
Are ‘Friends’ Electric?

(Encore)
The Gift
My Name Is Ruin