📍Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater — Sept. 30, 2025
Written by Perrin Boyd
On the final night of September, Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin was filled wall to wall for a sold-out show from indie rock favorite Alex G. Touring in support of his new album Headlights, released in July, the performance marked a special moment for fans who have followed his evolution from bedroom-recorded experiments to fully realized live productions. The crowd showed that devotion with early arrivals crammed into the outdoor space, humming with anticipation for the artist whose music often feels like it was built in solitude, yet resonates with a collective intimacy.
Credit: Erick Hernandez
Alex G, whose reputation is rooted in his DIY ethos, has always embodied the lo-fi aesthetic. Recording most of his catalog by himself at home, he manages to capture a rawness and imperfection that feels personal and unfiltered. That approach has made him a cult figure within the indie rock world. Yet on stage, those solitary creations bloom into something larger. Backed by a full band, his songs gained new weight and texture, proving that even in collaboration, Alex G maintains complete creative control. His fingerprints are everywhere - from the way the arrangements unfold to the pacing of the set itself.
Credit: Erick Hernandez
The night leaned heavily on Headlights, and fans seemed eager to hear how these newly released tracks would sound under the Austin lights.Songs like “Afterlife” carried a ghostly pull, with guitar lines that rippled out into the night. “June Guitar” offered a more meditative moment, its repetition and softness giving the audience room to sink in. “Oranges” stood out as well, striking a balance between the experimental edges of his recording style and the collective joy of the crowd singing along. Each of these new songs showcased not only the depth of Headlights but also Alex G’s ability to reinterpret them in a live setting without losing their homespun origins.
Longtime fans weren’t forgotten in the glow of new material. Between the fresh tracks from Headlights, Alex G reached back into his catalog, weaving in songs that have become touchstones for those who’ve followed him since his early Bandcamp days.
Credit: Erick Hernandez
Each older selection carried the weight of memory, and when paired with the new. The transitions never felt forced; instead, they served as a reminder that Alex G is a curator of his own world as much as he is a songwriter. He’s not interested in pandering or leaning on nostalgia, but he knows exactly when to let the past flicker back into the spotlight. With the band behind him, those tracks stretched and shifted, sometimes erupting into walls of distortion, other times collapsing into fragile silence.
Credit: Erick Hernandez
As the night came to a close, Alex left fans with something special. He chose to end with “Sarah” and “Mary,” two songs that hold a cherished place in his discography. The quiet intimacy of those closing songs contrasted beautifully with the bigger moments of the set, sending everyone off with a lingering sense of connection.
The show at Stubb’s showed that Alex G can take the lo-fi world he creates in solitude and turn it into something expansive and alive. His music, once made alone at home, had grown into something powerful enough to unite a sold-out crowd under the Austin night sky.