Alex G opened his 2025 tour for his new album, “Headlights,” at Roadrunner Sept. 11. British musician Nilüfer Yanya accompanied Alex G and his band.
The concert was intimate and casual, allowing Alex G and his band to transition from reflective, slower songs to upbeat ones with ease. The setlist, which incorporated music from throughout his career, showcased Alex G’s use of a wide variety of instruments, which creates the mood and tone that makes his sound so distinctive.
Alex Giannascoli, who goes by Alex G, began his career on Bandcamp at 17. In the 15 years since, he’s released 10 studio albums and scored two movies: “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” and “I Saw The TV Glow.” He released his 10th studio album, “Headlights,” which comprised most of the Boston setlist, after signing with RCA Records in 2024. Tickets for the Sept. 11 show sold out so quickly that the venue opened another date at Roadrunner Sept. 10 to accommodate demand.
Yanya opened the show with songs from her recent studio album, including “Midnight Sun” and “Method Actor,” as well as a saxophone-accompanied cover of PJ Harvey’s “Rid of Me.” Yanya is set to tour with Alex G throughout the North American portion of the tour before parting ways to support Lorde on her Ultrasound World Tour in Europe this November. After her set, she thanked the audience, and crews rearranged the stage for Alex G, who played an esoteric mix of songs featuring “Macarena” by Los del Río that kept the crowd’s energy high.
Alex G and his band stood in the dark as the drumline to “Louisiana” started. The crowd cheered once the guitar came in. When Alex G started singing, two 3-by-5 panels of light immediately illuminated him and his band, emulating a pair of headlights on a truck.
After “Louisiana,” Alex G and his band performed the “Headlights” tracklist interspersed with other regular live performance staples, including “Gretel,” a track featuring both heavy distortion and acoustic guitar, which was accompanied by purple, blue and yellow lights synced to the song. His long-time touring band, which he introduced as his family, consisted of guitarist Sam Acchione, bassist and vocalist John Heywood and percussionist Tom Kelly.
When the band started to play “Afterlife,” one of the lead singles off the album, it drew out the intro drum fill, baiting the fans for nearly a minute before starting the song in earnest. As he transitioned into “Beam Me Up,” an acoustic contemplation of his relationship with music as work versus expression, green spotlights trained on Alex G before expanding to fill the room with blue and purple tones. A similar setup accompanied “Oranges,” with muted orange tones behind the band and spotlights on the performers while Alex G crooned about Florida. He made sure to take his time joking with the crowd, introducing the high-energy track “Brick” as “a really slow one.”
“Grab a partner and look them in the eye,” Alex G said. “Show them that you’re grateful that each other is here and healthy. Give them a hug, maybe.”
Alex G’s 2022 release, “God Save the Animals,” constituted some of the setlist, including “Runner,” an upbeat folk-rock anthem; “Blessing,” a synth-heavy track with whispered vocals; and “Immunity,” which wrestles with forgiveness and other key themes from the album. The light design was immersive, mimicking the mood and tempo of each song. Throughout the performance, the dramatic light design went from obscuring to highlighting the stage design, mimicking the “Headlights” album cover.
Alex G’s stage presence kept the audience engaged for the duration of the concert. He showed off his multi-instrumental background by performing some songs on the piano and even bringing out an accordion for the outro of “June Guitar.” He rarely spoke, save for the occasional exclamation of “Boston!” and profession of love for the movie “Moana,” but maintained a casual attitude toward fans and addressed them as though they were old friends.
The light-hearted tone kept the audience laughing and energetic during the entire set and the eight-song encore, during which he took suggestions from the audience and performed fan-favorites like “Southern Sky,” “Hope,” “Crab” and “Fay.” Alex G’s two days at Roadrunner drew thousands of fans and commemorated “Headlights” as one of his best albums to hear live.
