In the volatile landscape of 2025, few things have felt as grounding as the resurgence of the “Badlands” aesthetic. Ten years after Halsey (Ashley Frangipane) first invited us into her dystopian desert with her 2015 debut, she has officially re-opened the gates. The “Back to Badlands” Tour, which launched in the spectral setting of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in October 2025, is more than a simple nostalgia trip; it is a full-circle moment for an artist who has spent a decade evolving in the public eye. After a period of health challenges and artistic experimentation, Halsey has returned to the blue-haired, high-concept world that defined her career. The tour, which has seen the “New Americana” singer performing in intimate, high-energy venues, is a visceral reminder of why “Badlands” became the manifesto for a generation of outsiders.
A Dystopian Homecoming in Los Angeles
The tour began with three sold-out nights at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, a venue choice that perfectly mirrored the “post-apocalyptic” lore of the original album. Performing on the Fairbanks Lawn, Halsey transformed the historic site into a sanctuary for her most dedicated fans. Dressed in updated versions of her 2015 “desert-dweller” wardrobe, she opened with “Gasoline,” a track that has grown from a fan favorite to a definitive anthem of her discography. The production featured 3D visual elements and audio tapes that played “Badlands TV” interludes, creating an immersive experience that felt like a bridge between her 21-year-old self and the 31-year-old veteran she is today.
The “Back to Badlands” Tour is intentionally designed to feel like the original club runs of 2015—tiny venues, general admission floors, and a raw, unpolished energy. Halsey noted on social media that she had been “waiting a decade to re-live it all over again.” This intimacy has been the tour’s hallmark, allowing for a level of fan interaction that is often lost in massive stadium runs. In cities like Atlanta and Philadelphia, Halsey has engaged in “dealer’s choice” segments, using dice and roulette wheels to let fans pick surprise tracks, making each night of the tour a unique artifact for the audience.
The Ultimate Anniversary Setlist
Clocking in at over 30 songs, the “Back to Badlands” setlist is a marathon of Halsey’s history. While the core of the show is a chronological trip through the Badlands tracklist—including rare performances of “Coming Down,” “Garden,” and “Young God”—she has also woven in essential hits from her later eras. Fans have been treated to rock-infused versions of “Closer” and “Without Me,” as well as tracks from her recent experimental project, The Great Impersonator. A standout moment each night is the “Nightmare” reprise, which blends the angst of her 2019 single with the refined “Badlands” production style.
The encore has become a space for deep cuts and collaborations. In Atlanta, she performed “Lilith” with Sofia Isella, and in Boston, she brought out PVRIS’s Lynn Gunn for a duet of “Honey.” Perhaps the most emotional moment comes during the acoustic rendition of “Trouble,” a song from her Room 93 EP that predates the Badlands era. By including these tracks, Halsey is not just celebrating one album, but the entire journey of her self-discovery. The show concludes with “Is There Somewhere,” a song that has traditionally served as the final “thank you” to the fans who have stayed by her side since the beginning.
Navigating the 2026 Global Leg
As the North American leg wraps up in Detroit in January 2026, the “Back to Badlands” tour is preparing to go global. The international schedule is rigorous, beginning with a multi-night stand at Toronto’s History before crossing the Atlantic for a run of European dates. High-demand stops include Amsterdam’s AFAS Live, Paris’s L’Olympia, and a three-night residency at London’s O2 Academy Brixton in early February. The tour will ultimately conclude in Australia, with the final show set for Melbourne’s Festival Hall on February 20, 2026.
Securing tickets for the international leg has proven difficult, with many dates selling out during the pre-sale windows in late 2025. Standard ticket prices have hovered around $130 to $200, though the “Tiny Venue” nature of the tour has pushed secondary market prices into the $400 range for high-traffic cities like New York and London. For fans, the cost is often viewed as a “once-in-a-decade” investment in a show that feels like a private party for the “Badlands” faithful.
The Legacy of the Blue-Haired Era
The impact of “Back to Badlands” extends beyond the concert halls. To coincide with the tour, Halsey released the Badlands (10th Anniversary Anthology), a 3LP vinyl set that includes unreleased demos and live recordings. The cultural resurgence of the album in 2025 has also sparked a revival of mid-2010s “Tumblr-core” aesthetics on social media, with a new generation of listeners discovering Halsey’s debut for the first time. The tour serves as a validation for those who saw the potential in Halsey’s world-building a decade ago, proving that the desert she created was never a wasteland, but a fertile ground for one of the most resilient careers in pop.
As Halsey moves toward the final shows of this run in early 2026, she appears more settled than ever. In recent tour interviews, she has spoken about the “healing power” of returning to these songs after her recent health struggles, noting that singing “Hurricane” or “Control” feels different now that she has survived the storms they describe. For Halsey and her fans, the “Badlands” is no longer a place of escape—it is a home.
