The Shins, Zach Braff, Laufey and a line-up of musicians covered Tom Petty‘s ‘Free Fallin’ at a benefit concert celebrating the 20th anniversary of Garden State. Watch footage of the performance below.
Braff wrote and directed the 2004 romantic comedy, in which he starred alongside Natalie Portman, Peter Saarsgard, Jean Smart and Method Man.
The film was a box-office success, raking in over US$35million on a US$2million budget – just as impactful was its soundtrack, which was personally curated by Braff, that helped usher in newfound popularity for indie rock artists The Shins, Iron & Wine and Frou Frou.
In particular, The Shins’ ‘New Slang’ was used in a memorable scene with Braff and Portman, the actor’s character introducing it to Braff’s saying, “You gotta hear this one song — it’ll change your life. I swear”. The track has since become the band’s most popular song, raking in over 300million plays on Spotify alone.
Tracks by Coldplay, Bonnie Somerville, Zero 7, Nick Drake, Remy Zero and Thievery Corporation were also featured on the album, which won a Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album.
The concert, which ran in benefit of Los Angeles charity Midnight Mission, took place on Saturday night (March 29) at the Greek Theatre. Braff appeared on stage to introduce the show, telling the audience that it was his “dream” for Portman to attend, but that she couldn’t.
Portman then appeared onstage to a rousing ovation, quipping: “Well, dreams do come true.”
Zach Braff with the entrance of the night at the Garden State 20th Anniversary benefit concert pic.twitter.com/lmeTF1nXA4
— Greg Dunbar (@gdun) March 30, 2025
Natalie Portman and Zach Braff reunited for 'GARDEN STATE' 20th Anniversary Concert last night in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/6OvJOLec7Q
— Natalie Portman Updates (@nportmanonline) March 30, 2025
Through the night, The Shins, Zero 7, Iron & Wine, Frou Frou, Somerville, Men At Work‘s Colin Haye and Remy Zero performed songs from the soundtrack. The show marked the first performance of Frou Frou – the electronic pop project of Imogen Heap – since 2019, and a reunion of Remy Zero after their brief re-emergence in 2010.
Laufey was present that night to perform Coldplay’s Garden State inclusion ‘Don’t Panic’. Iron & Wine, who featured on the soundtrack covering The Postal Service‘s ‘Such Great Heights’, performed a cover of Nick Drake’s ‘One Of These Things First’.
The show was capped off with an ensemble performance of Tom Petty’s ‘Free Fallin’, led by The Shins’ James Mercer. Watch fan footage of the performances below.
Laufey covering Don’t Panic by Coldplay last night 🫧🪐 pic.twitter.com/C0BomBFcpy
— Laufey Updates (@LaufeyUpdates) March 30, 2025
Last year, Braff recalled Quentin Tarantino’s tongue-in-cheek disappointment over his Garden State Grammy win after he beat Tarantino’s nomination for the Kill Bill: Vol 2 soundtrack.
“Tarantino jokingly said, ‘You stole my fucking Grammy, man!’ and then gave me a big smile and a hug,” Braff said. “He was super sweet and supportive. I was the kind of film-school kid that would have put a Reservoir Dogs poster on my wall.”