The lights faded black. Christmas lights wrapped tightly around microphones and instruments provided the only illumination in the entire amphitheater. Thousands of fans in Dr. Martens and fishnets screamed with anticipation. A band of skeleton-garbed musicians walked onto stage, and a single guitar strum rang out.
As the lights came on, Phoebe Bridgers walked to the front of the stage and began to sing “I hate you for what you did, and I miss you like a little kid" — the opening lines to her most well-known tune, “Motion Sickness.”
I was frankly worried about the enjoyability of the concert considering the fact that Bridgers’ music is often low-tempo and lyric-driven. The concerts that I have most enjoyed in the past have been from high-energy performers such as Beyoncé and Alanis Morissette.
However, Bridgers was able to foster an incredible environment driven by impeccable vocal performance, obvious passion for her music and casual interactions with her fans.
Bridgers is undeniably herself. Though I do not know her personally, her public presence has not been tainted by the expectations of fame or the mental exhaustion that I am sure accompanies a national tour.
At one point, she stopped the entire show just to hear a joke that a fan on the barricade was telling. Upon hearing the joke — after asking the audience member to repeat it multiple times so that she could hear it — Bridgers simply laughed and said, “That was definitely worth it.”
She did not share with the rest of the audience what the joke was, but this minute interaction with a fan exemplifies her undeniable humility.
MUNA, a band relatively new to my radar, opened for Bridgers. The only song that I knew ahead of the concert was “Silk Chiffon,” which features Bridgers. However, MUNA blew me away.
They were energetic, and their songs were addictive. I added practically every song from their set to my monthly playlist. I highly recommend checking out “Stayaway” and “I Know a Place.”
