By Ali Meizels ’23
Publisher; Photos Editor
Phoebe Bridgers has had a remarkable year. Following the release of her second studio album, “Punisher,” in mid-2020, the 27-year-old musician gained widespread fame and multiple Grammy nominations. Bridgers spent the latter part of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 playing virtual sets on late night shows before embarking on a largely sold-out, fully outdoors in-person tour in September 2021. On Sept. 26 and 27, Bridgers played for a sold-out Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston, MA.
Opening for Bridgers was the band MUNA, a trio of musicians that are not only signed to Bridgers’ record label, Saddest Factory, but are also recent collaborators. Bridgers’ first appearance of the night came when MUNA played their newly-released single “Silk Chiffon,” and Bridgers joined the band on stage for her own verse on the song. Following the rest of MUNA’s electronic, energetic set, Bridgers emerged in an all-black suit. Bridgers rotated through a set of electric guitars as she performed selected songs off of “Punisher” as well as several fan favorites from her 2017 album “Stranger in the Alps.” A series of projected animations behind Bridgers and her band illustrated her lyrics against a background of stars: an image of a broken-down house appeared as Bridgers sang, “I’ll find a new place to be from / a haunted house with a picket fence / to float around and ghost my friends.” Two of the show’s songs came from outside of Bridgers’ solo discography. Bridgers dedicated her performance of “Me & My Dog” to her “boys,” a reference to the supergroup boygenius that Bridgers wrote the song with. In her much-demanded encore, Bridgers played “That Funny Feeling,” a cover of a poignant and relevant song by comedian Bo Burnham. Between songs, Bridgers and her bandmates bantered about politics and famous skateboarders.
Despite the heavy nature of many of Bridgers’ lyrics, the energy of the crowd was joyful. This tour is Bridgers’ first time performing songs off of “Punisher” to a live audience, and she gracefully brought these lyrics — many of which are intensely meaningful to her listeners after they have provided the soundtrack to a difficult year — to life.