Phoebe Bridgers Concert
Tears Were Shed at Phoebe Bridgers Concert
Charlie Deitchman ’23
Opinion & Sports Editor
Photographed by Silan during Phoebe's performance of Graceland Too
On Saturday, August 27, Phoebe Bridgers performed her second to last show on her USA tour at the Vina Robles Amphitheater. Christian Lee Hutson (Bridgers’ longtime friend and fellow alternative artist) opened the show, giving a short yet engaging performance. He concluded his set by bringing Bridgers out to sing Hutson’s original song “Rubberneckers” alongside him.
When it was time for Bridgers to go on, she and her band humorously walked on the stage to “Down with the Sickness” by Disturbed. Her first song of the night was “Motion Sickness,” which successfully inspired the whole amphitheater to start singing along. “Motion Sickness,” tells the story of Bridgers’ experience with her abusive ex-boyfriend Ryan Adams. It is one of the only rock songs on her primarily folk album and was also one of her first songs to blow up the charts. It was clear how much Bridgers’ fans admire her from this performance.
Phoebe's fans, also known as Pharbz, held up a roaring sea of skeletons and hearts during her songs “Sidelines” and “Savior Complex,” which is a frequent occurrence at Bridgers’ shows. About halfway through the set Bridgers performed what she described as “the screamo version of ‘Scott Street,’” in which she passed the microphone to audience members to sing the outro. Whether or not you were one of the chosen members, it was still an endearing sight to see.
Before performing “Chinese Satellite,” Bridgers shared her thoughts on the current Roe V. Wade controversy, giving a short speech and urging her fans to donate to the Mariposa Fund. The Mariposa Fund is a group that helps many marginalized and undocumented people who are affected disproportionately to those of us in California by the overturning of Roe V. Wade. Bridgers has been open about her experiences with female reproductive rights so it was inspiring to see her share and raise awareness for this issue.
Bridgers concluded her main set by bringing Hutson back out to help sing “I Know the End,” which culminated with the entire theater screaming along with the musicians. Finally, for her encore Bridgers performed an acoustic version of “Waiting Room,” one of her unreleased songs written when she was in high school. A song she herself dislikes but has resonated with much of her listeners.
When asked for her comments on the concert, Silan Aycaguer-Ron ’23 described it as “an emotional rollercoaster. At certain times I was jumping up and down, but then two minutes later I was crying my eyes out,” and she emphasized that they were “good tears.” Bridgers put on an amazing performance that was filled with humor, tears and the dreams of her devoted fans.