Live music review: Phoebe Bridgers the kid just might be alright
The world is a scary place these days. A real fucking scary place. The world is also a beautiful, amazing place, and we are all in this big, scary, beautiful place together. At least that is how Phoebe Bridgers makes us feel with her progressive brand of folk, indie-pop music that permeates the current emotional climate that most of us are experiencing in these tumultuous times. Despite Bridgers’ young, female fan-base, the kid just might be alright.
At first glance, the audience at Phoebe Bridgers’ performance at Moody Amphitheater on Friday night would indicate that the event was just another teenage pop-star extravaganza. Dig a little deeper and listen real close and you’ll understand that there’s poetic substance in Bridger’s work. Bridgers street-level relatable songwriting through her raw, honest, and oftentimes, dark lyrical personal revelations are that of an artist for our modern times. Vulnerable, curious, and transparent.
“I hate you for what you did, and I miss you like a little kid…” the first line out of Bridger’s mouth was met by a chorus of mostly female fans matching the volume, intensity, and emotion of the words, the first lyric of “Motion Sickness” from her debut full-length Stranger in the Alps. It’s a track referencing a soured relationship with artist Ryan Adams.
Bridgers and her band, strolled through a set that leaned heavy on the 2020 release Punisher, an album that not only blessed Bridgers with multiple Grammy nominations but solidified her as an artist, producer, and fan favorite. It is an album that took on its own special meaning and relevance in the wake of a global pandemic. While incredibly precise musically with or without her band, Bridgers lets the music speak for the gravity of much of her lyrical content, while her onstage banter and interaction with her fans feels as comfortable as hanging with your closest friend. Sharing the darkest moments of life in a manner that is both cathartic and slightly humorous.
While working her way through standout track moments from “Kyoto”, “Punisher”, “Smoke Signals”, “Savior Complex”, and “ICU” just to name a few, Phoebe Bridgers took time between songs to acknowledge a variety of topics. The topic of the moment, abortion laws, specifically in Texas, was an expected target as is with many female artists that make way through our state these days. While on the lighthearted side, an acknowledgement of a collection of fans gathered in a parking garage blocks away taking in the show from a vantage point that Bridgers suggested wasn’t receiving the best sound for the show.
The recently released single “Sidelines” indicates that Bridger’s level of emotional maturity may be growing as she enters the next phase of her career. The first line “I’m not afraid of anything at all…” feels reassuring against the backdrop of her early work. And as one might expect, the emotional journey that became both Phoebe’s and ours, came to an end with “I Know The End” with opening artist Sloppy Jane joining Bridgers and the band for its frenetic conclusion.
Well, it wasn’t really the end. Bridgers returned to the stage alone, took a moment to select one of two cowboy hats presented to her by a fan and rode off into the sunset with “Georgia” on her mind and her acoustic guitar. “Yee fucking haw!” she proclaimed.
All photos: Michael Maly
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