Review: Phoebe Bridgers @ Forest Hills Stadium, Queens NY
A HAUNTED HOUSE, A PICKET FENCE — a giant pug, and a string accompaniment in a skeleton onesie that could bring anyone to tears. Can you tell whose show it is?
Phoebe Bridgers cares about detail. Whether it’s the digital storybook backdrop visually narrating the intricacies of each song or her meticulous hand movements matching specific lyrics, it’s clear that she cares. So much so that she even took the time to shout out every member of the crew, from bus drivers to bandmates to lighting techs, in the order of their astrology sign. (She’s a Leo, for anyone wondering.)
On June 16, Bridgers headed over from Brooklyn to Queens to play her third consecutive New York City show as part of her Reunion Tour, this time at Forest Hills Stadium. With a highly anticipated surprise guest, this show was bound to be special. When fans entered the stadium, posters of Lucy Dacus, solo artist and Boygenius bandmate of Bridgers', were scattered throughout the venue’s walls, letting observant visitors in on the secret. After kicking off the night with MUNA’s energetic performance that opened with “Number One Fan” and concluded in fan favorite, “Silk Chiffon,” with a visit from Bridgers herself, Dacus played a nine-song set. Life’s so fun indeed.
I’ve seen Dacus four times, but this time was different. After opening with “Hot & Heavy,” she stated, “I’m Lucy Dacus,” before continuing on, as if we didn’t already know. Humbly choking on tears during “Thumbs,” she reflected, “This hasn’t happened in a while… Oof, that was a rough one.” A few songs deep into tracks from Home Video, Bridgers, her beloved black pug, Maxine, and MUNA joined Dacus on stage for a singalong of “Going Going Gone.” Friendship and genuine connection always seem to be deeply-engraved themes within the shows of anyone in the Phoebe Bridgers expansive universe.
Once the sun began setting, like ghouls in a graveyard, Bridgers and her bandmates draped in glow-in-the-dark skeleton apparel took the stage. “Motion Sickness,” her top original song on streaming services, made for an appropriate opener to kick off the set after a dramatic metal intro. Bridgers seems to have a thing for irony, and she plays it well.
“DVD Menu,” the instrumental album opener of Punisher, transported us into the world of Bridgers’ renowned 2020 album. Aside from the Stranger in the Alps songs sprinkled in, such as the haunting and highly referential “Smoke Signals” or her new single, “Sidelines,” a love song featured in Hulu’s “Conversations with Friends,” Punisher was played in the order that it was intended to be heard. Every song from the album made it onto the setlist, even deep cuts such as “Halloween.” Clashing foreheads with band member Harrison Whitford for the outro, they repeated the lines “I’ll be whatever you want” until Bridgers sunk down onto the ground, grasping onto his leg like a little kid — a beautifully devastating act.
Another special moment of the night came with “Moon Song,” which had its own “Copycat Killer” live rendition for New York City shows that featured Rob Moose, who arranged all of the strings on Punisher. The line “I will wait for the next time you want me, like a dog with a bird at your door,” is even more poignant when it’s spoken in Bridgers’ bare voice accompanied only with Moose’s sharp strings.
But the show didn’t leave an impact only on its audience — it was a big deal for Bridgers herself. In the last stop of the tour before heading to Europe, she stared out into the audience of the stadium that can seat up to 13k and shared, “This is officially the biggest show I’ve ever played.”
The sonic energy escalated with “ICU,” which will never not be satisfying hearing Marshall Vore’s drumming pause on the lyrics “Now I can’t even get you to play the drums.” Added entertainment points for the volume at which fans seem to love screaming the lyrics “I hate your mom.” Soon after came “Graceland Too,” a song with a subtle Boygenius reunion and Elvis imagery, which welcomed Dacus back on stage.
A fitting closer, “I Know The End,” which is not just a song, but an experience. On par with the song’s outro, the crowd joined Bridgers as she erupted into cathartic screams. Not the typical concert’s scream of support or even the piercing fangirl screech — much, much more. The type that would cause some serious concern from anyone outside the venue. The type that did have Forest Hills neighbors taking to Twitter with videos recording the sound from their homes blocks away.
Bridgers mellowed out the night with an encore, playing an acoustic, solo version of “Waiting Room,” an unreleased track she wrote as a teenager that has become favored amongst fans.
In her lyricism, Phoebe’s a professional at mending together polarizing emotions. In her live performance, she does the same. Cracking a joke before singing a confessional about not being able to leave bed for a year somehow works in this space. How refreshing a show is when it’s evident how much everyone on stage and beyond genuinely likes one another.
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