Fall is finally here, which means it’s officially “listening to Phoebe Bridgers on repeat” season. The critically-acclaimed indie darling closed out the 2022 leg of her Reunion Tour in Paso Robles last month, priming the sold-out crowd for their sad-girl Septembers.
Bridgers and her band entered the stage to Disturbed’s “Down With the Sickness,” then immediately launched into “Motion Sickness”. It’s difficult to pinpoint an audience favorite, as the packed crowd fervently sang along to each of the set’s seventeen songs, but “Motion Sickness” was a strong contender. Bridgers poured her soul into the lyrics, and her crowd responded in kind.
Complementing Bridgers’s impressive live vocals were visually stunning animated backdrops. The visuals illustrated the imagery of the songs with vibrant colors on a jet-black background, creating the illusion of scenes dancing across the night sky made even more dramatic by the outdoor setting. A giant moon hung over Bridgers during “Moon Song,” a towering stained glass window framed her during “Funeral,” and scenes of Memphis floated along during “Graceland Too.” The overall effect was nothing short of breathtaking.
Phoebe Bridgers is known for her dry humor and down-to-earth persona onstage, further endearing her to an already smitten audience. Between impassioned performances like “Kyoto” and “Smoke Signals,” she would deftly ease back into onstage banter with her band and crowd. During the five minutes that her costume was frantically adjusted by a crew member, Bridgers chatted with the crowd about being a Swiftie and her drummer’s coincidental visit to Paso Robles.
But Bridgers is also keen to use her platform for more than just light-hearted chats. During her set, she encouraged fans to donate to abortion funds. Recognizing the relatively young age of some audience members, she encouraged those with anti-abortion parents to “use their money to donate to abortion funds,” which was met with raucous applause.
The show closed with “I Know the End” and the now-signature scream shared with Bridgers and the audience, before the “Waiting Room” encore. Throughout the night Bridgers demonstrated time and time again that her massive success and continually rising star are well-earned. With a run of international festivals in the months ahead and a spot in an A24 film in the works, Phoebe Bridgers’s upward trajectory shows no signs of slowing, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.
Phoebe Bridgers at Vina Robles Amphitheater
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