Supergroup Boygenius, comprised of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus, has taken over the indie scene in the past five years since the release of their self-titled EP in 2018. Their success has brought melancholy and melody in the wake of the indie pop revival, and fans of the individual members have fallen completely in love with the band’s sound.
Since the group’s debut album The Record was released in March, fans have been unwell (myself included). The group has been on tour promoting the album since June, and I had the pleasure to go and experience their show live at Westville Music Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut! Here are just some of the highlights from an amazing night with three of the most tragically beautiful songwriters in the indie scene.
pre-show: Fit checks!
The night opened with the local indie group Palehound, and the crowd was already filling the venue with adrenaline and excitement. Many of the concert-goers were in their best dressed, dawning dress shirts and ties, in homage to the group’s signature suit style. Needless to say, it was one of my favorite looks from the night.
Showtime!
The band opened up with a vocal version of “Without You Without Them” from backstage, and then ran out on stage and dove straight into “$20” and “Satanist,” two of the more upbeat and guitar-heavy tracks on the setlist. This set the crowd in motion, with everyone jumping in sync with the beat and head-banging during the guitar solos. You could really feel the energy radiating off of the stage and into the crowd, which I think was one of the best things to watch from within the pit.
Let The Emotional Rollercoaster Commence
However, in typical Boygenius fashion, we jumped straight into one of the most gut-wrenching apology songs off the new album. “Emily, I’m Sorry,” written about one of Bridgers’ past relationships, moved the crowd into that on-brand cathartically melancholic feeling that only Boygenius (more specifically, Phoebe Bridgers) could create.
The following songs consisted of the same visceral emotions, one of my personal favorite songs included. “Bite the Hand,” off the band’s debut EP, was absolutely stunning to experience live. Not just because of the beautiful voice of Lucy Dacus, but also the incredible cinematic display the camera crew captured.
At the bridge of the song, the cameras panned towards the pit, capturing the audience singing lyrics at the top of their lungs and others holding handmade signs. This was one of the moments when you could really feel the connection between the performers and the audience, as the overwhelming appreciation for the band and their music was fully reciprocated by the band and their overwhelming adoration for their fans.
Girls Supporting Girls
And of course, we got performances from each member of the group! Dacus performed “Please Stay” from her latest album, Baker played “Favor” off her album Little Oblivions, and Bridgers performed “Graceland Too” off of her album Punisher.
I honestly have to say that despite having seen “Graceland Too” performed before, seeing it accompanied by the voices of Baker and Dacus was unreal, and I was in absolute awe of the performance. Each song was beautifully orchestrated and all three of their voices in harmony made the experience even more hauntingly beautiful.
We also got a sneak peek at their upcoming EP, The Rest, set to come out later this month! Bridgers debuted their song “Voyager” off the EP and, I won’t lie, it gave me chills. Let’s just say, we can expect a lot more heartbreaking, emotional tracks from this release.
closing out the night
The second to last song performed was “Letter to an Old Poet” sung by Bridgers, which I actually don’t have pictures of because she kindly asked us to put our phones away for the duration of the song (and who am I to disobey Phoebe Bridgers??)
The set ended with a personal favorite of mine, “Not Strong Enough,” and the visuals were just as stunning as the performance.
Encore!
The band came out one last time to perform two more songs, but the highlight of the encore was getting to sing “Happy Birthday” to Julien Baker and then getting to eat her birthday cake when it was thrown into the crowd!
Overall, the band put on a great show! The mixture of purely emotional performances, performer-audience interaction, and artistically executed visuals made it a night to remember, not to mention seeing three of my favorite artists in the indie scene!