phoebe fucking bridgers
Pitchfork Music Festival, Union Park, Chicago, IL
September 10, 2021
This would not be the first time I bought a festival ticket to see one person in particular, in Chicago for that matter. Phoebe Bridgers headlined the Friday lineup for Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park this past weekend, and I am lucky enough to have friends in the city who were more than happy to heed my ridiculous request to go (thank you Peyton and Mary and Ryan if you are reading this)!
When we arrived the energy was off as people who’d been there all day attempted to perk up for the last act. But as we migrated to the stage where Phoebe was to perform, everyone was ready.
I laughed as all of us faced the opposite stage where Big Thief was playing to pretend to know who they were to disguise the fact that we’d only bought this ticket to see Phoebe. I’m aware she would probably despise that (also did not know Adrianne Lenker was part of Big Thief or I may have paid more attention lol).
I am happy to report that Phoebe is a prompt performer, and if I remember correctly, started a few minutes early after walking out to “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas, which really set the tone for singing about death and despair for the next two hours. We love a gal who can make you laugh.
She opened with “Motion Sickness” and everyone, me included, was big stoked. I had watched the Red Rocks performance from September 2020 the night before Pitchfork so I wondered if she’d take a similar route as that show, and she did.
She proceeded to play Punisher from beginning to end, throwing in a Stranger in the Alps moment (“Scott Street”) and boygenius bop “Me & My Dog.” She prefaced “Kyoto” by saying “This one’s for my dad” and we all laughed. It was good to have a laugh, so thanks Phoebe.
Usually I don’t like to know the setlist, but I appreciated knowing what was coming as much as I enjoyed the surprises in between. To me, the set was perfect in its simplicity.
I read a review and the author made a fair point that Punisher is better listened to headphones in and away from the world, and I agree as I’m sure do many others. Knowing the impact that Punisher as a whole has had on how I think about a lot of things though, and again I think a lot of people would agree, is what makes it so meaningful to hear live in all its glory.
That’s the beauty of Phoebe’s energy. There’s no fireworks or pyro or costume changes, but there is a tangible feeling of becoming lighter through shared sadness. We were there, together, to listen and mourn. After the last year and a half, we’ve all earned the privilege of letting out a person sized scream during the outro of “I Know The End.”
See my comprehensive 2021-2022 show season playlist below.
