The indie-folk singer-songwriter and recipient of Billboard’s 2022 “Women in Music Trailblazer” award, Phoebe Bridgers, performed fan favorites and deep cuts at Red Rocks Amphitheater on Tuesday, May 17th.
Avant-garde punk outfit Sloppy Jane opened the evening with an exciting, energetic, and sometimes abrasive tour through their discography, backed by an orchestral arrangement that filled the massive space with rich strings and horns. We heard a couple of songs from 2018 “Willow,” the eclectic and rock-heavy odyssey of a woman who flees to the desert from LA. Their 2021 album “Madison,” released via Phoebe Bridgers’ label Saddest Factory Records, was recorded entirely in a cave and felt right at home echoing off of the massive outcrops flanking the stage at Red Rocks.
Phoebe Bridgers entered to massive applause, jumping right into the fan-favorite track “Motion Sickness.” She glowed in a glossy white suit against beautiful visuals on a massive screen behind her—the vibrant animations depicted an ethereal pop-up book, titled “Punisher” after the 2020 album. Between songs, it closed and reopened with a new scene. “Garden Song” and “Kyoto” were highlights, and Phoebe grinned as thousands of fans belted out the melancholic lyrics. Sloppy Jane’s crew joined her onstage for the most spirited song of the night, a rendition of “I Know The End” under flashing red lights. She paused here and there to crack a joke or tell a short story, and at one point thanked everyone for being at her largest show yet. During an emotional solo encore, Phoebe performed “Waiting Room”—a raw, heartwrenching song about wanting someone desperately but knowing it’s better to let go. She wrote the acoustic track at 16 and hasn’t performed it live in years, making it a remarkably special moment for every longtime Phoebe fan in the crowd and the cherry on top of an incredible show.
VIEW A FULL PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE SHOW HERE.