Phoebe Bridgers turned the Intuit Dome into an alien spaceship en route to Neverland, in a haunting experience that came with both tricks and treats fitting for the final weekend of spooky season.
The singer-songwriter brought the final shows of the United States leg of “The Lost Tour” to her home state. This Halloweekend, thousands of fans have chosen to spend their evenings staining their costumes with tears at the Pasadena-born artist’s three Intuit Dome shows. While attendees were free to live by Bridgers’ call to “be whatever you want” on Halloween, they were not permitted to record these shows, a policy strictly enforced through the distribution of Yondr pouches, fabric bags secured by a lockable magnet. Through star-studded guest appearances and a setlist spanning Bridgers’ discography, the four-time Grammy-winning artist prompted concertgoers to embrace the current moment in an evening that affirmed the lost magic of live music – magic made without the need to document it with phones.
Three years ago, boygenius – Bridgers’ band with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus – brought their world tour, dubbed “The Tour,” to an electric close at the Hollywood Bowl on Halloween. This year’s concert, however, was less about rocking out than it was about reckoning with the fleetingness of life, an experience enhanced by the artist’s phone-free concert policy.
When the costume-clad crowd of aliens, devils, and “Despicable Me” Minions stepped into the venue, their phones immediately were locked away. This creative decision created a welcoming atmosphere of unity, forcing fans to be present for themselves, one another and the music.
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Bridgers’ concert tech policy felt instantly justified during an opening set from Alex G, a producer on “Lost Weekend.” The indie rock musician ascended on the Satellite B-stage and injected the arena with light, energy and supremely loud drums. He had their total attention due to their lack of devices and was permitted to take them along for the ride of his performance – whether they vibed with him and his music or not.
As the arena waited for Bridgers’ set, her brother Jackson hosted a costume contest, which a fan dressed as a Yondr pouch won to rapturous applause. Bridgers’ mission for her “Lost Boys” to get lost in the moment had been accomplished before she began her set through these seemingly intimate interactions.
Before Bridgers finally took the stage, she sang “The Outside” out of view from the crowd. The celestial-themed set and dazzling lighting design set the scene. Lights circled and machines pumped fog as Bridgers’ delicate voice echoed through the arena – reminiscent of the iconic climax of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” as she transformed the venue into a UFO. Bridgers appeared on stage, singing “Motion Sickness,” as the planetarium dome rose to reveal her and her band dressed as characters from Peter Pan. “And I want to know what would happen if I surrender to the sound,” Bridgers belted. The crowd lit up, and her wish became their command.
Bridgers lured the audience further into her solar system with tracks off her latest album, “Lost Weekend,” including “Kill Me,” “The Governor’s Waltz” and “Lost Boys.” Without their phones, the crowd was forced to sit with the emotion of the songs and appreciate the vulnerability Bridgers exhibited in front of 18,000 people.
In a return to her 2020 album “Punisher,” “DVD Menu” ushered in “Garden Song” and “Moon Song.” The latter marked the first of several moments where attendees raised their lighters together in lieu of their locked-up phone flashlights. For Bridgers’ largely Gen Z fanbase, the entire evening was a strange but welcome trip back in time.
The stellar lighting configuration at the B-stage turned the arena into a plasma ball one moment and a campfire the next. During “Funeral” and “Graceland Too,” the circular stage rotated as Bridgers, accompanied by a fiddle, mandolin and banjo, was lit golden. Though Bridgers’ band and the audience’s participation was a constant delight, the highlight of the night arguably came as Bridgers managed to command the arena all on her own, shining vocally and visually, through her ethereal stage presence.
Before performing “Still Standing” – the most heartbreaking song on the new record – Bridgers remembered her late father. As Bridgers sang, “I wasn’t too young to understand / I just didn’t think it was so bad,” the stillness was broken by the crowd’s sobs and sniffles in a moment that felt too personal to be filmed.
Following the emotional B-stage performance sequence, Bridgers returned under the dome on the main stage where she amplified the energy with an electric performance of “Bobby.” She then was joined by pop band MUNA dressed as Captain Hook and his pirates. Bridgers and MUNA surprised attendees with their 2021 queer anthem “Silk Chiffon,” providing a much-needed jolt of euphoria in an emotional evening as the collaborators playfully chanted, “Life’s so fun, life’s so fun.”
The surprises were far from over. Bridgers then played fan-favorite “Waiting Room” as the crowd spent four minutes headbanging rather than hyper-focused on taking the perfect video. The energy rose to new heights when Billie Eilish took the stage dressed as Michael Darling for a duet of “Savior Complex.” “Baby, you’re a vampire / You want blood and I promised,” the two sang in a surprise song fit for the occasion. As the crowd began to process the moment, Bridgers giggled and teased them about not having their phones.
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Bridgers showcased control of the chaos as she kept the crowd engaged and exhilarated with “Kyoto” and “I Know The End.” On the record, the “Punisher” closer culminates in a cacophony of hellish screams. Its live performance was no exception. The terrifying sight and the curious catharsis was Bridgers’ speciality brought to life.
Bridgers returned to the B-stage once more to deliver an encore. Her costume, hair and glitter tears were illuminated by black light during a full-circle moment soundtracked by “Lost Weekend (Reprise).” Though the reprise may thematically be the perfect closer, Bridgers opted to go out on a more hopeful note, one that reminded fans the reason behind their screen-related sacrifices. She stood up strumming the opening notes to “Scott Street.” Audience members sang, swayed and waved in unison. The blissful moment illustrated how concerts were meant to be: community over content.
“The Lost Tour” will eventually be lost to time, but to lose like that is ultimately what it means to live. As Peter Pan himself said, “To die will be an awfully big adventure.”
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