Phoebe Bridgers Came Out of Hiding, and It Made Us Cry

Photo by Frank Ockenfels

Phoebe Bridgers had disappeared from the public eye completely after touring for her global “Reunion Tour” for Punisher. Then, diving headfirst into Boygenius’ album, The Record, she went right back out on tour with the supergroup (comprised of herself, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus). After a 3-year hiatus from music entirely, there were whispers of a rumor among fans that Phoebe Bridgers’ newest album was ready for the stage. Her website was inactive, her Instagram was deactivated, and no one truly knew what Bridger’s next move would be. 

It wasn’t until May of this year that mysterious flyers for “secret shows” started to appear in Roswell, NM, on the day of the show. The flyer was simple; it had “Phoebe Bridgers” written across the front, gave fans information on how to get tickets from the theater’s box office, and indicated when the doors for the show would open. This show had a very strict no-technology policy (along with the rest of her “secret show” mini-tour), where fans were asked to stay present and hear some of her new songs for the very first time without the chance of the songs being leaked by attendants. More shows started to pop up in different southern cities that most tours miss. Many speculated and theorized that the show’s locations were dependent on verified UFO sighting sites (continuing the theme of UFOs that has become a big part of her identity as a solo artist). This was neither confirmed nor denied by Bridgers herself. At each show, she sang some songs from Punisher, some of her deep cuts, and three/four new songs. 

Phoebe Bridgers’ next move was unpredictable, leaving fans guessing: “Where will the next ‘secret show’ be?” and questioning whether her third album was finished yet. In true Bridgers fashion, no one had any answers or had no idea what the rest of her solo-music career looked like. On a sunny first day of June, an Instagram post said: “Phoebe Bridgers, June 4th, Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY”. All tickets are $1, and the proceeds from the 19,600 attendants’ show will be donated to The Community Justice Exchange’s Immigration Bond Freedom Fund. The fund goes towards efforts to help get immigrants out of detention centers before their immigration status trial, a cause that Bridgers has been very vocal about for years now. To get a ticket for a “secret show” at America’s most iconic venue, fans entered a lottery for 1-2 tickets, ranging from a $1-$25 donation. Donating more money did not increase fans’ chances, as determined by a random selection process, true lottery style.  Sign-ups for the lottery closed on June 1st (the same day the show was announced), and promised ticket holders will be announced on June 2nd at 1 pm.  The lucky individuals were chosen, and their ticket(s) were made available on June 3rd.

On the day of the NYC “secret show,” some fans came from across the US, and even from other countries; some came from across New York, all to see Phoebe Bridgers. Madison Square Garden’s lobby was flooded with Bridger’s merchandise from past tours, fan-made shirts with lyrics on them, or even copies of outfits that she has worn before. The energy of the lobby made for an exciting entry into Phoebe Bridgers’ new album and solo-music era. After a long 3-year hiatus, everyone was excited to see which direction she would go in. Almost questioning whether she would undergo an identity change similar to Maggie Rogers when she released “Don’t Forget Me” (2024) and took her music in a completely different direction. No one knew what was about to happen, and they were about to experience the most magical night for sad people. The concert had a no-technology rule and had each fan consent to being recorded. The anticipation grew as the stadium’s scheduled time was delayed to ensure fans were seated and ready for the show. The stage looked like a cozy living room, with a couch and ambient lighting around it, which added to the atmosphere’s comfort.

Phoebe Bridgers walked on stage in jeans and a Black Sabbath t-shirt (the most nonchalant way possible) and greeted the crowd with a massive smile. As she sat down, her friend and long-time collaborator, Christian Lee Hudson, walked on stage to accompany her for the night, as well as  Bright Eyes’ keyboardist, Nick White. At that same moment, 19,600 attendees were silent, almost in awe of Bridgers’s presence after her 3-year hiatus. Bridgers quickly started playing an acoustic, slowed-down version of one of her most popular songs, “Motion Sickness,” off her Stranger In The Alps debut album (2017).  Everyone stayed seated and quiet throughout the show as a sign of respect and of listening intently to the music they love. For her second song, she played one of her deep cuts, “Waiting Room,” which she performs live on rare occasions. The audience was crying along to one of Bridgers’s saddest songs, about yearning to be the one chosen in the relationship, but changing the end lyrics from “Know it’s for the better, know it’s for the better” to “I never grew up with you, and you’re not my waiting room”. Changing this line is significant, as Bridgers is reclaiming what she wrote as a sad 16-year-old and presenting it as the work of a woman who knows everything will work out as it’s meant to.

Bridgers started playing music from her new album, for which the title hadn’t been announced yet at the time. The songs sounded like a more evolved version of “Stranger in The Alps,” as if she had gone completely back to the drawing board and started over with the music she knows how to make. Now, as a truly evolved musician who has toured the world numerous times and works as a collaborator on various musicians’ projects. Much of her new music centers on current events in her life, as well as themes of love, loss, and grief. As she performed stripped-down versions of each song, they sounded beautiful live. There was a backing organ/keyboard in many of the songs, and a beautiful, slowed-down ballad reminiscent of “The Moon Song” from her second album, Punisher (2022). A beautiful and rare human moment happened during these slower new songs. Instead of seeing people flash their phone screens, everyone held their lighters in the air, waving along to the new songs. It was not only beautiful for the fans, but Bridgers realized what was happening and started to tear up at the affirmation that her fans are still there, rooting for her after all these years.

Other new songs were similar to “I Know The End,” “ICU,” and “Motion Sickness” in that they started slow and soft, then built into upbeat, high-energy songs. There was one song that stood out as an outlier to anything Bridgers has put out as a solo musician, a traditional Americana folk-country song. Before she started the song, she jokingly told the crowd at Madison Square Garden, “I know you guys wouldn’t expect this, but there is a country song on the new album.” Though the idea of a country song by Phoebe Bridgers feels completely foreign to the rest of her fanbase, the song was beautiful and upbeat in the best possible way. As Bridgers continued introducing new songs and giving the audience a little taste of the album, it felt like we had a sneak peek at the newest album. Most of the show’s songs were from the new album, including the world premiere of  “Coney Island,” but she also successfully wove in some of her more popular songs into the setlist.

The night ended with 19,600 excited fans screaming the lyrics to “I Know The End” back at her. Bridgers took a moment to take it all in and said, “We are going to announce this tomorrow, but I am going back out on tour, so don’t tell anyone,” and later posted that she announced her USA-UK stadium tour titled: The Lost Tour! There has been a lot of speculation about Phoebe Bridgers’s new album, but it was all put to rest after her “secret show” at Madison Square Garden in NYC. Phoebe Bridgers has announced that her third studio album, Lost Weekend, will be released on August 14th.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KXnboPN1p4