Wyn Caudle
Business Manager
On Sept. 22, indie-pop artist Phoebe Bridgers performed at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. This was her fourth stop on “The Lost Tour,” which started in Indianapolis, IN, on Sept. 15 and will continue until Oct. 31 in Los Angeles, CA.
Bridgers has implemented a strict no-technology rule for all attendees. This style of performance has led to much discourse online as attendees and fans alike discuss what it means to have a concert with no phones present.
In recent years, when someone goes to a concert, there often follows a post on social media sharing photos and videos of the performance, as well as their own reactions to the show. This has led to debate (namely surrounding videos of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour) on whether a concert is still considered special to go to when there are so many videos of it available online.
In a piece published by The Post, Kendall Davis writes that “viewers [are] bringing a small sketchbook to the concert and sketching the stage before the show begins to have a record of what the show looked like in the moment.” This move back to physical media as a way to record shows that fans are still enjoying the concert despite the limitations on devices. It brings into the discussion the impact of media within performance spaces and how artists may be moving to try and create concert spaces that focus less on capturing the experience and more on living in it instead. The Lumineers are another group that has utilized a phone-free environment for their concerts.
“Well I loved it. It was a great experience … she wanted to go on tour but was kind of scared of the thought of breaking down because a lot of the new album was for her dad and about her dad. So that’s why she kinda did the no phones because she wanted to feel comfortable having a breakdown … So I thought that part of it was really cool and I was glad that that was a solution for that because she hasn’t gone on tour in a long time,” said Elise Wheeler ’27.
On Sept. 28, Hannah Jamieson from WOUB Public media also wrote about the Bridgers concert in Columbus, describing the setlist that the audience was able to enjoy. Bridgers played the following songs during her concert: “The Outside” (second verse only), “Motion Sickness,” “Kill Me,” “The Governor’s Waltz,” “Lost Boys,” “DVD Menu,” “Garden Song,” “Moon Song,” “Liberty Tree,”,“Panorama (instrumental)”, “Lost Weekend,” “Funeral,” “Graceland Too,” “Haunted,”,“Still Standing,” “As Above,” “Bobby,” “Sidelines,” “Waiting Room,” “I Can’t Wait,” “On Video” (special surprise song), “Kyoto,” “I Know the End” Encore: “Lost Weekend (Reprise),” “Scott Street” and “Never Going Back!” (performed by the band only).
Many of these songs come from Bridgers’ new album “Lost Weekend,” which she was inspired to write after her father’s passing. The tour aims to provide a safe space for Bridgers and audience members alike to process the potentially heavy emotions that may arise while in attendance.
The Voice reached out to some Wooster students who attended the concert and below are some quotes from them regarding the show itself.
Clover Wagner ’28 who attended the Columbus concert shared, “The lighting was insane and I’ve never cried harder (in the bestway).” Wagner was joined by Roman Mackenzie ’28, Kaiden Budd ’28 and Mikey Scott ’28 who also shared how they felt about the show. “It was a really well done show,” Budd shared. “Phoebe changed my life” Mackenzie said and Scott stated the performance was “heartfelt and raw.”
Over the next few weeks Bridgers will continue to travel and perform “The Lost Tour” to a wide audience as she shares her music and performance, bringing a fun experience to her fans and concert-goers alike.
