Phoebe Bridges Fills Up MSG – Announces New Tour
June 4th, Madison Square Garden was packed, but not with Knicks fans. Phoebe Bridgers hosted a pop-up concert where she performed old material and some new Secret Songs that have yet to be released to the public. Bridgers asks audience members not to leak the songs.
The event was closed to recording and social media. Upon arrival, all guests were required to use Yondr pouches to secure all electronic devices, including cell phones, earphones, and portable chargers, during the performance.
Bridgers also partnered with Tidal, a music streaming platform that also helped manage the lottery and ticket sales.
With the lottery tickets costing only $1, the concert also served as a benefit concert, as attendees, upon entering the ticket lottery, had the option to donate to RIANN, the United States’ largest anti-sexual violence organization and operator of the National Sexual Assault Hotline.
Fans entered the venue and were given physical tickets to guide them to their seats, and upon exiting and returning their pouches were given cards which are speculated to be splices of album art.
The performance itself felt almost intimate between Bridgers and the fans who, with the no phones policy, sat and listened as Bridgers and her partner and collaborator, Bo Burnham, played acoustic renditions of her discography as well as three new songs off her still unreleased album.
MSG, one of New York’s biggest arenas, felt like a Waiting Room with all eyes forward. With the lack of technology, there were moments where fans harkened back to lighting up the performance with lighters as they swayed along with Bridgers, self inflicting lircyism that made for an emotional experience. The concert ended with the Audience all joining in for Bridger’s “I Know The End” in a crashendo to the night that made it all the more special.
At the End of the night, Bridgers also announced that she would be going on tour again, stating the same on Instagram the following morning with the caption “going on tour no phones” . So if you missed your chance at any of the pop-ups, you will have another chance to get to see Phoebe Bridgers again later this year.