Music, Why Not!

Phoebe Bridgers @ White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX

Phoebe Bridgers brought her Reunion tour to Houston and wow, was it an incredible show. Fans lined up hours ahead of time to try and get a good spot for the sold out show, the line was incredibly long, I personally don’t think I’ve ever seen it be like that, it shows how excited Houston fans were excited to see the singer.

The venue/tour required negative covid tests or proof of vaccination for the show. The staff and security were very proactive in checking everyone’s information. Fans were extremely cooperative with the rules and you could hear some of them talk amongst each other saying it was cool that this was required as it kept everyone safe. As soon as the doors opened all the fans ran towards the stage trying to get as close as possible to the singer. Fans were there as early as 11am, you could hear their cheers from a distance in excitement showing that their patience in waiting paid off. 

The show started with opener Sloppy Jane. The avant-garde band, led by Haley Dahl was definitely something I’ve never seen before. There was an entire orchestra on stage and Dahl was leading them while performing. She would dance, sing, interact with the crowd and even climb on parts of the stage, it was something that captured everyone’s attention.

It was finally time for Phoebe Bridgers to perform. Fans chanted her name wanting her to come out, the lights dimmed throughout the venue, and the singer appeared. Bridgers opened the show with “Motion Sickness” and everyone immediately started singing along, including myself. I saw fans crying and it showed me how excited and how much they loved the artist. She thanked fans for attending the show and proceeded to sing songs from her Punisher album such as “DVD Menu”, “Garden Song” and “Kyoto”. 

One thing that caught my attention as well as the fans were the visuals for the show. From a space theme and stars, to illustrations to a “Punisher” logo showing on the screen, everyone had great reactions to the visuals. Throughout the show Phoebe made sure that fans were hydrated, calling it “Operation Water” and making sure security was helping out the fans. During a part of the show the singer also got personal and told everyone about the abortion she had last fall and how much planned parenthood helped her out through the process. She was very transparent about everything and voiced her beliefs in safe abortions for women.

As the show continued she played songs from Stranger in the Alps and performed the latest single “Sidelines” as well. During “I Know The End” the fans screamed “Man, I hate this part of Texas” so loud that it made Bridgers giggle as that’s the state she was performing in. Sloppy Jane also came out during this song and performed with the singer. If Phoebe Bridgers comes to a city near you please make sure to attend, it’s a show that you will NOT want to miss. 

PHOEBE BRIDGERS

Photos + Review by Michael Perea | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!