For years, fans of indie folk star Phoebe Bridgers quietly waited for her return to her solo career. Her first album, Stranger in the Alps, was released in September of 2017, and her sophomore album, Punisher, came less than three years later in June of 2020. Since then, she’s created music with Boygenius, scored her first acting role in an A24 film, and done a few singles and features. However, as a soloist, she had been radio silent… until last month.
WAIT… WHAT’S GOING ON?
In case you missed it, Phoebe Bridgers rose from the ashes on May 8th this year, announcing a pop-up show for that night in Roswell, New Mexico. The show was only discoverable through posters hung up in the city, with tickets being sold on a “first-come, first-serve” basis. Fans, including me, obviously freaked out at the sudden activity.
The show was also a no-phone show, meaning that attendees could not record what they saw and heard inside the venue. Rumors spread online, while fans tried to describe (and even draw) what they saw that night. The entire event was an anomaly, yet totally on brand for Bridgers. But then, another show was announced for the next day.
First: The POP-UP TOUR
What fans suspected to be a one-off performance turned into a nationwide pop-up tour across the South and Midwest, featuring intimate venues and brand new music from Bridgers. Shows were announced on the day of, with most venues allowing only 200-650 attendees, making them extremely exclusive.
During this tour, controversy began. It started with fans’ extremely problematic behavior regarding the tour. Fans created trackers, databases, and group chats to speculate where shows would be. However, there were concerning reports of fans actually following Bridgers’ tour bus, essentially stalking her and her team in hopes of seeing the artist in the flesh. Listeners immediately took to social media to condemn the behavior.
Beyond the parasocial behavior, a heated debate began over exactly who should have the privilege of attending a pop-up show. Should you have to be local to the town? Should you be allowed to save spots in line? Should you be allowed to attend multiple shows, taking a ticket from someone else? Conversations grew intense — and this was only the beginning.
Second: ARENA TOUR & COSTLY CONCERT PRICES
The pop-up shows ended on the last day of May in Fargo, North Dakota. Shortly after, on June 5th, Bridgers posted on Instagram to announce her arena tour. The lengthy 45-show tour travels across the United States and Europe and runs from September to December. The problem with this, you might wonder? The size (and price) difference.
Phoebe’s unannounced pop-up show tour saw massive support due to the low ticket prices ($50 per ticket) and commitment to indie venues. The arena tour has already faced major backlash for being a complete 180 from her pop-up touring. Nationwide Arena, Bridgers’ venue choice for Ohio, can seat up to 20,000 attendees. Plus, pricing is much closer to what you’d see for any other arena tour, with a price range of around $80-$400 per ticket.
Fans were not only shocked by the increases in prices and venue sizes, but also disappointed that Bridgers chose to abandon small towns and smaller venues. One Reddit user wrote, “I am 100% convinced this is about squeezing as much money as possible from this cash cow.” The post accumulated 96 comments, all related to the pricing and logistics of an arena tour.
Third: OPTING IN (AND THEN OUT) FOR PLATINUM PRICING
When I said people were mad about ticket pricing, I seriously mean it. It went further than just a few complaints — and there are a few reasons why. After Ticketmaster was chosen for sales and platinum pricing was opted into, fans were outraged by the choices made by Bridgers and her team.
Platinum tickets are, according to Ticketmaster, tickets that “give fans access to some of the most popular tickets at a price set by the Event Organizer (sports team, artist team, theatre producer and so on).” Artists choose to opt in to platinum-ticket pricing on their tours, as Bridgers did, raising front row prices to over $400. Fans went to social media to voice their discontent with her decision.
The backlash became so intense that Bridgers’ team decided to opt out of platinum pricing after ticket sales ended and to issue refunds to those who paid excessive prices for hot seats. The reversal was welcomed by those who had already paid the steep prices, but many were left feeling betrayed by the initial decision.
LAST (BUT NOT LEAST): THE “NO PHONES” RULE
I’ll be the first to admit it: I love taking videos at concerts. Do they look good? Not usually. Do I ever watch them again? Not really. Despite that, I never fail to run out of storage at each concert I attend. This September, however, I will not be able to take a single photo or video of Phoebe during her concert due to her “no phone” rule.
During the pop-up tour, Bridgers’ team used Yondr pouches to lock up attendees’ phones from the moment they entered the venue until the show ended. For the arena tour, Bridgers has decided to enforce the “no phone” rule again, at a much larger scale. Fans are already wondering how this will affect wait times, the atmosphere, and their concert habits.
Many have already expressed their frustrations with the pouches, wondering what would happen if an emergency occurred and they needed their phones. Others have welcomed the rule with open arms, praising Phoebe’s commitment to staying offline. Whether you agree with the choice or not, all concert attendees will be forced to abide by it, leaving only with memories to keep.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
As a longtime Phoebe fan, avid concertgoer, and someone who has seen Bridgers in concert, I definitely have my own opinions on the choices made for the upcoming tour. However, I have been waiting so long for her to show any signs of life that it is hard for me to be angry about some of the smaller details.
I think the pop-up tour was a great way to create a personal connection with fans in an intimate setting, and the arena tour will allow larger audiences to experience Bridgers’ music live. While the ticket pricing choices did rub me the wrong way at first, I felt much better once tickets were refunded and the team apologized. And the “no phone” rule? Honestly, it sucks, but I’d gladly trade a few hours on my phone for the chance to watch Phoebe perform.
Ultimately, all I have to say is to each their own! Whether you are absolutely appalled by Bridgers’ choices or overjoyed by them, we can all agree that we are excited to have one of (in my opinion) the best folk-indie artists back in the studio and on the stage.