Last Thursday, Connecticut College students swarmed the boygenius concert held in New Haven. And, of course, our Her Campus members were a large presence. Here are our reviews of the concert of the semester:
I saw boygenius at their New Haven show on Thursday night. Even though I may or may not have seen them in Pittsburgh in June… I could not resist buying tickets to see them since they were playing so close by. I’ve been a fan of them since 2018, and I truly do not think there is anyone else I could see live over and over again, and no one else I wouldn’t hesitate to buy tickets for (and also drive 12 hours to Pittsburgh for…). I went to this show with two of my friends from Conn, who are also big fans, and it was so special to be able to experience this with them. My personal favorite songs to scream sing live to were “Stay Down,” “$20,” “Bite The Hand,” “Not Strong Enough,” and of course “Salt In The Wound.” It was Julien’s birthday the next day, so they brought out a cake and had everyone sing “Happy Birthday.” During the guitar outro to “Salt In The Wound” they were throwing handfuls of the cake into the audience which gave the night an even more memorable touch.
- Hannah Grinnell, ‘24
This was my first time seeing boygenius, and I had so much fun! I saw them in New Haven at the Westville Music Bowl. The venue is outdoors, so we had an amazing view of the full moon throughout their set, which made the night feel even more magical. Before playing “Letter To An Old Poet,” Phoebe asked everyone in the audience to put away their phones for the duration of the song, and everyone respectfully complied. In the current, contemporary era of concert going, where nearly everyone pulls out a smartphone to take photos and videos, this moment was so special for me. I easily get caught up in the desire to preserve and document memories, and am certainly guilty of recording more of a show than I need to. It was wonderful to have a moment to mindfully enjoy the show, and just be present, rather than attempting to capture the ephemeral emotions of the moment through a photo or video. “True Blue” and “Letter To An Old Poet” were my favorite songs of the night, but I enjoyed every minute of the show. It was amazing to be able to sing and dance to some of my favorite songs alongside two of my friends who introduced me to the band!
- Taylor Austin ‘24
This Thursday, I was lucky enough to see Boygenius perform at the Westville Music Bowl. It was actually the first concert I’ve ever attended, and I only have one complaint… which is that any future concerts will definitely pale in comparison to this one! Gathering under the full moon with thousands of other fans decked out in tuxes and skeleton costumes to listen to some of our favorite songs live was nothing short of a transcendental experience. The crowd’s energy during some of the more upbeat numbers such as “Satanist” and “Not Strong Enough” did not disappoint, but I’m personally a sucker for sad songs and was a complete wreck during “Graceland Too” and “Please Stay.” Watching Phoebe, Julien, and Lucy performing together in person was such an amazing experience, and it’s safe to say that this concert will be my entire personality for the next couple months!
- Tessa Stayton ‘25
I had such an amazing time at the boygenius concert in New Haven at the Westville Music Bowl. I saw them once before, so this second time, I could just experience the show without the need to record or take pictures. Palehound opened for them and did an incredible job. They just put out a new record in July called Eye On The Bat and it’s a fun, experimental album which is boygenius approved. The almost full moon shone down on the music bowl, and people in the 300 seats flashed their lights to show they were watching. There was a sense of this collective excitement and the crowd buzzing with anticipation. My favorite songs played that night were “Stay Down,” “Me & My Dog,” “True Blue,” and “Ketchum, ID.” boygenius stayed true to their set list but dropped in surprises throughout the show, as they always do. The supergroup played the trilogy of “Please Stay,” “Favor,” and “Graceland Too,” which left me audibly sobbing. They played an unreleased song, which will be coming out on October 13th, called “Voyager.” It was a gorgeous and melancholic song characteristic of Phoebe Bridgers’ writing with sharp one liners and soft vocals. She wrote an (almost) love song working through the loss of love that came with growing up. Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker backed the song with vocals similar to how they do in “Emily I’m Sorry.” Last, but certainly not least, it was Julien Baker’s birthday! The boys sang a quick happy birthday, ate cake off each other’s hands, and threw it into the crowd. Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker also had a lovely debate on whether birthdays were invented by capitalism or by one’s mom. All in all, it was an incredible show and incredible night because of the beautiful music and amazing people in the crowd.
- Alexa LoSchiavo ‘27
Seeing boygenius perform in New Haven was definitely one of my best experiences of the year. As much as I love their music and listen to it constantly, I was unprepared for how emotional it would make me to see them performing live. Hearing songs like “True Blue,” “Stay Down,” and “We’re In Love” live was absolutely gut-wrenching, in the best way possible. This was my first concert being in a general-admission, standing-room-only position down on the floor, and I had been a bit nervous, but I was so awestruck and overcome with emotion that I didn’t notice the soreness of standing in one place for three and a half hours straight. I only wish I’d been able to come sooner and get even closer to the performers. As I learned about the position of the North Star in my astronomy class last week, all I could hear in my head was the referential lyric in “Emily I’m Sorry.” Now, every time I’ve listened to that song since the concert, I’ve heard Phoebe Bridgers’s slight note change in the live performance in my head. Probably the most magical moment of the night was during “Graceland Too,” when I was able to sing along to the iconic lyric —“so we spent what was left of our serotonin / to chew on our cheeks and stare at the moon/said she knows she lived through it to get to this moment”— hile actually staring at the full moon above, and recognizing how I really did live through it to get to this amazing night.
- Kate Bridges ’27