SHOW RECAP: Phoebe Bridgers @ Record Bar in KC - April 9, 2018

coverage by anna isaacson

Still pinching myself.

I mean, what just happened.

On April 9th, I had the serious privilege of seeing Phoebe Bridgers play at the Record Bar in Kansas City, MO. On a personal note, this was one of those nights for me where everything was perfect. I got to see one of my favorite musicians, at one of my favorite venues, in my favorite city, with my favorite people. I just really don’t know if it gets better than that? And I’m okay with that!

The night opened with the band Daddy Issues who Phoebe Bridgers asked to join in on her tour. The band was made up of three girls who obviously loved what they did. Their lyrics were the perfect amount of fun, flirty, and frustrated. I’m seeing a resurfacing of punk girl bands rising up as a new generation of what could be The Runaways, Heart, and potentially even on the spectrum of Joan Baez. Daddy Issues had a sound that was reminiscent to me of Soccer Mommy and Bully. Beautiful girls with raging spirits that spilled out of their sound. The band was a perfect pair and set up for a night of Phoebe Bridgers. Really glad I was able to witness their sound.

But alas, Phoebe Bridgers stole my heart yet again. I love being able to go to a show and know every single word to every single song. That feeling is beyond special with Phoebe Bridgers. Her down to earth, human vibe reminds me that I’m not singing along with some music industry robot who doesn’t know what they’re singing, I’m singing along to words she wrote that came straight out of her own experiences, her heart, what used to be, and what is now. At one point during the show she opened the song Scott Street by saying, “This is a song about a boy I don’t give a shit about anymore”. It’s a beautiful experience to know how connected an artist is to a song.

Right when I’m really into this show, thinking how lucky I am to be seeing Phoebe Bridgers two yards in front of me, doing what she was born to do, all of my dreams come true. She motions off stage and yells out, “Conor, come on up”. And before I knew it my Bright Eyes days came flooding back in a rage as Conor Oberst waltz up on stage with Phoebe. He stands at the microphone and I’m noticing that it’s taking the crowd a second to process what’s happening. Once the crowd realizes what’s going on, all of the love for Oberst pours out through the audience. He has one of those iconic voices where no matter who he’s singing with or even if he’s not singing his own songs, you know exactly who it is. As he began singing that sweet familiarity came over us, basking in all that we love about the Phoebe/Conor duet.

For the encore she left me with tears. As she walks out on stage after leaving once only to be cheered back on she discloses things are about to get weird. Of course, she begins, “Broke into her house, saw her sitting there, drinking coke and whiskey in her bra and underwear” The opening lines to a song she covered originally by Mark Kozelek and Jimmy LaValle, You Missed My Heart. As we’re witnessing her pour more of her soul into the music, she begins to take a seat on stage. By the last verse of the song she’s sitting on the stage, holding her knees, singing into an abyss. It was here where I wondered where she was, where did that song take her, and where is it taking me. I’m so thankful for the journey she took us on through this performance.