BOYGENIUS GIVES HEAVENLY HALLOWEEN PERFORMANCE AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
WORDS BY LAUREN KNIGHT
PHOTOS BY RANDALL MICHELSON/HEWIT-SILVA LIVE NATION
Amongst friends, Boygenius listeners have jokingly debated the question, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Who’s who?” with regards to the trio. But when Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, and Phoebe Bridgers raced onto The Hollywood Bowl stage for a sold-out Halloween show dressed as The Holy Trinity, those long-debated theories became a reality. To fans of this indie supergroup, these three women are truly godlike, and in a packed amphitheater of 17,000 concertgoers, their idols ascended to a new level of heavenly greatness with their haunting Halloween performance—cleverly nicknamed Boogenius.
2023 has been a year of staggering success for Boygenius with the acclaimed release of their debut LP, the record, an electrifying Coachella performance, a U.S. and European tour, and their most recent release: a four-track EP titled ‘the rest’. After concluding their tour in August, they added five additional performance dates, including a sold-out Madison Square Garden show with rising indie pop band, MUNA. The October 31 performance marked their final scheduled concert, and the group pulled out all the stops to make the show an unforgettable night of connection through music, fan culture, and divinely queer performances.
With concertgoers decked out in costumes referencing the “True Blue” music video, Phoebe Bridgers’ famous skeleton onesie, and the line “always an angel, never a god” in the song, “Not Strong Enough,” fans took the “costumes encouraged” suggestion to heart and created an elaborate party that filled The Hollywood Bowl with queer joy. One fan even said “Halloween is gay Christmas,” as they walked to their seat. If there is one thing to note about Boygenius’ predominantly young, queer fanbase, it is that their commitment to celebrating the holiday in style opened up conversations between fans about niche cultural nods or queer icons, allowing complete strangers to approach each other and bond.
After captivating opening sets from experimental chamber pop/rock group Sloppy Jane and alternative hyperpop duo 100 gecs, Seth Johnson of the Tongva Nation delivered a land acknowledgment, an opening statement that is a staple of every Boygenius show before Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys are Back in Town” echoes through the speakers to signal its start. As the lights dimmed, a shot from a glowy backstage camera appeared on The Hollywood Bowl’s screens, showing the group huddled around a singular mic to sing the record’s opening track, “Without You Without Them” in perfect harmony acapella before sprinting onto the stage to begin their explosive set. Boygenius played for nearly two hours and completed an impressive and emotional performance that showcased their complete discography, including some unexpected surprises.
As the first Halloween treat of the evening, Bridgers welcomed Dave Grohl, frontman for the Foo Fighters, onstage to play the drums for one of the record’s rock songs, “Satanist,” which explores different belief systems — both religious, political, and philosophical — that challenge the status quo. With a heavy downbeat and heart-pounding drums, the trio shredded alongside the former Nirvana drummer as the audience headbanged to the song’s crashing instrumentals.
But Boygenius is not just known for their rock sensibilities and powerhouse technique. What stood out at the performance, as with all of their shows this tour, has been their slower, sentimental ballads that draw out raw emotion, unifying fans of all creeds. “Cool About It” had the audience at a melancholic standstill, “Letter To An Old Poet'' was a phones-free experience per Bridgers’ request (which fans vehemently obeyed), and as Dacus’ voice traveled across the amphitheater during “We’re In Love,” friends and lovers threw their arms around each other and sang along to the profound lyrics that Dacus wrote about platonic love for her bandmates. In these moments, it’s easy to see why Boygenius shows are so special: they foster honest, unadulterated moments of connection between all those who get to experience them.
The most extraordinary bond, however, is shown onstage through the interactions that the trio have with each other. Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus have been friends since roughly 2016, and have been there through it all with each other — both in ways that are visible and invisible to the outside world. From their smiles and glowing admiration, as they watch their bandmates’ solo moments to the way they feed off of each other’s energy while playing guitar face-to-face, there is love in every moment they share onstage. At one point, during the finale song “Salt in the Wound,” Bridgers and Dacus even wrestled while kissing each other and the ground that Baker walked on as she played her final guitar solo of the evening. There is love in the playful and tender moments alike, highlighting a beautiful queer friendship and irreplicable dynamic that fans feed off of. It is easy to tell when bandmates are simply coworkers, but for this trio, there is a deep-rooted friendship that makes the experience of a Boygenius concert that much more transcendent for anyone watching.
Following a steady stream of heartfelt moments, “Not Strong Enough” created a palpable energy across The Hollywood Bowl as the fan-favorite song brought audiences to their feet to dance, sing, and shout the beloved, cathartic bridge. The show’s brilliant visuals were highlighted most powerfully in this song, bouncing through mixed tiles of band members’ faces, lyrics, TV static, and flashing lights. Throughout the show, a variety of hazy and blurry visual effects were used over the cameras following the trio, creating a dreamlike atmosphere that whisked audiences off into a heavenly trance.
When many thought they were cheering for an encore, Boygenius appeared (in record time, might I add) at a surprise B-stage in the middle of the bowl to perform their newest EP, ‘the rest’. Onstage visuals went black, and aside from house lights and some uplighting on their platform, the group was illuminated by thousands of phone flashlights—not recording, but waving in the air to create a beautiful glow. Audiences in Promenade 3 were now in prime seating for four songs, and after performing the rest, the trio disappeared to reappear on the main stage for what I consider to be the absolute highlight of the evening.
As Boygenius burst onstage in their signature embroidered blazers with appliques unique to each band member, something was different: each of them was wearing the wrong jacket. What looked like a potential wardrobe malfunction became an apparent intentional surprise as Dacus smiled wearing Baker’s jacket and began singing “Good News,” a song from Baker’s debut album, Sprained Ankle. It then dawned on me what was happening: they were covering each other’s songs from their solo careers.
For those who have followed the careers of Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus since before Boygenius, this breathtaking and tender moment was a deep cut that brought back songs that fans have not heard since their solo shows. Not only have the three bandmates provided backing vocals on each other’s solo music, but they’ve all written incredibly heartfelt, beautiful songs about one another (Dacus’ “Please Stay,” Bridgers’ “Graceland Too,” and Baker’s “Favor,” which they’ve previously performed at Boygenius shows). As Baker covered Bridgers’ “Motion Sickness” and Bridgers covered Dacus’ “Night Shift,” each band member revisited a song off of another’s individual discography and allowed audiences to see who the true superfans have been since the beginning: each other.
It’s hard to imagine how a group could transform an expansive outdoor space to create an experience that feels heartwarmingly intimate and unifying of thousands of teary-eyed strangers. But whether it’s a night at The Wiltern in 2018 or one of the largest concert venues in LA, Boygenius knows what it takes to create an authentic queer connection that’s almost holy. For those who worship Boygenius, Tuesday night was a sacred spiritual experience.
