Since the release of her debut album Stranger in the Alps in 2017, indie rocker Phoebe Bridgers has charted a quick path to critical success. For her subsequent project, Bridgers collaborated with Conor Oberst, a singer-songwriter best known for fronting rock band Bright Eyes. The pair called themselves Better Oblivion Community Center, and in 2019, released an album together by the same name to generally positive reviews. By the next year, however, it became clear that Stranger and Better Oblivion were just a taste of what Bridgers had to offer. In 2020, she came out swinging with her second solo album; the shockingly candid confessional, titled Punisher, solidified her as a name to watch in music for years to come.
Personally, I’ve been loosely following Bridgers’ career since 2017, when I saw her open for Conor Oberst in Milwaukee. When she took the stage that night, I had never heard her name, but I remember being captivated by her shock of white blond hair against her black clothes and the way she commanded the crowd as she sang. But, that was a tiny theater in Milwaukee; tomorrow, she’s playing the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre in Detroit. I’m interested to see if she’ll be able to enthrall the audience the way she did four years ago in that little room, but if the success of Punisher is any indication, I’m fairly positive she will.
The Punisher tour will be in Detroit tomorrow, September 14, at 8PM. As of this posting, lawn tickets are still available through Bridgers’ website: phoebefuckingbridgers.com. Masks are required and all attendees must provide proof of vaccination.
