Phoebe Bridgers w Charlie Hickey at Starlight Theater, Kansas City, MO (2022-05-31) review

Punisher songs, Pop-up books, and Predictions for rain–

Though the show was touch-and-go through most of the afternoon, it eventually carried on as beloved California indie singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers brought her Reunion Tour to Kansas City’s Starlight Theater.

In support of her much-lauded second studio album, 2020’s Punisher (on Dead Oceans Records), the tour had been delayed and rescheduled like most things during the global pandemic, so fans’ anticipation was noticeably very high.  In the interest of greater public health safety, Bridgers has also elected to play primarily outdoor venues; which on a clear night is the ideal setting for her emo-folk songs, but Midwest spring weather conditions can often be unpredictable. 

Strong storms had hit the area the night before and were threatening again around the scheduled start time, so the venue wasn’t able to confirm the show would even commence, until just a few hours prior.  As fans watched social media for updates, the venue additionally decided (somewhat last-minute) to open gates almost an hour early, and move set times up as well, to avoid potential later storms. 

As a result, young Pasadena singer-songwriter Charlie Hickey was already on stage as we and most others arrived, out in support of his debut full-length, Nervous at Night, just out on Bridgers’ own imprint Saddest Factory Records, and as a follow up to his Count the Stairs EP. 

Hickey’s musical blend is mostly positive indie pop/rock and the arriving crowd quickly took to him and his relatable on-stage nature. Song themes resonated especially with the late teen/early twenties-aged girls in the audience, in regards to being a passionate and committed underdog in affairs of love, singing “I don’t drive, I don’t have a car, I’ll still meet you wherever you are” on the album’s title track, and then recruiting Bridgers for his set’s final song, "Ten Feet Tall".

Bridgers would return the favor during her own set, bringing him on for 2020’s “Chinese Satellite” and describing him as “one of my favorite singers on the planet”.

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Skies slowly grayed and became more overcast as lights dimmed and the loud heavy intro music of Disturbed’s “Down with the Sickness” had several in the crowd questioning if they were at the right show, but all were assured as Phoebe Bridgers with her five-piece band (Marshall Vore-drums/banjo; Emily Retsas- bass; Harrison Whitford -guitar; Nick White- keys; JJ Kirkpatrick- trumpet/keys; all dressed in matching black/white skeleton onesies) took their places to begin the eighty-minute set with 2017’s “Motion Sickness”. 

The stage setup was relatively simple yet very unique- an elevated platform for the piano and drums and two right and left rows of vertical backdrop banners with a large rear screen to give an overall three dimensional appearance. On-screen, a book laying flat would open before almost every song, revealing a different pop-up image to complement the music, and at the end, close again. 

Kirkpatrick’s trumpet in particular (he's previously known for touring with AJR) glossed the folk songs with an additional elegance and sophistication, though there usually seems to a darker lyrical edge to any perceived bliss as Bridgers sang, “Everything's growing in our garden, you don't have to know that it's haunted" on “Garden Song”.

Realizing that many younger fans arrived with chaperones, Bridgers dedicated “Kyoto” to all the dads in the audience and loyal fans not only screamed and held “I Love You Phoebe” signs, but also “I Love You Ada” signs, for the lone crew member from Kansas City, who was briefly introduced. 

For 2020’s “Halloween”, May became October as stage lights changed to orange with jack o’ lantern silhouettes and Bridgers lyrically empowering by singing “we can be anything”. The melancholy of “Moon Street” was then matched by “Scott Street” which had the crowd’s cellphone flashlights collectively waving in the air as Bridgers knelt at stage right and sang directly to a group of young fans in the front corner. 

Bridgers professed “Savior Complex” to be about alcoholism and “ICU” is widely known to be a post-relationship collaboration between she and drummer Vore, regarding their breakup. 

“Sidelines” is Bridgers’ freshest music, a lilting love song just released as part of a soundtrack to Hulu's Conversations with Friends and was purposely performed more low-fi and acoustically.

“Graceland Too” opened a pop-up page set in Memphis and the main set finale would literally burn the house down with Punisher’s closing track, “I Know the End”, feedback and noise increasing as the on-screen house image became more and more digitally engulfed in flames. 

For the encore, Bridgers re-appeared solo, playing the requested “Waiting Room”, a fan-favorite song of wanting that she wrote at sixteen and lost some rights to, but now is determined to reclaim it as her own. 

“Know it’s for the better”, Phoebe Bridgers repeatedly sang to end the show and performance, and after a two year delay to see their favorite artist live (and despite impending storms, which briefly materialized soon after the show, so it was perfect timing), the Reunion Tour finally happened in Kansas City and everyone was for the better.