Phoebe Bridgers, the skeleton princess that seems to have stolen my journal to write her songs. Hanna joined me again for this concert, as we are both big fans of the skeleton lady. On our way to Portland, we stopped at our local Walmart and picked up some saltines, in honor of the verse “...Ate a sleeve of saltines on my floor, and I knew then…” in Graceland Too. Plus, it would make a great snack during the show!

I had never been to this venue before, but I have to say it met my expectations at every point. Doing some research on the venue beforehand, I discovered that we could park at a local Shaws, and then follow a trail down to the venue. It was a beautiful trail and we stopped multiple times to get photos of our outfits with the green scenery, even stopping just to soak it in. Now, the venue itself sits right next to the ocean, with a stunning view of the sun setting over the water. As someone who doesn’t live in the city, it was a nice change of pace for a venue to seem like it was a part of the ocean scenery and not just a ‘venue’.

Now, I had looked into Claud before the show (I believe it’s just respectful to the opener to do your part in learning at least some of their songs!) and I was quickly made a fan of their music. Whenever I see an artist live and (somehow) love their music even more than listening to it via the studio versions, I know they’re bound to be a lifelong favorite of mine. And Claud absolutely fell into that category. 

Phoebe Bridgers. That is an artist that, not only is an amazing performer, but knows how to do a stage setup. Everything about her performance, from the stage to her own outfit, down to her bands’ outfit, was beautifully arranged. We’re not going to talk about how many times I cried or teared up during her show as that would take up the entirety of this review! Everything about the performance seemed to align perfectly with the scenery at hand. The moon seemed to have an even stronger hue to it during ‘Moon Song’ and the crowd seemed to have an even louder cry during the end of ‘I Know The End’, when the entirety of the crowd screamed along with Phoebe. 

It was a cathartic experience, and it didn’t end even as Phoebe left the stage. ‘Iris' by The Goo Goo Dolls blared through the speakers as the crowd filed their way out of the venue gates, and everyone continued singing together as we were when Phoebe was playing. It was a heartwarming experience, from the beginning to the end. I would recommend anyone lucky enough to have her tour in your area; go see her! Call off work, beg your parents, drag your partner along even if they don’t know her songs. Phoebe Bridgers is a must-see.