«"It's weird not having a phone, isn't it?" Phoebe Bridgers told the roughly 18,000 people who voluntarily left their devices without internet access during a special acoustic concert Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. "I love it. I appreciate you allowing us to create an internet-free zone here.".
She added with a smile, "And if any of you stuck an Apple Watch up your ass to record this, please don't post it online—I trust you.".
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The rules for this concert—our first phone-free arena show ever, and possibly the biggest ever—were published in a stern statement on Madison Square Garden's website when the ultra-low-cost benefit concert, sponsored by streaming service Tidal, was announced Monday to support the Community Justice Exchange's Immigration Bond Freedom Fund (which provides bail money for ICE detainees).
«"Device-Free Show," the announcement read. "At the artist's request, the use of any recording devices is prohibited at this event, including, but not limited to, the following: mobile phones, cameras, tablets, laptops, smartwatches, and Bluetooth headphones. Small devices will be placed in special Yondr cases upon arrival, which will be unlocked at the end of the event. Guests will retain their Yondr cases throughout the evening and, if needed, will be able to access their devices at designated Yondr unlocking stations in the lobby. We appreciate your cooperation in creating a device-free viewing experience.".
Reporters covering the show were told that pens, pencils and paper were also banned, apparently because inaccurate lyrics and track titles had been published online.
Similar rules had been in place for the dozen-plus concerts Bridgers had played before this, but they had all been at club venues in third-tier cities like Fargo, North Dakota, and Huntington, West Virginia—and suddenly they were doing it at Madison Square Garden.
As cheap and/or unpleasant as this might sound—not to mention the logistical difficulties—the organizers surprisingly pulled it off remarkably smoothly. The lines for phones were long but moved quickly, and the extremely polite staff wrote down your sector, row, and seat numbers on special tickets before accepting your phone, and simply asked if you were carrying any other prohibited items (though security used telescopic devices to scan audience members throughout the evening).
And as the show began, the goal seemed less to prevent premature publicity for the many unreleased songs she performed than to evoke a bygone era that most audiences never experienced: a time when an artist could test new material without fear of it being shared with millions of people in seconds, and when audiences could watch a concert without fear of their view being obscured or completely blocked by scores of people filming videos they would likely never watch.
More importantly, this intimacy extended to the show itself. Bridgers performed on a small, circular stage, decorated like a 1970s living room or lounge. She and guitarist Christian Lee Hutson sat on a couch covered with a playful, patterned knit blanket, flanked by lamps, an old, bulky television, UV-lit posters, a lava lamp, and candles. A live feed of the performance (and occasionally the television) was shown on a scoreboard suspended from the arena ceiling, but the image was intentionally grainy, like old television broadcasts. Keyboardist Nick White was the only other musician; the only percussion instrument was the occasional bass drum, controlled by Hutson with his foot. The performance had a Stranger Things-esque atmosphere, a feeling heightened during the show's most intense moments, when the lights flickered as if Vecna were approaching.
In a surprising return to that early era, at one point during a particularly moving song, about a hundred members of the audience at the other end of the hall held up lighters instead of phones.
Bridgers, accompanying herself on acoustic guitars and a Mellotron set up in front of a sofa, began her performance with fan favorites from her two solo albums—"Motion Sickness," "Waiting Room," "Kyoto Song," and "Moon Song." But most of the audience knew they were in for a whole bunch of long-awaited new songs—Bridgers's first new material since her 2023 release of Boygenius.
She unveiled seven new tracks in a row, which journalists were asked to keep under wraps (which sparked a furious online backlash from fans, who lashed out at those seeking details). Several songs are remarkably similar to her previous work, with her signature witty wordplay, melodies, and emotional vulnerability; at least one is clearly about a painful breakup. However, some explore new horizons: one she introduced as a "country song," mastering the genre's style and rhythms with impressive ease; another featured a menacing, tense ending, where her voice soared into a high register.
She frequently addressed the audience, asking if they had "dysfunctional parents" and recounting how her late father (with whom she had a difficult relationship) overcame his conservative upbringing. She thanked Tidal for sponsoring the show and for "paying artists more than any other platform." She announced that she would be touring this fall—dates would be announced Friday morning. And although she twice mentioned that she was performing at the home stadium of her beloved New York Knicks, one audience member only shouted "Go Knicks!" at the end of the show.
But the most touching part of her words is her gratitude to viewers for supporting the cause the show helps: "I fucking hate Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents," she said.
Previous tour setlists had featured seven new songs interspersed with older ones, but this evening she added "a song we've never played before" to the final set, laughingly adding, "So if I screw this up, don't tell anyone." We won't reveal the lyrics, but let's just say the references drew thunderous applause from the New York crowd.
Bridgers concluded her set by thanking the musicians, the sound engineers, and her guitar tech—all by name—and urged the audience to sing along and scream their hearts out to the closing number, "I Know the End," and, of course, they complied. At the end, she stood up and moved to the front of the stage, headbanging—the only truly rocking moment of the evening—a clever way to end an otherwise low-key show that demanded a lot from the audience.
And despite all the trivial comments one might make about "What Really Matters" when it comes to art in the Instagram era, it was actually nice to simply enjoy the concert without trying to impress the internet. This is a new high point in a year when artists like Justin Bieber and Olivia Rodrigo performed concerts so fan-focused that not only phones but also journalists were officially banned, and now that Bridgers has managed to do it at Madison Square Garden, this approach will likely be emulated by many others.
To be honest, after this ambitious concert, our only regret is that we didn't invent mobile phone cases years ago...
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