Phoebe Bridgers performs at Margaret Court Arena

Despite the size of the venue, Bridgers makes sure the show feels personal. Close ScottstrShe enters the crowd, hands over to happy fans to sing the climax lines: “Nevertheless, don’t be a stranger:”

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It’s as much about Bridgers’ deadpan humor as it is about the music. In the middle of the show, she looks around. “So, Margaret Court,” she says. “F— that stupid, stupid bitch.” She then leads the crowd through a chant denouncing the namesake of the venue’s tennis star, who has made a number of controversial and often criticized comments on the LGBTIQ+ community in recent years – not your regular Wednesday night international entertainer. Her banter with her bandmates, particularly drummer (and ex-boyfriend) Marshall Vore, is funny and charming.

But if the catharsis is collective, then the main proposition is closer I know it’s the end the long-awaited release. As the song builds to its climax, Bridgers is controlled before exploding into a bloodthirsty scream that everyone in the room joins in. It’s everything – joy, anger, the spaces in between – led by a charismatic, talented artist whose appeal is increasingly universal.

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