On June 18, 2023, Boygenius arrived in Boston and played an hour-and-a-half-long set at The Stage at Suffolk Downs. The band has three musicians: Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker. Boygenius began their tour after the release of their critically acclaimed album the record, and played all the songs from this album along with songs from their debut self-titled EP. The band perfectly blended their different musical styles with fun visuals, witty humor, and obvious friendship, creating a night to remember.
The concert opened with a video projection of Boygenius singing their song “Without You Without Them,” which serves as an overture to both the record and the show. Then, the trio took the stage to the Thin Lizzy song “The Boys Are Back in Town,” and subsequently launched into their Baker-led song “$20.” Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus performed a few more songs until they reached their hit song “Cool About It.” They repeated the final verse of the song, led by Bridgers, after they messed up the lyrics. This was one moment in the concert where Boygenius’ fun group dynamic shone through. The three of them debated who messed up what part, and they recounted mistakes during rehearsals before they eventually just re-sung the closing verse.
After a couple more songs, they played one of each of their solo songs. First was Lucy Dacus’ “Please Stay,” which they had to restart twice because of their laughter. They also played Julien Baker’s “Favor” and Phoebe Bridgers’ “Graceland Too.” Despite these being solo songs, they were all featured doing backup vocals on both the live and studio versions of all three hits. This was a more intimate section of the concert due to the gentle lighting and softer tones of these three songs. However, Boygenius quickly brought the energy back up by playing their unreleased rock-inspired song “Boyfriends.” The red lighting and high energy of the performers during this song kept the concert from growing stagnant.
“Boyfriends” was followed by their devastating folk-rock song “Me & My Dog.” A few more of Boygenius’ lesser-known songs were played next, notably “Letter to an Old Poet.” During this song, Bridgers walked between the barricades and interacted with fans which once again made the concert feel more intimate. Finally, the show closed with an epic live rendition of their biggest song to date, “Not Strong Enough.” Lights pulsed in all different colors and lyrics flashing on the screen while Baker played the guitar, Dacus sang, and Bridgers danced around like a little kid.
However, Boygenius soon came back out for an encore. The first song was “Ketchum ID” from their EP, during which they sat on the edge of the stage for the slower, sadder song. The final song of the show was “Salt in the Wound,” which is also from Boygenius’ EP. The song is slow until the outro, where Baker plays the guitar while Dacus and Bridgers scream, “What they don’t tell you is what's on the other side.” The show concluded with Bridgers and Dacus dancing and playing, and they later tackled Baker to the floor. Clearly the trio had a fun time, which made the concert that much more enjoyable for all the fans.