Written by Antonina Schubert
There are some concerts that you leave feeling like you watched a great show, and then there are the ones that stay with you long after you leave the venue. Phoebe Bridgers’ stop at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio was one of those nights.
On a cold and rainy night in Columbus, thousands of fans gathered for The Lost Tour, creating an atmosphere that somehow felt exactly right for a Phoebe Bridgers show. This was my first time seeing Phoebe live, and between the phenomenal nine-piece band, stunning visuals, emotional performances, and a crowd completely immersed in the music, it was an experience I won't soon forget.
The Lost Tour is also a little different from your average arena concert. Phoebe has asked fans to participate in a phone-free experience, with phones, smart watches, and other electronic devices secured in Yondr pouches upon arrival. Fans keep the pouches with them throughout the show and can access their devices in designated areas if needed. At the end of the night, staff help unlock the pouches and return everyone to their phones.
It is a simple change, but it had a noticeable impact on the atmosphere inside Nationwide Arena. Instead of thousands of screens filling the air, fans were singing, dancing, crying, laughing, and simply experiencing the show together.
Before Phoebe took the stage, Alex G. opened the night from the B-stage with a three-piece band featuring Sam on guitar, Tom on drums, and John on bass. His set blended a variety of sounds and instrumental elements, with piano, guitar, bass, drums, and an accordion. Yes, an accordion. And I absolutely loved seeing it incorporated into the set.
There was something especially fun about watching Alex move between instruments and seeing how much of the music centered around the instrumentation itself. The crowd was clearly feeling it, too. At the barricade, one fan spent nearly the entire set dancing and completely losing himself in the music. In between songs, other fans could be heard shouting “I LOVE YOU,” showing just how excited the crowd was to have Alex there.
Towards the end of his set, Alex left the B-stage to walk down toward the barricade and sing alongside fans, creating a fun moment of connection before the stage was set for the rest of the night.
A Note for Fans: Alex G.’s set featured some intense lighting and strobes at times, so fans with sensitivity to flashing lights should be aware.
And then it was time for Phoebe to hit the stage. The lights dimmed and the opening notes of “The Outside” began. Almost instantly, the arena erupted.
From the beginning, two fans in the GA pit caught my attention. They were dancing without a care in the world, completely caught up in the excitement of the moment. Looking around the arena, it was clear that feeling was shared by thousands of people.
Phoebe took the stage in a gorgeous black dress with tiny teardrop jewels across her face, backed by a nine-piece band that was phenomenal.
As someone who absolutely loves a strings section in a live band, seeing the size and instrumentation of Phoebe’s band was a personal highlight. The combination of strings, guitars, drums, piano, and other elements gave each song an added depth that made hearing these songs live feel entirely different from simply listening to them through headphones.
Behind the band was a large curtain that doubled as a screen for projected visuals throughout the show. I especially loved this detail because it gave fans further back in the arena a closer look at Phoebe and what was happening on stage, while also adding another layer to the atmosphere of each song.
After opening with “The Outside,” Phoebe moved into “Motion Sickness,” one of my personal favorites. With September 22 marking the nine-year anniversary of Stranger in the Alps, it felt like the perfect way to begin the night.
“Kill Me” followed, ending with an especially powerful live moment before the band moved into “The Governor’s Waltz,” which felt completely ethereal.
Phoebe took some time between songs to talk with the crowd, including a cheeky rendition of the Nationwide jingle that had the entire arena laughing at the fact that, yes, we were very much inside Nationwide Arena.
She then introduced “Lost Boys” from her new album Lost Weekend, telling the crowd, “I wrote the next song with a good friend of mine, Alex G.”
The response was immediate.
The arena erupted as fans sang, danced, and shouted the “one, two, three, woo” moment from the song at the top of their lungs. It was one of those moments where the size of the venue almost disappeared. Thousands of people were participating in the same little piece of the song together.
That sense of connection became even more apparent during “Moon Song.”
Because this was a phone-free show, fans had gotten creative. Rather than seeing an arena filled with phone flashlights, people held up lighters and glow sticks, creating a sea of tiny flames throughout the crowd.
As Phoebe sang, fans around me became visibly emotional. Some were crying, while others simply stood still and took in every word. Behind Phoebe and the band, a moon was projected above her, slowly beginning to shake more and more as the song progressed.
It was a small visual detail, but it mirrored the emotion building throughout the room beautifully.
Phoebe took a moment during the show to thank the audience for being willing to participate in the phone-free experience.
“I can tell you how much I appreciate y’all sacrificing your phone for a couple of hours,” she told the crowd.
And honestly, I loved it.
We live in a time where phones are practically an extension of ourselves, and concerts are no exception. It can be strange to look out into an audience and see hundreds or thousands of screens held up between an artist and their fans.
Without that barrier, this show felt incredibly intimate.
There was something special about looking around and seeing people's actual faces. Fans were singing, crying, dancing, laughing, and simply existing in the moment. Nobody was worried about getting the perfect video or making sure they captured every song.
We were just there.
I know a phone-free experience won't necessarily work for every artist or every concert, but for this show, it felt like the perfect choice.
About midway through the show, Phoebe and her band made their way to the B-stage for a few songs.
She began with “Lost Weekend,” with the stage slowly and subtly turning as the song progressed. Without giving away too much, the ending of this song delivered one of the biggest visual moments of the entire night.
Holy shit.
The combination of the music, lighting, and visuals gave me full-body chills. It was one of those concert moments that you know immediately is going to stick with you.
A Note for Fans: The ending of “Lost Weekend” also features intense flashing and strobe lighting.
Following “Lost Weekend” was “Funeral,” which was easily my favorite song of the night.
“Funeral” was the song that introduced me to Phoebe's music years ago. It has stayed among my favorite songs ever since, and its lyrics have always hit particularly close to home for me.
Getting to finally hear it live was incredibly special.
There are some songs you can listen to hundreds of times and still feel something when they come on. Hearing one of those songs performed live, surrounded by thousands of people who clearly had their own stories attached to the same music, was something completely different.
Throughout the night, Phoebe also reflected on the nine-year anniversary of Stranger in the Alps and how much her career has changed since that album was released.
She recalled a time when she played a show where the only people there were the ones who came in her car. Now, she was standing on a stage in front of more than 20,000 fans.
“I’ll never get over it,” she told the crowd.
That sentiment felt genuine throughout the night.
Phoebe has experienced an incredible amount of growth over the past nine years, but the way she interacted with the audience made it clear that she hasn't lost sight of the people who have supported her along the way. Earlier this year, she held pop-up shows around the country, creating smaller and more intimate opportunities for fans to experience her music.
Even inside a sold-out arena, there was a clear effort to maintain that sense of connection.
One of the most vulnerable moments of the night came when Phoebe spoke about the influence of her father's passing on Lost Weekend.
She opened up about the complicated emotions surrounding grief, including the experience of missing and loving someone who may not have always treated you well.
That complexity came through particularly strongly during “Still Standing,” a deeper cut from the new album.
The arena went completely silent.
There was no screaming between lyrics, no phones in the air, and no distractions. Just thousands of fans listening.
You could practically hear a pin drop as Phoebe sang through the song, giving everyone in the room space to sit with the weight of what she was sharing.
For me, that moment hit particularly hard. Having experienced loss in my own life, hearing Phoebe talk about the complicated emotions behind these songs gave the performance another layer of meaning.
Grief isn't always simple. Sometimes you can miss someone, love someone, be hurt by someone, and still carry all of those feelings at the same time.
That complexity was part of what made the performance so powerful.
The setlist also had a few surprises.
Phoebe has been changing up portions of the setlist throughout The Lost Tour, and Columbus got “Waiting Room.” The moment the first notes played, the crowd erupted.
She followed it with “On Video,” an unreleased song that serves as the end credits song for the upcoming A24 film Primetime, which hits theaters on September 25.
The night eventually worked its way toward fan favorites including “Kyoto,” “I Know the End,” and “Scott Street,” giving the crowd plenty of opportunities to sing along before the show came to a close.
As my first time seeing Phoebe Bridgers live, The Lost Tour exceeded what I hoped the experience would be.
The incredible musicianship of her nine-piece band, the thoughtful production and visuals, the emotional weight of the music, and the connection between Phoebe and her fans all came together to create something that felt much more intimate than a 20,000-plus-seat arena show should.
But what I appreciated most was how present everyone seemed to be.
Just music, thousands of fans, and an artist who seemed genuinely grateful to be standing in front of them.
And with The Lost Tour still in its early stages, there is plenty of time for fans across North America and beyond to experience it for themselves. The tour continues through the fall before heading overseas later this year, with official dates and ticket information available through Phoebe's website.
While many shows are currently sold out, it is still worth keeping an eye on the official ticketing sites. Plans change, tickets can be put up for re-sale or ticket holds released, and last-minute availability can happen. If seeing Phoebe live is on your list, don't count yourself out just because a show currently says sold out.
You can find all current tour dates and official ticket information at phoebebridgers.com.
Some concerts are fun. Some are impressive. And some remind you exactly why live music matters in the first place.
For me, Phoebe Bridgers in Columbus was a night full of those moments.
And I have a feeling it won't be my last time seeing her live.
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