The indie-folk artist stopped in Denver with plenty of melancholic tracks as well as moments of bursting rock.

On “Garden Song” from her 2020 album Punisher, Phoebe Bridgers sings, “And when I grow up, I’m gonna look up / From my phone and see my life.”

The track explores the importance of turning off technology and reconnecting with the natural world. Bridgers reveled in the sanctity of living in the moment on The Lost Tour. She enforced phone-free shows across the country, including a stop at Ball Arena in Denver on Oct. 19.

Because fans couldn’t take photos to remember the night, many brought notebooks to sketch their favorite moments. Her tour Instagram account highlighted some of the best art, from depictions of her celestial disco ball to close-ups of her glittering tear makeup.

The 32-year-old indie-folk singer-songwriter released her third studio album Lost Weekend on Aug. 14. The project traverses her complicated feelings about her estranged father’s death, the dizzying scrutiny of living in the public eye and the remnants of previous breakups.

Thousands of fans walked around the venue in sweatshirts with skeleton details (a nod to the aesthetics of “Punisher”) as well as other emo-folk garments such as black jeans, jean jackets and pairs of beat-up Converse.

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Phoebe Bridgers at Ball Arena Oct. 19 in Denver. | Photo: Matt Grubb

Bridgers’ galactic world

A glowing blue dome covered the main stage in front of a static curtain backdrop. Calming instrumentals swelled as the audience was cast in light teal as if they were sitting underwater.

“The Outside,” the first track from Lost Weekend,” began as a black orb glowed with greenish-blue lights over a small stage in the middle of the audience. Bridgers’ voice rang out from an unknown location until the dome on the main stage lifted to reveal the Grammy-winning artist with her band.

She launched into her wildly popular single “Motion Sickness,” which chronicles the nauseating feelings of suffering a lover’s emotional abuse. The audience screamed the chorus as fog descended on the band. Bridgers wore a black minidress and loafers as she played electric guitar with glimmering faux tears falling down her cheeks.

Delicate strings, distortion and a wave of lights fell over the crowd on “Kill Me.” As a plume of smoke collected above her head, Bridgers sat in the nonchalant ache of waiting for a relationship to go up in flames.

The dome angled up to depict a solar eclipse and then different planets as Bridgers sang “The Governor’s Waltz.” Starry lights encompassed her on the dreamlike yet heartbreaking track about the collapse of a relationship. Planets revolved across the dome as harmonies rose over frantic strumming.

Dark indie folk and energetic rock

Bridgers gave off the impression of a haunted Victorian doll. She looked sweet and approachable, but the audience could feel the dark pain lurking within her. While many of her songs live in the realm of deeply depressing indie folk, she had some bursting rock moments, too. She screamed into the audience and shredded her guitar on “Bobby” and “I Know the End.”

She balanced that chaotic energy with beautiful, soft performances. On the secondary stage in the audience, she sang her album’s title track, “Lost Weekend.” As the stage spun, Bridgers sat on the floor playing a synthesizer. She rose to watch the black orb above her unleash flashes of light like lightning.

Fans held up lighters for “Funeral,” as Bridgers and her band were bathed in warm light like a flickering campfire. “That was beautiful, Colorado — of course, a bunch of stoners,” she said.

Bridgers maintained crisp, emotive vocals throughout her performance. She explained how much more comfortable she felt performing without phones documenting her every move for haters to tear apart hours later.

It was special to witness a transformative show that only the people who were there will understand. Bridgers transported fans into her world, where they couldn’t be distracted by the never-ending notifications buzzing in their pockets.