Boygenius, the indie band composed of singer/songwriters Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, came to the MGM Music Hall at Fenway for the first shows of their tour called “The Tour.” With everything from a surprise visit from Irish sing-songwriter Hozier to the unexpected announcement of their new EP, Boygenius packed a punch at their Boston performances.
Their fans, nothing if not committed, lined up as early as 10 a.m., despite the unfortunate weather, decked out in outfits paying homage to the singers.
Boygenius’ band took the stage to Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back In Town,” accompanied by the thrilled screams of their fans awaiting Bridgers, Baker and Dacus’ return to the stage. Before taking the stage, a video recording of the trio singing their album opener “Without You Without Them” was projected on the screen.
The band members then came on stage with electric energy to sing “$20,” a track from their debut album “the record,” which was released in March of this year. They followed up with fan favorites “Satanist,” “Emily I’m Sorry” and “True Blue.” Despite the melancholy nature of the lyrics and melodies of their songs, the crowd’s energy was high. Fans were screaming, laughing and cheering as the concert continued.
The appeal of Boygenius’ music is that the themes of the songs are also tied into friendship, camaraderie and going through your struggles together. Attendees hugged one another and swayed with their friends, the deep relatability of the music being played ringing true to the audience as much as the songwriters onstage.
They then launched into one of their bigger hits, “Cool About It,” and every voice in the venue sang along to the downcast song. The three singers performed five more songs from their band’s EP and album before each singing one song from their solo careers.
Dacus started with “Please Stay,” a beautiful song that is one of her most listened-to tracks on Spotify. She was followed by Baker, who sang “Favor” from her 2021 album “Little Oblivions.” Bridgers closed with her hit song “Graceland Too.”
Boygenius then unexpectedly announced their second EP, “the rest,” set to release on Oct. 13. The announcement was met with endless screams and excited conversation, only cut off by the projecting of the EP’s cover on the screen behind them and the performance of one of the unreleased tracks, “Black Hole,” live for the very first time.
Bridgers asked the audience to put away their phones and cameras, discussing how the song she was about to sing was extremely intimate. Fans complied, and she sang “Letter to an Old Poet” to a soft, gentle audience.
When finished, the band launched into their biggest hit, “Not Strong Enough,” and once again every voice in the audience screamed long to the high-energy track.
They exited the stage before returning for an encore, first singing “Ketchum, ID” from their debut EP. To finish off the night, Boygenius brought Hozier, most well known for his song “Take Me to Church,” to join them in singing “Salt In The Wound.” Hozier’s presence in the audience had been noted by fans, but his appearance on stage was a shock to all.
. Despite the five-year gap between their first two releases, Boygenius’ second EP will come out less than five months after their most recent, and is highly anticipated. Sept. 25 was the first show of this leg of the tour and it will conclude Oct. 31 at the Hollywood Bowl.
