On Saturday February 24th, folks poured into the Great Scott at 6:30pm for the sold out Phoebe Bridgers/Soccer Mommy gig. 

Nashville band Soccer Mommy took the crowd on a our tour of their lovely discography; mostly pulling from ‘Collection’ and their newly released record ‘Clean,’ the band’s bouncy riffs had heads bopping along from start to finish.

A standout moment during the set was when lead singer Sophie Allison had the band depart the stage so she could perform ‘Still Clean’ on her own. The way the lyrics fell from Allison’s mouth as she plucked along on her guitar, felt as though we had been transported from the dark, over-heated Great Scott to a lush field with the faint whistle of a breeze acting as Allison’s backing band instead of the hand dryers that roared during the captivating softness of ‘Still Clean.’

A few songs later and a plug that they’d be back at the Great Scott in May, Soccer Mommy exited the stage to make way for Phoebe Bridgers. 

Sophie Allison of Soccer Mommy

As folks used the restroom and grabbed drinks, there were energetic murmurs hinting that there was a guest in the building. The sentence ‘Conor Oberst is in the Great Scott’ hopped around the venue as folks were settling in for the main event. As the sparse whispers grew to a collective awareness, Bridgers took the stage and launched into ‘Smoke Signals,’ the opening track of ‘Stranger In The Alps.’

‘What’s up?’ Bridgers uttered as she tuned between songs; exuding an endearing energy that induced wide smiles among various audience members. She continued through the set; each song feeling so full & lush that you could tell an immense amount of time and energy went into the live arrangement of each song.

The whispers from earlier turned into cheers and ~oh my gods~ as Conor Oberst joined Bridgers on stage for ‘Would You Rather.’ Phone cameras propelled into the air as Oberst stepped to his mic. Later in the night, Oberst as well as Soccer Mommy returned to the stage for ‘Scott Street’ and a solid closing number, a cover of Sheryl Crow’s ‘If It Makes You Happy.’ The energy in the room was unreal during the cover; it felt like the series finale of a beloved sitcom. As the audience screamed the final lines of the Sheryl Crow banger and transitioned to thunderous applause, the performers embraced each other and bid farewell to  Soccer Mommy who’d be heading home to Nashville the following day. 

The show ended around 9:30; folks hung around to chat with the bands while others headed out- surprised to be leaving a Great Scott show before midnight. Phoebe Bridgers had the audience completely captivated from beginning to end; conversations ceased during the entire set and even the general bar clatter seemed to disappear and make way for the quiet whispers of folks singing along.

Bridgers and her band seemed to have a good time playing in Boston; you could feel it through the smiles on stage and the banter with the audience. An audience member asked when she’d be back to Boston and in the most laid-back Bridgers fashion, she replied with a ‘Soon’ through a massive smile.