Thursday, February 2nd, the supergroup boygenius announced two surprise acoustic shows ahead of the 66th annual Grammy Awards, where they received six nominations. Tickets sold out within 30 seconds the next morning with a secret location to be announced only hours before the first show would start later that night. At The Smell – a small LA venue with a capacity for only 130 people – boygenius held their last two shows before their indefinite hiatus.
As fans poured into the venue, they bonded over their shared excitement and love for Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker – the three solo artists who comprise the band. A gasp fell over the entire crowd when the singers came out from behind a curtain, collectively realizing how intimate the venue was. While the fans who often call themselves “girl idiots” (an antithetical play on boygenius) got comfortable on the carpet, the band opened their set with “True Blue,” a popular favorite from their now Grammy-winning album the record. Maxine Bridgers (Phoebe’s Bridgers’ dog who is just as loved by fans as the band themself) even made a surprise appearance during their song “Satanist.”
The band joked around in between songs and talked with the crowd, discussing Bridgers’ high school experience, their song “Cool About It” becoming popular on TikTok, and comparing the venue to what Baker thought was the Nashville equivalent. It is this endearing connection between the trio that fans, including myself, have fallen in love with. The crowd laughed at Bridgers as Baker and Dacus made fun of her for sniffling because she sprayed dry shampoo in her face, and we all laughed every time you could clearly hear the sound of a toilet flushing (as I mentioned, the venue was very small).
Gasps fell across the crowd once again (this time along with many, many tears) as Dacus sang “Graceland Too” – another fan favorite from Bridgers’ solo work. Additionally, Baker sang “We’re In Love,” a song typically sung by Dacus both on the record and at every boygenius show. The song is a testament to the trio’s platonic love for each other and moved the audience into another series of sniffles and tears.
The band also used the shows to officially announce their hiatus, stating that they would be “going away for the foreseeable future.” Many hard-core fans anticipated this break, but it nonetheless stung to hear it stated officially, and it came as a surprise to the general public. They also performed most of their latest EP the rest, which they had announced while on the second leg of their U.S. tour and released in October of last year. “Powers” – which speaks to the inexplicable nature of privilege and belonging – felt like a triumphant moment in their set. “The force of our impact… the sound of our collisions” refers to the singers’ awareness of the impact their work has had on many of their listeners – statements especially impactful as the artists embark on their hiatus.
Fear not, boygenius is not over. All three performers have made it abundantly clear that they are still close friends and don’t anticipate anything changing any time soon. Boygenius has always been a side project alongside the members’ solo careers. Although they have grown exponentially popular, they make music together simply because it is a natural extension of their friendship. Thus, as Baker stated in an interview before the Grammy, it is not a hiatus of this friendship. It is merely a temporary end to their music as a “whole commercial endeavor.”
Regardless of what happens next, these two acoustic shows in Los Angeles were a sweet way to celebrate the past year of the band’s success and close out this chapter of boygenius.
