Concert Review: boygenius, June 21, Budweiser Stage

A few moments before boygenius would take to the stage on Wednesday night, a group of youths from an organization supporting two spirit individuals took to the stage to conduct a land acknowledgement in recognition of National Indigenous Peoples Day. It was a nice moment that stood out in part because it was a gesture one might not necessarily expect at the outset of a big rock show. But then again, boygenius aren’t quite your standard rock band. The land acknowledgement helped to set the tone for what type of show we would be treated to on this occasion. One that takes place in a positive, welcoming, inclusive and all around warm environment. One that felt like a community.

One big part of that community is, of course, the fans and boygenius fans are indeed a dedicated and passionate bunch. And a loud one. This may or may not have been one of the loudest crowds for a show that I’ve been to, but they were certainly one of the most creative, with a group of fans even going so far as to create a unique experience for the Toronto show. I’m not entirely sure how this came together, but before the show, a group of people went through the crowd delivering little slips of paper, in different colours for different sections, with the following written on it:

During Cool About It, hold this paper over your phone’s flashlight to help create a beautiful rainbow!

It was a fairly cool moment and one that was appreciated by the band, even if they were a bit taken aback by the surprise. Phoebe Bridgers stated first off that she wasn’t even going to ask how this came to be and later commented how moments like that are appreciated as they help to shake things up for them as performers and make for some good memories.

Memories were also on Bridgers’ mind as she reminisced about the first time she played Toronto, opening for Julien Baker at The Drake Hotel. Plagued by a bad case of strep throat, she decided to go through with the show anyways, only to break down sobbing afterwards. The surprise twist in this story though is Baker appearing at just that moment bearing a hot toddy for her tourmate. As she explained, it’s a moment she remembers fondly, even if the overall circumstances weren’t so great – “I’m grateful to this place for that moment.”

Another thing that made this show stand out as a unique one, though not quite for the most positive of reasons, was that early on in the set, Lucy Dacus announced that she had been concussed and that while she had been cleared to play the show, she would be taking it a little easier. Not that it seemed to put a damper on things though – no, in fact, the band put on one of the more impressive shows I’ve seen in a little while. Individually, each of the members of boygenius – Bridgers, Dacus, and Julien Baker – are talented, charming, and engaging performers, but there seems to be a little extra something that happens when they come together that made for a great performance.

I’ve seen each of the members of boygenius individually on numerous occasions in the past, generally playing much smaller venues. I’ve seen Phoebe Bridgers at The Velvet Underground and Lucy Dacus at Burdock and while I’ve only ever seen Julien Baker playing somewhat larger venues, I did once walk past her inside a Copenhagen 7/11, so I’ll just go ahead and count that as a small venue.

Regardless, all three of them have come a long way over the last few years and to see them graduate from those smaller gigs to playing what Bridgers referred to as the most people they’ve ever played to is rather impressive. And they absolutely delivered a show worthy of such a huge crowd, with Dacus wondering aloud at one point if this was one of the best gigs of the tour.

In response, Baker confirmed her suspicions with a simple, “It is.”