Houston’s boygenius show nearly rained out
Less than an hour before the doors to the outdoor music venue, White Oak Music Hall, opened to the swarms of Boygenius fans in Houston, rain pelted the city. Anxiously waiting for show status updates, attendees arriving at the venue sheltered in place in White Oak’s limited indoor spaces, causing everyone to lose their space in line. Most fans were aware of the thunderstorm warnings, but the storm’s severity was unforeseen.
Rain poured down – and hard. The music hall took to social media, notifying ticket holders of the delay. It was closer to 8 p.m. before attendees began pouring in, but by the time eager fans corralled onto the soggy lawn, there was not enough time for the opener, Bartees Strange, to play. Nonetheless, Boygenius finally began playing around 8:50, opening with “Without You Without Them.” Boygenius’ tour, creatively titled “The Tour” made two stops in Texas – Dallas and Houston.
The delay left little time for crowd interaction and chatting between songs, but this didn’t stop the trio of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus from making a lasting impression on the crowd. Boygenius’ set featured tracks from their newest album, “The Record,” and their 2018 album, “Boygenius.”
Highlights from the night included Baker slipping on the wet stage into the splits during “Salt In The Wound,” Baker slipping and falling once more as she exited the stage, Bridgers initiating a vulgar chant against Governor Greg Abbott echoed by the crowd and acknowledgment of the Native American tribes whose land they played on.
Unfortunately, the rain before the show forced them to cut Dacus’ “Please Stay” and Baker’s “Favor” from their encore, leaving it only to Bridgers’ “Graceland Too.” Even then, “Graceland Too” was interrupted and restarted three times by portions of the crowd calling for medics and the band’s pauses for the circumstances.
SETLIST
Boygenius Setlist – Houston, TX
- Without You Without Them
- $20
- Satanist
- Emily I’m Sorry
- True Blue
- Cool About It
- Souvenir
- Bite The Hand
- Revolution 0
- Stay Down
- Leonard Cohen
- Me & My Dog
- We’re In Love
- Anti-Curse
- Letter To An Old Poet
- Not Strong Enough
- Salt In The Wound
- Ketchum, ID
Encore: - Graceland Too