Individually, and as the trio Boygenius, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus gave the crowd at the packed Wiltern a special Friday night filled with sharp songs, soaring vocals and emotional crescendos.
It was the final show of an 18-date tour for the three singer-songwriters, whose unexpected collaboration yielded a six-song EP, released in October, and shone a light on the trio’s keen songwriting.
On Friday, their respective solo sets were followed by a seven-song Boygenius nightcap, with the trio performing all six songs from the EP and their new cover of the Killers’ “Read My Mind” (previous shows had seen them cover the Dixie Chicks’ “Cowboy Take Me Away”). Dacus began the night, mixing a couple of new songs with material from her latest album “Historian.”
Playing a hometown show, Bridgers followed. She opened with “Smoke Signals,” the crowd roaring when she hit the lyric “But nothing’s changed, L.A.’s all right,” and later earning nods of approval for “Scott Street,” a song set in Echo Park. She later allowed as how she had played the Wiltern before, as an opening act, and in those days she had bangs. “We don’t talk about that time,” she said dryly. “It looks good on people, but not when you have a widow’s peak.”
Baker, the youngest of the trio at 23, followed with a set that included a duet with Matt Berninger of the National on “All I Want,” a new song that will benefit Planned Parenthood.
The Boygenius set ended the night, with the trio saying they’d worked out the harmonies for the Killers cover for their Morning Becomes Eclectic set on KCRW. Before playing their last song, “Ketchum, ID,” they gathered around one mic and before playing the song, hugged each other. During this moment, the crowd cheered wildly and the fans in balconies gave a standing ovation. At the climactic ending, Baker shredded a guitar solo, during which Bridgers and Dacus continuously bowed towards Baker. After leaving the stage, the trio and other managers and band members came back on stage and they all bowed together.
Boyggenius setlist: Souvenir, Bite The Hand, Stay Down, Me and My Dog, Salt In the Wound, Read My Mind (Killers), Ketchum, ID.