Boygenius in total control at Re:SET Columbus

In January 2023, a new traveling concert series announced Columbus in its rotating lineup. The Re:SET concert series advertised itself as a more laid-back experience compared to all the hustle and anxiety-inducing multi-stage festivals. Instead of having to choose to watch one artist over another throughout a clogged concert lineup, the Re:SET series gave folks from Columbus and beyond the chance to see their favorite artists, all on one stage.

Boygenius, led by indie/alternative power trio Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, headlined Friday night, and set the precedent for the weekend. The four-band lineup also took away a bit from what Re:SET hoped in a traveling festival, because walking around at least five minutes showed most fans wearing Boygenius shirts or their own homemade homage. The people who weren’t were wearing shirts for Bridgers’ solo act.

Concertgoers could lineup for the concert at noon, a far cry from some events at Kemba Live that see people camping out overnight. However, it didn’t do much to bring a more refreshed audience to the outdoor side of Kemba.

Although it was only in the low 70s, temperature-wise, a morning of rain made the night humid and by 5 p.m., the medical team was already busy. A teenage concertgoer was on the floor of the packed crowd near the front of stage. She seemed fine as she received cheers as she sat up on a gurney heading to the first aid tent.

With threats of pop-up rain and storms through the night, and even some ominous dark clouds going over the venue, it stayed dry for the thousands in attendance.

Starting the night was Bartees Strange. A British-born resident of Washington D.C., Strange opened for acts like Bridgers and Dacus in the past and brought his unique style of indie rock, jazz and electronic infused music to the stage.

After starting an eight-song set alone, playing “Far” from his album “Live Forever,” a full band joined onstage. Strange’s ability to go from quiet singer/songwriter lines seamlessly into belting out vocals kept the audience on its toes.

Strange also set a tone of warning the audience about sad songs.

“This song is about feeling bad about everything, all the time,” said Strange before going into a ballad about being broken, not seeing the God in his own father and the fast pace of his life.

Following Strange was indie R&B group Dijon. Led by singer Dijon Duenes, the group did something people aren’t used to seeing at concerts: Sit.

There aren’t many concerts, outside of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, where artists sit through an entire set but it didn’t take away from the ability of the group. It all goes through the emotion and intensity of Dijon.

Every word sang by Dijon can be felt. There isn’t any phoning it in when he’s behind the microphone.

Even so, a lack of energy moving around the stage, for a crowd who was likely there for the final two acts, elicited cheers after songs but not much else. Outside of the last couple minutes of the set, which included a brief pause for 10 seconds after a board lost power, the entire band stayed sitting in front of their fold out tables.  

Also, while Strange and performers that followed had graphics behind their songs on the digital screen backdrop, Dijon kept a video of them playing from directly above the group.

It was a disservice to have Dijon play between Strange and Clairo. There wasn’t a lack of ability or talent that would put them as the opening act, but for the sheer build-up within concerts, Dijon would’ve set a foundation that the more visually engaging groups that followed could build upon.

At 7:35 p.m., you could feel an uptick in the crowd numbers and the sound coming out of the collective when Clairo walked out on stage. When lead singer Claire Cottrill walked on stage, the screams from the audience were close to deafening from the photo pit.

After starting the set behind her keyboard, Cottrill picked up a guitar and ran through a set of 14 songs. Each featuring an accompaniment of the usual drums, guitar and bass but also the occasional saxophone and flute solo.

Between songs, Cottrill was enamored by the crowd “wow, there are a lot of people out there”, and song selection set the course for the mood of the entire outdoor venue. After going through “4EVER,” a song with quick, silky, beats behind the always smooth voice of Cottrill, where the crowd was dancing and singing along, Cottrill dialed it back and nobody was upset about it.

“We’re going to sing some horrible sad songs now,” said Cottrill returned with screams of excitement.

Those horrible sad songs gave the crowd a break from the movement-inducing first seven tracks, but in a relaxing way. Clairo picked things back up with “Amoeba,” with the audience organically starting to wave their arms back and forth.

“Jesus, wow! You guys are great,” said Clairo. “Columbus, I want you all to go crazy.”

That’s how Cottrill went into her last song of the night, “Bags.” The track from her 2019 “Immunity” release closed out a fantastic performance that perfectly set up the band that some of the crowd waited nine hours for: Boygenius.

It didn’t take the trio to get the crowd amped up for the closers. With 23 minutes before the start of their set, a fog machine going off put the crowd into a frenzy that continued every few minutes as the Boygenius labeled drum set was unveiled or a guitar was tuned.

Then, as a song from the PA stopped one-minute shy of the 9:15 p.m. start time, the crowd lost its collective mind. It was short lived as the next song started and a moan of “awes swept the venue.

If you’re new to the Boygenius or Bridgers concert world, it’s an experience. Bridgers, who came on stage earlier this year at a Taylor Swift Eras Tour stop to Drowning Pool’s “Bodies,” and often plays guitars seen more at Sonic Temple than a hip, indie, concert like Re:SET gives the perfect juxtaposition to the music played.

Friday, Boygenius was set up by Thin Lizzy classic “The Boys are Back in Town.” After the four-person backing band got into place, the leading trio started their set the same way they start their 2023 “The Record” release, the acapella “Without You Without Them.” It was sung backstage with a camera showing them on screen before running out to go right into “$20.”

After their first two songs, Dacus, who sat down through much of “$20” wearing sunglasses, told the crowd she was performing through a concussion and would wear the glasses and sit down as much as she wanted. Dacus didn’t share anything about it again, but with that information one would understand Dacus having a more subdued performance. The crowd got the opposite.

Anytime Dacus was behind the mic, especially in solo parts, Dacus was a force of nature. It didn’t detract from the others. The three lead singers’ voice’s complement each other perfectly. Bridgers’ airy and calming vocals, Baker’s singer/songwriter and Dacus’ ability to put people into submission vocally made an already impressive album seem almost boring in comparison to their live performance.

The trio was lined up on stage with Bridgers, Baker and Dacus from left to right. Although Bridgers wasn’t front and center, the singer was still in charge when she wanted to be. Within a minute of starting “Revolution 0,” Bridgers stopped playing and stopped the rest of the band because of something that happened in the audience.

Organized by somebody in the crowd, people in the audience held up signs with either the group or individual names along with messages to the artists.

“I have to stop and acknowledge that in this dark song,” said Bridgers, humbled by the spontaneous support of the crowd. The musician even asking who put it all together. The signs came back into the conversation a few songs later, with Baker calling out one specifically.

“Does that say ‘Julien Baker? I hardly know her?” said Baker with the crowd erupting with laughter. “That’s funny.”

Baker followed it with her solo song “Favor,” sandwiched in-between Dacus’ “Please Stay” and Bridgers’ “Graceland Too.” Each song featured moments of harmonization by the other two leads, and some seat sharing. Before “Graceland Too,” Baker got out her banjo and took a seat on Dacus’ lap, with Bridgers joining right behind the two.

Boygenius played all but one of their released songs over their self-titled EP and 2023 full album, plus a new song “Boyfriends.” A track that’s only been played a couple times live during their 2023 world tour.

In comparison to the catalog of Boygenius songs, “Boyfriends” is a fast-paced track, led by Bridgers and Dacus vocals. Since fans couldn’t sing along to it like they did every other track (Bridgers told everyone to just repeat “peanut butter watermelon”), it was a smart choice by the band to go into “Me & My Dog” from their self-titled EP. In the crowd was a couple wearing shirts saying the song’s name and pictures of them with their dog; each with its own selfie.

For “We’re In Love,” an intimate, Dacus-led, song. The crowd had an impact on the performer, even if it included shining thousands of phone flashlights in the eyes of the concussed singer. Dacus was moved by the organic raising of smartphone lights, adding a “wow” in-between lines, holding her hand on her heart. It was another way the crowd showed the impact of the performers on their concert experience.

Before the encore, Bridgers asked everybody in the crowd to put their phones down for “Letter to an Old Poet.” The singer went down into the gated off section under the tall stage and after singing two lines stopped the song for a second time.

“Can you put your phone away? It only works if everyone does it,” said Bridgers, also letting the person know she still loves them. The concertgoer listened and oddly enough so did everyone in the crowd.

Even folks who were thousands of people back, near the far edge of Kemba Live kept their phones down for the entirety of the track. It showed the complete power that Boygenius had over the Re:SET crowd.

Boygenius finished “Not Strong Enough,” featuring Dacus taking the song over following the repeating “almost an angel, never a god” lyrics. “I don’t know why I am, the way I am” had to elicit a few million goosebumps, give or take a few.

When the band returned, playing two slower songs in “Ketchum, ID” and “Salt in the Wound,” Boygenius ended on a high note: Bridgers and Dacus walking down to the crowd as Baker stood center stage ripping through a guitar solo.

‍