Credit: Credit: Hallie Luo

WSPN’s Hallie Luo reviews her boygenius concert experience.

SpongeBob, Patrick and Squidward. The Jonas Brothers. Luke, Leia and Han Solo. Name a more iconic trio than those three–oh wait, I can. boygenius. Together, three stellar best friends Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus return to the music industry after a hiatus to create what I think to be one of the best albums of 2023, “the record.”

I had seen boygenius at the “Re:SET Boston” festival at the end of last year, and spent $300 to stand 100 yards away, unable to see over the jumping heads in front of me. While it sounded great, I paid for practically obstructed view tickets.

Flash forward to a few weeks ago…I paid yet another $300 to see boygenius. But, I wasn’t going to be stuck in the back of the venue this time, so my friend and I arrived four hours early. In the front of the line with general admission tickets, we were practically giggling in excitement because we knew we were going to be in the front row of the MGM Music Hall, only inches from our favorite musicians.

That was our expectation, but here’s what really happened. As we scanned our tickets, a large red “X” appeared on the screen. Turns out the $600 we had spent on what we thought were boygenius tickets were actually fake links from a scammer. After being sent to the back of the mile-long line on the verge of a breakdown, we spent the next hour pleading to Stubhub customer service for our money back and new tickets. Fortunately, our refund was confirmed. Unfortunately, however, we had to buy last-minute tickets to attend the show—last row nosebleeds on the far side of the venue.

Despite the financial stress and fuss of our pre-concert experience, it still lives as one of the most thrilling concerts I’ve ever been to. Better than the outdoor horseback riding course (I wish I was kidding) that the festival was located at, boygenius’s voices echoed through the walls of MGM, and this time, I could actually see them.

Shivers ran down my spine as they opened with their acapella intro, “Without You Without Them,” performed backstage. As the last note trailed off, fog shot up from the stage as the group ran to the front, transitioning straight to “$20.”

Each song flew by and the entire crowd sang along to every word. Although the set list was the same as the previous concert I’d been to, it didn’t matter. Attending this concert felt like being able to rewatch my favorite movie for the first time.

The venue went silent during “Letter to An Old Poet,” per Bridger’s request. Not a single phone in sight, the crowd seemed unified by the nuances in her voice. Although I experienced a tinge of jealousy when she walked down the aisle to sing face-to-face to her front-row fans, the performance in itself was mesmerizing.

My second favorite artist, singer-songwriter Hozier, had performed at MGM the previous night. I had already suffered a severe case of “FOMO” from missing his concert, so imagine my astonishment when he walked onstage harmonizing to “Salt in the Wound.” Needless to say, I freaked out.

If you’re debating on ever attending a boygenius concert, take this as a sign pointing to yes. Out of all the countless concerts I’ve been to, this stands out as one of the most influential. It was worth every penny. However, I would strongly recommend knowing every song, and also double-checking your tickets in the case you get scammed.