October 3rd, City and Colour stopped at the Rialto Theater with Phoebe Bridgers and put on one of the best shows I’ve ever been to.

The floor filled quickly and nothing could beat the energy encircling the stage. The opening act, Phoebe Bridgers, walked out from behind the curtain with no one by her side, just a guitar in her hand. Her bleached blonde hair and leather jacket reminded me of that one ex-girlfriend who taught you everything you know. Her first words to the mic were, “This is a total bucket-list thing for me.” After performing a couple songs, she invited two boys backstage to come and join her, introduced as Marshall and Harrison, who came off as very 1983 Dead Milkmen-esque to me. The rest of the hour became a three-man-band. I had never heard her music before, but after her forty-five minute performance, I grew to love her folk voice and quirky songs, worded into an expression anyone can relate to.

After an intermission that felt like hours, the stars of the show came out. No “Hey-how-are-we-feeling-tonight-Tucson,” just music straightaway. I was surprised to see the typically-acoustic band on electric guitars, but it made the music that much better. They pulled songs from every album into one show, filling my head with nostalgia when the stories off of The Hurry and The Harm were sung, and taking me back to 2011 when ‘Coming Home‘ was the only song I listened to for two weeks straight.

The feeling of being in a room where everyone comes together for the love of music is what makes these small Tucson concerts so special, and I can’t wait for the next one.