Watch Phoebe Bridgers’ Lovely, Lynchian Tonight Show Performance
The past few weeks have been very busy for Phoebe Bridgers. Her sophomore album Punisher has shown up on a lot of year-end lists, including our own, and she’s also gotten a whole mess of Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist. She released an EP of orchestral reworkings, as well as covers of the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” and Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December.” The “Iris” cover became the first Hot 100 hit for both Bridgers and duet partner Maggie Rogers. Earlier this week, Bridgers dropped her video for the Punisher track “Savior Complex.” It starred Paul Mescal, from Normal People, and it was directed by Fleabag star and creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Last night, Bridgers sang that very same song on The Tonight Show, and she made an event of it.
There’s probably nobody who learned the art of the quarantine-era late-night performance better or earlier than Bridgers. She’s done a lot of TV performances these past eight or nine months, and all of them have ruled, mostly because she’s found fun and unique was to stage all of them. Last night, for instance, she sang “Savior Complex” in a haunted Christmas mansion, with a ghost accompanying her on piano, for an audience of two adorable dogs. That’s how you do it!
Bridgers rearranged “Savior Complex” as an intimate voice-and-piano ballad. Her only accompaniment in the performance was a player piano, which she called “Irma.” She wore a suit and tie, rather than the skeleton costume she’s been using for most of her appearances, and the camera lovingly panned around to all the spooky holiday knickknacks surrounding her. Bridgers’ two dogs happily watched her. It’s a strange and lovely performance with some serious David Lynch vibes, and you can watch it below.
Punisher is out now on Dead Oceans. Read our feature story on every song from the album here.