“Really something”: The live show Phoebe Bridgers feared she could never compete with
“Sometimes seeing music that good makes me competitive,” said Phoebe Bridgers in a 2020 interview when discussing her favourite band. It’s refreshing to hear that honesty, because all artists are bound to feel the same, whether it’s commercial success or even just charisma, someone else is always going to possess an asset you can’t have, and in the musical landscape, that must often prove to be infuriating.
But in Bridgers’ case, she just had to cut her losses and gawp in awe at the wonder that was Alabama Shakes when she saw them for the first time. That’s no real surprise – when you’re presented with a modern reincarnation of the blues right before your very eyes, it’s inevitably going to shift your soul. But for a young Bridgers, whose nascent dreams of musical acclaim would soon become a blazing reality, this was the flame that lit the touchpaper.
I saw Alabama Shakes live in high school,” she recalled. “The live show was really something. Sometimes seeing music that good makes me competitive, especially because a show like that is so beyond something I’ll ever be able to do.” With Brittany Howard, Heath Fogg, and Zac Cockrell then transformed into her supreme leaders, it seemed Bridgers was faced with no other choice but to merely attempt to follow their path – but even then, the calibre still meant it led her to glory.
So, what exactly was it that Alabama Shakes carried in their midst that made them so commanding? Well, it was owed, in no small part to the fact that Alabama Shakes were almost like a second coming to a classic rock sound that had seemingly become lost to the scores of time. While it’s hard to envisage Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, and Bon Scott from AC/DC all sharing a room together, the principle suddenly became clear when Alabama Shakes took to the stage, as something lost had been found again.
Of course, this is not to say that the band were in any way merely an imitation of the legends that had come before. But evidently for Bridgers, it sparked a passion she knew in a instant was never to be emulated and only worshipped in the sheer power of what Howard and Co could bring to the stage. Although her own sonics seem a universe away from anything resembling the screech and scream of true rock and roll, it was enough to set her on a journey – one that was largely different from Alabama Shakes, but also bore some searing resemblances.
Indeed, both artists reached some pretty stratospheric heights in the mid-2010s, but in more recent years have relatively paled into existence. Alabama Shakes went their separate ways for six years, and the music world wondered if it would ever see their like again. That is, until early this year, when the band announced their reunion and new music in the pipeline. It’s great news, but also begs the question: where exactly is Bridgers?
If you happen to be at any of those Alabama Shakes shows this summer, it would be well worth searching for Bridgers in the crowd. Having not released any solo material in almost five years, maybe seeing her favourite band back together may be the inspiration she needs to push herself back in the studio – unless, of course, the magnitude of Alabama Shakes proves too much, in which case it might scare her off forever.
