Coachella 2023: boygenius brings the feels during powerful, political Coachella set

The boys are back in town. boygenius, the supergroup comprised of acclaimed solo artists Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker, walked onto the Outdoor Theatre stage for their Coachella set in matching suits as the speakers blasted Thin Lizzy's "The Boys are Back in Town."

The group's name is a play on the trope of a "boy genius," or as Dacus told the New York Times in 2018, "boys and men we know who’ve been told that they are geniuses since they could hear, basically," with the group channeling that trope through their creative process by acting like "the boy genius."

The band released its first full album, “The Record,” on March 31, following its debut EP in 2018 and a few years of speculation on when the boys might get back together for their next project. After releasing their self-titled EP, the trio returned to their own solo careers, leaving fans of the supergroup wondering when, or if, the trio would reunite.

But now the boys are back, and they have everyone in their feels. "Oh I'm definitely going to cry," said one fan as they walked toward the stage, and another fan did just that, recording a selfie video of themselves visibly crying before flipping the camera view to show boygenius performing "Emily I'm Sorry."

Dacus called Saturday's set the group's "first proper show in quite some time," although boygenius also just played their first concert since 2018 at the Fox Theater in Pomona on Wednesday, trotting out “each and every song” from the two albums over a 75-minute set, according to Variety.

While Coachella set times limited boygenius to 50 minutes on Saturday, the band still packed the set list with favorites from both records, opening with the short and soft intro song "Without You Without Them" from "The Record" before transitioning into two of the album's more uptempo rock-style songs, "$20" and "Satanist."

The musicians played softer "Emily I'm Sorry" and "True Blue," as well as "Me and My Dog" from their 2018 EP, and closed the set with "Not Strong Enough" and "Salt in the Wound." At times during slower songs, the trio member that was singing lead vocals remained standing on stage while the other two sat down and strummed instruments, with the overall set and visuals pretty simple, keeping the focus on Baker, Dacus, and Bridgers.

The all-queer supergroup also had a message for their trans fans — and for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

"If you've been following the tomfoolery in the news in Florida, Missouri. . . We want to say that trans lives matter and trans kids matter, we're going to fight this and win," said Dacus, with Bridgers adding, "F*** Ron DeSantis."

"The Record" has been noted for its emphasis on friendship — both through the songs on the album and the relationship between Baker, Dacus, and Bridgers themselves, which was on full display at the end of the set as Bridgers and Dacus rolled onto the stage in a hug-tackle before tugging Baker down with them.

Saturday wasn’t the supergroup’s first performance this weekend. The trio made a surprise appearance during MUNA’s set in the Mojave on Friday, joining Phoebe Bridgers after her verse of Muna’s “Silk Chiffon.”

The group tours this summer with the Re:SET summer concert series, starting with June shows in San Diego and Pasadena.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella 2023: boygenius members Dacus, Bridgers, Baker are back