Bulldog Beat

Madame President, Phoebe Bridgers

By Lily Guthrie

Only Phoebe Bridgers could turn the Oval Office into a trendy, intimate setting for an indie rock show. The 26-year-old Los Angeles native performed her Tiny Desk concert at home for safety purposes on September 10 in front of a presidentially adorned green screen. With her silver hair and gray pantsuit, Bridgers’ three-song set was accompanied by Marshall Vore on drums and backup vocals as well as Harrison Whitford on guitar, both clad in White House security tuxedos, complete with sunglasses.

Gee Tee Keeps Party-boy Punk Alive

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By Kate Ross

Gee Tee, a Syndey-based punk band, streamed a satisfyingly gritty live performance for Goner Record’s 17th annual Gonerfest last Friday night. Typically, the garage rock festival is held at Goner Record’s store in Memphis, but this year they decided to try it quarantine-style and shift the festival to the virtual world.

Bush Proves the Paradox of Remote Rock With Live Show Livestream

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By William Newlin

Bush released six studio albums between their six-times platinum classic “Sixteen Stone” (1994) and their newest offering, “The Kingdom,” released on July 17. In a July 18 live show performed in Los Angeles and streamed on the band’s website, Bush frontmant Gavin Rossdale reminded us he hasn’t lost a hard-rocking step in the past two and a half decades. To drive home the point, Rossdale and his backing crew since 2010 split the setlist evenly between Bush’s top hits from ’94 and their heavier, more polished tunes of today. While the performance featured all the revelry absent from life in the past six and a half months, the Internet rather than human connection put a rift between what you feel and what Bush wanted you to feel.

Phoebe Bridgers Live at Red Rocks

_{Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver, Colorado. Photo from Wikimedia Commons}

By Elijah Johnston

The first time I watched the stunning Sept. 1 Phoebe Bridgers performance in an empty Red Rocks Amphitheater, I was blindsided by a thought: I was supposed to see this show at the beach. Back in January, Bridgers announced Summer tour dates opening for British pop band The 1975, and me and my friends made a plan to drive down and see them both in Jacksonville, Florida, followed by a weekend at the beach. I should’ve seen this in an arena, I thought, and here I am in my room like every other day this year. The venue and the circumstances might have changed, but thankfully the strength of the songs and performance did not.

It’s Pretty Cool to Be Travis Scott

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By Takunda Mafundikwa

Travis Scott ascension from rapper to household name has been astronomically fast. A few years ago, you couldn’t have told me he would be having the success he is currently having — I simply wouldn’t have believed you. However, the stars aligned in his favor and he’s had one of, if not the best 2020 of any entertainers so far. When the pandemic struck, live shows were done for and artists had to find new ways to bring that live show experience to people and that’s exactly what Travis and Fortnite, the third-person-shooter survival game, were able to accomplish.