Indie singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers is prepared to give Pink Floyd a run for its money next week, with laser-light show listening parties for her new album at more than 40 planetariums around the world, including Flandrau in Tucson.
Those lucky enough to score tickets to the planetarium shows will be among the first to hear Bridgers’ latest full-length record, “Lost Weekend,” which is set for release Aug. 14 on the Dead Oceans label.
The two shows scheduled at Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium on the University of Arizona campus on Aug. 11 and Aug. 13 sold out in about 3 hours, so two additional shows were added, and those sold out less than 8 hours after that. That’s 400 tickets at $22 apiece in less than 11 hours, said Flandrau marketing and communications manager Nick Letson.
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The planetarium planned to release 20 reserve tickets at noon Friday and 20 more at noon on Saturday, but Letson doesn’t expect those to last more than a few minutes.
Flandrau is now looking into adding another show or two, Letson said, but they aren’t sure if they have room in their schedule or the staffing to handle it.
Lost Weekend Planetarium Experience, presented in partnership with Spotify, is also showing at the Arizona Science Center in Phoenix and elsewhere across North America, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, New Zealand and Australia.
The music is pre-recorded and Bridgers will not be there, but those in attendance at Flandrau will get to experience the new album paired with a custom display of immersive visuals by Laser Fantasy, which has been designing planetarium shows for nearly 50 years.
Phoebe Bridgers opening for Taylor Swift at Nashville's Nissan Stadium in 2023.
A press release from Bridgers’ website calls it “a shared sonic and visual experience.” Flandrau is promising “dazzling animations, kaleidoscopic abstract imagery and immersive aerial beam effects that surround you in light,” creating “a stunning fusion of music and visuals that you can see, hear and feel.”
Just don’t try to record any of it. The Grammy-winning artist has made this a camera- and phone-free event. Any cellphones, smartwatches, recording or filming devices must be secured inside locked pouches that you will carry with you into the show, then have unlocked again once you leave the planetarium dome.
On the off chance that more shows are added and don’t sell out before you read this, tickets can be purchased on the planetarium’s website at flandrau.org/lost-weekend-planetarium-experience. The price also includes admission to Flandrau’s science exhibits.
Phoebe Bridgers performing at a festival in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2022.
The laser shows are Bridgers’ latest bit of creative promotion for her third solo album. Earlier this year, she played a handful of pop-up shows, announced with flyers posted around town, at small venues in places such as Roswell, New Mexico, and Lubbock, Texas. Last month, she staged a short-notice concert at Madison Square Garden and debuted her latest single, “Lost Boys,” with a surprise performance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” backed by a band of teen and preteen musicians.
Bridgers embarks on a 35-date world tour for “Lost Weekend” next month, which will also be phone-free and does not yet include any stops in Arizona.
