Phoebe Bridgers took to the stage at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Friday evening (October 22) with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy for a performance of the pair’s 2020 duet track, Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America.
Prior to the show, which formed part of Bridgers’ ongoing tour of the US, the boygenius member published some cryptic posts to social media on Friday that advised attendees to “come early tonight, trust me” – a tease that materialized in the form of a surprise opening acoustic set from Healy.
And, after offering a four-song setlist that included some of The 1975’s biggest tracks, like Be My Mistake and Sex, as well as a new song titled New York, Healy called upon Bridgers for a stripped-back, acoustic guitar-driven finale.
For the first time ever, the pair performed Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America – lifted from The 1975’s 2020 LP Notes On A Conditional Form – in front of a live audience. The track was recorded with Bridgers, whose backing vocals featured heavily throughout the rest of the album.
“Phoebe was kind enough to sing on a song on my band’s last album, so we’re going to play that,” said Healy.
Armed with his vintage Cherry Sunburst Gibson Hummingbird acoustic, Healy straps a guitar capo on the second fret and takes sole responsibility for six-string duties, launching into the track’s dreamy, country-esque, hammer-on-equipped chord progression while sharing vocals with Bridgers.
The two-piece performance had been a long time coming. Bridgers was originally penciled in to open for The 1975 during the band’s 2020 tour, which was ultimately postponed due to the pandemic.
As for Healy, it’s the multi-instrumentalist’s latest solo collaboration of the year, after teaming up with Beabadoobee for her ethereal single, Last Day On Earth.
Fortunately for those in attendance at the Greek Theater, Bridgers' sound during her own set went unscathed, after she was silenced by organizers during her Austin City Limits performance on October 9 for reportedly running over her allotted time.
Soon after, the event organizers apologized for cutting the set short, citing a "miscommunication on stage by ACL festival personnel" as the cause for the mishap.
"After positive conversations between festival organizers and the artist about the situation," a statement read, "ACL has made a donation to Texas Abortion Funds to show our support for Phoebe and an organization close to her heart."
Phoebe Bridgers performed the final show of her "Reunion Tour" on October 24 at the Shaky Knees Music Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.
