CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) — Fans flooded downtown Champaign Monday after Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers announced a surprise concert at The Orpheum, triggering long lines and a rapid sellout within hours.
The pop-up show was revealed through posters and social media posts early Monday morning, part of a recent series of intimate performances Bridgers has staged in cities across the country. By late morning, hundreds of fans had gathered outside the venue waiting for wristbands to go on sale.
Some concertgoers arrived as early as 8 a.m., hours before distribution began at noon. Organizers said approximately 400 people were in line by 11 a.m. Tickets later sold out.
The surprise Champaign stop followed a performance Sunday in Toledo, Ohio. Bridgers began the pop-up concert series earlier this month in Roswell, New Mexico.
Attendees at the concert were required to store phones, smart watches and recording devices in locked Yondr pouches during the performance, continuing a policy used at many of the singer’s recent shows.
Bridgers is widely known for songs including Motion Sickness, Scott Street and Waiting Room, and for previously opening on portions of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.