Ever since her energetic set at Rifflandia in 2018, I’ve been eagerly waiting for the opportunity to photograph Bishop Briggs again.
I made the trek over from Victoria specifically for this show and, even though it’s a Monday night, the Commodore Ballroom was packed.
Jax Anderson’s energetic and fun set kicked off the night, with much dancing and crowd interaction.
Up next was Los Angeles’ Miya Folick. Slinking around the stage under a cover of smoke and red lighting, she belted out haunting and sleepy tunes that, while beautiful, might have been better suited to start the night.
After a between-set break, screens spanning the width of the stage lit up with a countdown timer.
“CHAMPION TOUR: PRESS START” took over the visual landscape, looking like a video game. Various movie clips whizzed by. When “SONG SELECTED: CHAMPION” flashed up, that girl Bishop bounded onto the stage to an explosion of cheers.
With her backing band hidden in the darkness above the stage, all eyes were on Bishop as she jumped and ran to and fro, effortlessly belting out hits like Wild Horses, Dark Side, and Jekyll & Hide.
She had all of the energy, and none of the hair, still sporting the shaved head she debuted last year in solidarity with her friend Arax as she began her chemotherapy.
In addition to songs from Champion, we were treated to a cover medley of Stressed Out (twenty one pilots), I Write Sins Not Tragedies (Panic! at the Disco) and Welcome to the Black Parade (My Chemical Romance).
Ending her set with her arguably most well-known song, River, Bishop Briggs left the stage, the house lights came up, and the night ended sans encore.
And, while it was sad to have the show feel like it ended “early,” sometimes, it’s best to dump the fake ending and leave it on a high note.
