A place to dance, trade friendship bracelets, and experience nine new tracks live. These were all promises made by indie darlings Beach Bunny in preparation for their headlining Tunnel Vision Tour which is currently traveling across the nation to celebrate the Chicago trio’s brand new record of the same name. Anyone that joins Beach Bunny on this tour will be reminded what “a promise made is a promise kept” means. The band is giving everything they set out to give — and so much more.

Beach Bunny fans packed The Fillmore in Philadelphia this past Saturday, clocking it at less than 24 hours following the release of Tunnel Vision. Bunny ears (an item you can snag if you visit the merch table at any date of the tour) poked out of the crowd like white tulips from springtime green and so did a breeze of anticipatory excitement, the opportunity to experience the new record in its near entirely live for the very first time just moments away.

Everyone glanced around the stage at an array of covered objects as they waited, inquisitive eyes attempting to solve the surprise Beach Bunny had in store for them. Before they knew it, black fabric fell to the floor one by one and unveiled a set of familiar furniture and decorations — a purple and star-adorned bed with pillows, a pink dresser filled with books and a boombox, an array of Easter-dyed balloons, and bow-tied curtains whose window perfectly framed a heart-shaped cloud of smoke. The band took bedroom pop to a whole new level, plucking pieces right off the cover of the record and transforming the stage into a life-sized version of the colorful and seemingly comfortable space this album calls home.

Then came the band. Vocalist Lili Trifilio, guitarist Anthony Franco Vaccaro, and drummer Jon Alvarado emerged to a sea of eager shrieks and, leaving the door wide open behind them, invited everyone into the world of Tunnel Vision.

Before delving into the new record, the band catered to old fans with the beloved “Cloud 9” and “Ms. California.” This sent the crowd into an immediate sing-along with the catchiness of the songs welcoming everyone to dance. Promise one — check.

After meeting Ms. California, it was time for the band to introduce us to their newest friend, the dependable, consistent, and unshakable “Mr. Predictable.” The catch is that he doesn’t actually exist, or that he does, but only as a figment of everyone’s imagination in the hard-to-swallow turmoil of this ever changing world. And with the existential dread his absence brings, Lili buried herself in the painful honesty of Tunnel Vision‘s opening track:

The world is changing for the worst (Changing, changing, changing, changing)
And any pivot makes my stomach hurt

Stable, steady, never ready
For when it all could change

You want the world to be Mr. Predictable

Being introduced to Mr. Predictable pulled the crowd into the universe of Tunnel Vision and made being in it all the more enticing. Rosy lights beckoned everyone to take refuge in track two, “Big Pink Bubble,” and the safe place they grew to know — the cute and cozy room that avoids all of the chaos surrounding it and Beach Bunny’s embrace. Despite its newness, the song inspired the entire room to sing the words as one and each and every person gradually started to make a little more space in their bubble for those that could relate to needing its comfort.

When “Tunnel Vision,” the title track of the record arrived, Lili continued to face the difficult truths about how overwhelming being a human in this world can be through sweet-like-honey vocals and bubbly instrumentation:

The hole’s getting deeper
I don’t think my body was built for this
I feel like a creature
Trying to learn how to exist

Lili didn’t let this stop her from enjoying the moment as she pointed to the sky and shook her hips, using the room’s encouragement to muster up the courage to pop her bubble and enjoy the company of her supporters. 

Lili paused to interact with the crowd after a handmade sign caught her eye. “Guitar pick please,” it read to which Lili responded with a quick-on-her-toes alternative. “I don’t use guitar picks, but I’m going to toss you a bracelet instead,” she said as she pulled a beaded bracelet with tiny letters that read “TUNNEL VISION” off her wrist and tossed it into the crowd, a token of appreciation shared between one human being figuring the madness of the world out to another. Promise two — check.

Even with an emphasis on new material, the band managed to cater to longtime fans with a series of hits like “Oxygen,” “Good Girls (Don’t Get Used),” and “Sports.” When Lili asked everyone for help during these songs, the crowd delivered as they hopped, swayed, and sang their hearts away before the night came to a close.

The band gave everyone one last opportunity to soak up the excitement of Tunnel Vision with the ninth and final new song of the night, and Lili’s personal favorite from the record, “Just Around the Corner.” It was official. Everyone had experienced what they came for. They had all witnessed Tunnel Vision in its near entirety. Promise three — check.

But it wasn’t long before Lili returned, this time without the company of her bandmates, and requested everyone take out their flashlights for “6 Weeks.” In an instant, thousands of tiny lights flickered on and flooded the room to help her through the grief of a past relationship, mixing with everyone’s words to absorb the emptiness on stage and warmly remind her how many people she had supporting her.

Following the intimate performance, Anthony and Jon emerged again, allowing Lili to break free from her sparkly pink guitar. “Prom Queen” moved her to prance around the stage in confidence and channel all of her energy into one more Beach Bunny surprise.

“Have you ever been to a beach bunny show before?” Lili asked before asking the crowd to split down the middle and explaining what would follow. As soon as “Painkiller” kicked in, each side of the room ran toward each other and created one big free for all dance party. Groups of friends sang into each other’s smiles while others held hands, twirling around the refreshing April air and frolicking through the sought-after solace of Beach Bunny.

Those that visited The Fillmore that night may have entered wondering why anyone would want to brave the uncertainty of what’s outside. Those same people left understanding exactly why it’s worth venturing out into what’s beyond your bubble. Sure it’s scary out there, but there’s a whole community of people ready to lift you up when the weight of the world is too much to handle alone — and that community can always be found at a Beach Bunny show.