On September 11th, Lucy Dacus transformed her Phoenix show at Arizona Financial Theatre into a stunning gathering that felt less like a concert and more like a communion. Touring in support of her fourth studio album Forever Is A Feeling, Dacus put on a show that was as thoughtful and emotionally open as the songs themselves, leaning on strong visuals, a tight band, and her ability to make a large space feel surprisingly personal.

While one might expect the soft, emotional touch that defines Dacus’ music to get lost in a large theatre, that was far from the case. She has a special talent for making every attendee feel like she’s singing directly to them, even from dozens of meters away, leaving nothing lost in translation. This ability to maintain a delicate balance between scale and intimacy is a key part of what makes her shows so magical, even as she grows in popularity.

Having stood in the same venue two years earlier for a sold out boygenius show where I heard Dacus for the first time, it felt like a full circle moment to see her fill up the venue with the momentum of her solo career alone. From the moment that the first notes of “Hot & Heavy” filled the air, I felt the significance of the occasion for the hundreds of other fans that were present in the crowd. There was no better way to break down every inhibition that people might have arrived with than by starting the night off with a fan favorite that pulled the entire theatre out of their seats and onto their feet. It didn’t take very long until Dacus had a slight echo ringing out after every word she sang as hundreds of voices sang along to the song, especially loudly as they reached the exasperated bridge of “I wish I was over it, over it, over it…”. 

As Dacus and her band transitioned into “Ankles”, a personal favorite off of the new album, a stunning backdrop was revealed onstage. Composed of a handful of large LED screens framed within ornate picture frames, it felt like we had been transported to a museum, a cathedral, and even the inside of a house. Throughout the show, the framed screens cycled through visuals that channeled the almost Renaissance-like influences that ground the album’s aesthetic. Each song brought a new set of images to each screen, weaving a visual narrative that added even more depth to Dacus’ already emotional performances.

The band moved seamlessly into “Modigliani” and “Limerence”, a pair of  standout tracks from the new album. The overall setlist was a carefully crafted mix of older favorites and plenty of new material from Forever Is A Feeling. The pacing felt deeply intentional with Dacus balancing soft, quieter moments with more energetic numbers in a way that kept the room waiting to see what would come next. Dacus hit fans with the moving lyricism she’s known for, juggling a range of emotions with ease as she weaved through songs like “Talk”, “Triple Dog Dare” and “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny”. 

By far though, the peak of the night for me came fairly early in the set during “Best Guess”. Shortly after the first verse of the song, the backdrop shifted in an unexpected way. A white door at its center opened and several couples walked out onto the stage, lining up across the front. Dacus introduced them as couples who had agreed to be married onstage at the show, since she’s ordained to officiate weddings in the United States. As she resumed singing, seeing the couples slow dance onstage was an emotional moment for myself and the two friends I was with. Beyond just witnessing the beauty of queer love, our dear friend and her fiancé were among the couples onstage. Seeing them live out such a dream-like marriage onstage filled my heart with a level of joy beyond belief, and hearing Dacus continue to serenade the room as it was happening made it even more heartwarming. 

The night eventually closed with the album’s title track, “Forever Is a Feeling,” as the framed screens cycled through a variety of visuals that somehow felt familiar, snapshots of normal, daily life that could have been plucked out from any given person’s own memories. The performance felt less like an ending and more like a reminder to cherish what’s around us, along with the less tangible things we carry with us everywhere we go: love, memories, and community. 

After all, these are the things that make live music such a beautiful experience to begin with. Lucy Dacus did so much more for us than just perform a few songs in our city. She gave us a night that felt personal, memorable, and real. 

For one night in Phoenix, forever really was a feeling.