A Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has chosen Rochester’s Strasenburgh Planetarium to help promote her latest album.
New music from Phoebe Bridgers can soon be heard as part of a laser show and with special projections in the venue’s dome. The “Lost Weekend Planetarium Experience” kicks off Monday, August 10 and runs through the album’s release on Friday, August 14.
The listening parties give fans a chance to hear her new album, “Lost Weekend,” before anyone else. They’re happening at more than 40 planetariums all over the world — in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe and Oceania. But Strasenburgh is the only planetarium in New York State to host them.
That creates a rare opportunity, according to the Rochester Museum & Science Center’s marketing and communications manager, Katie Gardner.
“We love to see this kind of enthusiasm and also like support of local smaller venues,” she said. “Our planetarium seats 140 people, so it is pretty intimate of a space to be experiencing an album for the first time.”
It also ties into RMSC’s mission of accessibility, largely because the tickets are only $18.
“What we were asked was to ticket the cost that we typically would,” Gardner said. “Our average ticket cost is $15 for our planetarium shows, and we have it priced at $18 because we did have to cover the cost of the Yondr Pouches that we’re using.”
The pouches ensure a phones-free experience, per Bridgers’ wishes. She employed a similar approach at her sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden in June, tickets for which began at merely $1 and were sold via a lottery system.
“Come listen to the album field trip style,” Bridgers’ official Instagram account wrote to accompany the planetarium shows.
The anticipation for the new album is palpable. It’s Bridgers’ first solo release since her lauded 2020 LP “Punisher” and her first since she won three Grammys with her band Boygenius in 2024.
As of publication, tickets were selling fast. RMSC added additional shows to meet increasing demand.
Gardner said the local organization is pleased to help present shows like this that center accessibility along with the programming itself.
“The values kind of aligned with us,” she said, “in that we want to be involved with things like this of people who want accessible and budget-friendly options for their communities to participate in unique experiences like this.”
Details and ticket information on Phoebe Bridgers’ “Lost Weekend Planetarium Experience” can be found on the Rochester Museum & Science Center’s website right here.
