I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: October 19, 2018] Mitski

I haven’t had that much exposure to Mitski.  I loved her Tiny Desk Concert and had heard great things about her live show.  So I was pretty excited to see her.  I was amazed that she sold out Union Transfer (and every other date on her tour!) so quickly.  She even added a second date in November and that one sold out, too.  Good for her!

In the Tiny Desk, she is solo, playing her guitar.  I was totally unprepared for what was to come.

This was the first night of her tour, so I gather everyone was unprepared.

The stage was constructed with three large screens.  They projected various images, often static, sometimes scenes from nature, sometimes rain-covered windows, in other words, nothing especially memorable.  They served as backdrop for Mitski herself.

The band came out–drums and guitar to the left and bass and keys to the right.  And then Mitski came out in a high-buttoned long-sleeve shirt and a long black skirt.  Her hair was pulled back and she looked very much not ready to rock.  She looked almost puritanical.  

For the first few songs she sang with her hands behind her back.  She stood, all eyes on her, and barely moved.  That was how much control and confidence she exuded.  Her band rocked (or didn’t), all manner of sounds coming from all sides of her, and she stood, looking at us, singing in her gorgeous voice.

I don’t really know that many songs by Mitski, so I was at the mercy of whatever she felt like throwing at us.  And it was all pretty great.  The songs are really rather short (which is how she managed to play 24 songs in 90ish minutes), and they convey all kinds of emotion.

It was during “Washing Machine Heart” that Mitski demonstrated the performance part of her art.  As the band moved forward with the rocking beat, Mitski herself began moving very slowly–lifting her arms in slow, mechanical precision.  First one side, then the other to balance.  It was mesmerizing and frankly amazing that she could do it so unrelated to the beat.  There wasn’t a “culmination” in her movements that I could see, but it was really cool to watch.

And for much of the opening songs, this is what she did–various movements up and down her body–with one motion in a pointedly private place during “First Love / Late Spring.”

The setlist was excellent, moving between albums seamlessly (I could usually tell which albums the songs were from by the size of the crowd reaction and singing along).

As the show progressed, the performances changed.  By the time “Francis Forever” started, the lights had changed, and so had Mitski. She began pacing the stage, faster and faster (again, even though the tempo of the song didn’t change).

The performance was so arresting that I wanted to take all kinds of pictures and videos, but the crowd was really tall and I was far back enough that she was often obscured.  Especially when she sat on a chair (and pulled up her skirt revealing…whatever I didn’t see).  I also wanted to take some videos of guitarist Patrick Hyland because he was amazing.  He coaxed some wonderful sounds out of that single guitar–from beautiful melodies to searing feedback.  I knew that Mitski played a mean guitar, but Hyland was an awesome surrogate.  I only took this one video of him during “Dan the Dancer“, where he isn’t doing that much, but it’s something.

The whole band was fantastic.  The drums were excellent and the bass was perfect–sounding different on different songs, but perfectly rumbling on “I Will.”  The keys filled in the gaps nicely as well, especially on songs like “Why Didn’t You Stop Me?”

When she played the standout rocking “Townie,” the place went absolutely berserk (even though I wanted a video, I just couldn’t get anything).  She sounded amazing (hitting those seemingly awkward, but obviously not, high notes) with the crowd singing along to every word.  She followed it with the new dancey “single” “Nobody,” which sounded fantastic too.

She slowed things down with “I Bet on Losing Dogs” and then reached back to an earlier EP for “I Want You” (which sounded quite different from the recorded version).  I love that she held the position to the left at the end of “Dogs” while the stage went black during the applause and through the opening of “I Want You.”  Her bodily self-control was amazing.

“Your Best American Girl” started out slowly with just the guitar and built and built to some great climaxes.  I believe it was in “Geyser” that Mitski started flailing around, falling on the stage in what seemed like ecstatic movements.  This was followed by the darkly quiet “Happy” which had us all breathless.

Mitski stayed in this sort of formal persona for most of the show.  She occasionally said thanks, and once or twice seemed to let her guard down.  Like when she said “The first time I played here, I was opening, and it felt so huge, like the room went on forever. Tonight it feels …. not small but … comfy.”

By the time of “Drunk Walk Home” with its martial beats I felt like I had been through an entire story.

I will retire to the salton sea
At the age of 23
For I’m starting to learn I may never be free
But though I may never be free
Fuck you and your money
I’m tired of your money

Despite the show’s relative brevity, (although a full 90 minutes at least,) it was an emotionally draining performance.  Somehow those short songs (“Come into the Water” is barely 90 seconds long) have as much impact as a far longer song might.

The main set ended with her alone on acoustic guitar playing “A Burning Hill.”  And it felt like the lyrics were referencing the show

So today I will wear my white button-down
I can at least be neat
Walk out and be seen as clean
And I’ll go to work and I’ll go to sleep
And I’ll love the littler things

The band left the stage briefly and then came back.  She said something like these last two songs will be considered the encores.

The first was the quiet, emotional “Two Slow Dancers.”

Then she told us she wanted to end the show on a fun note and told us they’d be playing a song that’s not on a physical record, but which you can hear on her bandcamp.  Lots of fans knew “Goodbye My  Danish Sweetheart,” but of course I didn’t.  I was totally taken in by the winding circuitous guitar.  Somehow the song felt a lot longer than the two minutes it is online.

And that was that.  The show ended, the lights came up and we woke from a dream.

Mitski had some great merch for sale.  I loved her ouija board T-shirts.  And she was selling ramen noodle spoons with her name on them, but the line took forever so I gave up.  I wound up hanging around and talking to Overcoats, but the line never seemed to go down.  And even though the show ended early I wound up in all kinds of traffic (I guess I don’t go out on Friday much).

Bands–you need to have one person for cash-only merch!  Or at least two cashiers when the line is long!

Setlist
Remember My Name ø
I Don’t Smoke ß
Washing Machine Heart ø
First Love / Late Spring ß
Francis Forever ß
Me and My Husband ø
Dan the Dancer ¶2
Once More to See You ¶2
A Pearl ø
Thursday Girl ¶2
I Will ß
Townie ß
Nobody ø
I Bet on Losing Dogs ¶2
I Want You ®
Your Best American Girl ¶2
Why Didn’t You Stop Me ø
Geyser ø
Happy ¶2
Come Into The Water ø
Drunk Walk Home ß
A Burning Hill ¶2
encore (ish)
Two Slow Dancers ø
Goodbye My Danish Sweetheart ®

songs from
ø = Be the Cowboy (2018)
¶2 = Puberty 2 (2016)
ß = Bury Me at Makeout Creek (2014)
® = Retired from Sad, New Career in Business (2013)