Father John Misty did not disappoint on the first of his two sold out performances at Bass Concert Hall. He opened the show last Friday with the title track of his newest album, “Pure Comedy,” to foreshadow the experience that everyone was about to share.
By Alicia Armijo and Miranda Chiechi
A dazzling light show complemented the fervent dancing of eccentric frontman, Josh Tillman, better known as Father John Misty. After warming up the crowd and capturing their attention with the band’s introductory tunes, Tillman abruptly moved the entire crowd to their feet as he fervently strummed the first few notes of the band’s hit, “Chateau Lobby #4.”
With regrets for not doing so sooner, Tillman encouraged the crowd to remain standing to dance along with him for the rest of the night. Notably, in the orchestra section, the crowd consisted of devoted fans who held their friends and new acquaintances tightly while sharing moments they long anticipated.
As the show progressed and Tillman became more energetic, the setlist proved to be a perfect mix of classic hits from the band’s first two albums, “Fear Fun and I Love You, Honeybear,” along with new songs from their most recent album, “Pure Comedy.” The new LP features songs such as “Total Entertainment Forever” and “Ballad of the Dying Man” that have a much more solemn sound and reach a greater intellectual depth than what is found in Tillman’s preceding albums.
With “Pure Comedy,” Tillman challenges his audience to take a critical look at modern society, pop culture, their cosmic origins and all of their imperfections. His lyrics are humorous at times, but they also provide a unique and satirically-charged perspective on current events.
Even with Tillman’s spot-lighted, intense lyricism, he was hysterical on stage and had the crowd laughing with pure joy at his expressive dance moves. At the end of this emotional roller coaster of a concert, Tillman eagerly shook hands with the dedicated fans in the front row, expressing his gratitude to them and to the whole hall for making the night one to remember. Father John Misty gave an honest performance at Bass Concert Hall that no concert-goer will forget anytime soon.
