On Feb. 23, indie rock artist Father John Misty (Joshua Tillman) graced the stage of a sold out Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC) in neighboring city, Kingston. This was the first of three New York performances of the tour for his sixth studio album, “Mahashmashana,” released in Nov. 22, 2024.
The house lights dimmed as Canadian indie rock band Destroyer took the stage at UPAC. Formed in 1995 in Vancouver, Destroyer is fronted by musician Dan Bejar and started the evening on a wonderful note with a stacked setlist.
To open up his 20-song set, Misty captivated the audience with an absolutely magical showcase of his vocals on “Funtimes in Babylon.” This was the first song on his debut album of his independent career, “Fear Fun,” released in April 2012.
Misty went on to perform a string of songs from his 2024 album, “Mahashmashana,” which explores concepts of existential thoughts.
From “I Love You, Honeybear,” his 2015 concept album, Misty performed “The Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apt.” The ballad functions as a prerequisite to “Mr. Tillman,” the eponymous single off Misty’s fourth studio album, “God’s Favorite Customer,” released in 2018.
Misty did a solo rendition of “Buddy’s Rendezvous,” originally recorded in collaboration with Lana Del Rey. The ballad is off his fifth studio album, “Chloë and the Next 20th Century.”
As a nod back to his first solo record, Misty performed “Nancy From Now On,” a long-time fan favorite.
With pumped up guitar beats paired with depressing lyrics, “Disappointing Diamonds Are the Rarest of Them All,” was followed by his jazzy tune and album’s namesake, “God’s Favorite Customer.”
In stark contrast, Misty went into a rather intense performance of “Nothing Good Ever Happens at the Goddamn Thirsty Crow,” as the tempo picked up in sync with flashing stagelights.
Returning to his latest album, “Mahashmashana,” Misty mystically sang beneath swelling spotlights and air wistfully clouded by the fog machines. Tapping into the spunky side of his discography, the crowd joyously sang along to “She Cleans Up.”
The lights flickered along with the intensity of “Screamland,” and faded as the audience turned to a steady, mellow sway during “Summer’s Gone.”
Misty performed “Mental Health,” detailing his critique of society’s comprehension of it. To wrap up his initial set, Misty, and his band closed with the album’s namesake, “Mahashmashana.”
As the night came to an end, Misty presented his encore, featuring songs from “I Love You, Honeybear.” starting out with his song, “I Went to the Store One Day.” This was followed by one of his biggest hits, “Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins),” an upbeat ballad that tells of his love story with his wife, Emma Tillman.
Just as the bright and bubbly tone of “Chateau” faded out, the audience knew from the first riff that Misty was going into one of his most satirical songs, “Holy S**t.”
As the lights faded to an ultraviolet and almost cobalt blue, Misty finished the night by strumming the chords to “I Love You, Honeybear.”