Words by Christian Arango Photos by Geoff Tischman The night began with Phosphorescent stepping onto the stage and apologizing for not having played in a while. Then they ripped into Terror In The Canyons from their 2013 release Muchacho De Lujo and showed the crowd that they haven’t missed a step. With a nostalgic set that culminated with Not Right, You Know from their 2004 The Weight of Flight they set the stage for an emotionally driven night of lyrics. After a quick set change over and sound check, the crowd was ready for their ministry. The lights dimmed and Father John Misty arrived to an eager crowd that was loud in their welcome but quieted down quickly in their anticipation to hear every word about to be sung. Adorned in all black, Misty started the night of with the self-titled track from his latest album Pure Comedy. He went by the book with his first few selections, running down the track list with Total Entertainment Forever, Things It Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution and Ballad of a Dying Man. After a quick discussion with the crowd over a painting of his face made by a fan, he pondered over why people enjoyed him with a full beard rather than his old look of just a mustache… He decided it was “a littler to early to derail this set with mustache talk” before tearing into his 2015 masterpiece I Love You, Honeybear. Chateau Lobby #4, Strange Encounter, Nothing Good Ever Happens at the Goddamn Thirsty Crow, When You’re Smiling and Astride Me, and True Affection had Misty dancing and flailing about, dropping to his knees to hit notes while the crowd followed along Mistified (I already regret this pun). He weaved effortlessly through his catalog, going from A Bigger Paper Bag to Bored in the USA, even sprinkling in I’m Writing A Novel from his 2012 Fear Fun and the promo single Real Love Baby. Ending out the set with I Love You, Honeybear, Father John Misty noted how strange his song titles sound when being screamed back at him from a crowd. An encore was obviously expected, and Misty delivered in full. Backed by a 7-piece string band and conductor, he graced the stage with haunting, full versions of Leaving LA and So I’m Growing Old On Magic Mountain, standing at 13 and 10 minute run times, respectively. “I got these strings so I gotta do it all”, said Misty, and so he did. Another amazing night at the Cap.

The Capitol Theatre Photo Gallery

Photos by Geoff Tischman [gallery link="file" columns="4" ids="|"]