Mitski at The Beacon Theatre in New York City: Concert Recap
By Alexandra Henriques
Mitski on stage; Alexandra Henriques
On February 23rd at the Beacon Theatre, everyone was family, as Mitski sang so beautifully in her song, “Bug Like an Angel.” There is truly no way to describe Mitski in concert, as it is such an entrancing experience. Between her dancing, stage presence, stunning vocals, and the lights and special effects, it was easily one of the most captivating concerts I have ever attended.
Mitski opened her 25-song set with “Everyone,” off the album Laurel Hell. She sang most of the song behind a red curtain with only her shadow visible, growing bigger as the song reached its end before the curtain fell to reveal her. Mitski then encouraged the audience to stay in their seats and turn off their flash, calling it “sexy” and “hot,” before continuing her set.
The Frost; Alexandra Henriques
The beauty of Mitski’s concerts is her absorption in the music, which was showcased through every song’s performance. She pretended to play the guitar during “The Frost,” off her newest album, The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We, which the tour honored. During “I Bet on Losing Dogs,” she pretended to pet a dog before crawling on the floor like one. She laid on the floor, pretending to be dead, as she sang, “I’ll be looking in their eyes when they’re down.” Mitski performed “First Love / Late Spring” standing on a chair so that when she sang, “One word from you and I would jump off of this ledge I’m on,” she could pretend to teeter on the edge of it before straightening herself while singing, “Tell me ‘Don’t’ so I can crawl back in.” While she sang “Heaven,” she slow danced with the spotlight beam, and belted “I Don’t Like My Mind” while crawling on the floor to display anguish. During “Last Words of a Shooting Star,” shimmering strings of discs floated down from the ceiling, and she sent them back up throughout her performance. Finally, during her folk version of “I Don’t Smoke,” she performed the Cotton-Eye Joe to match the upbeat tempo and style of the version she sang. While these are only a few examples, they display how immersed Mitski is in the music, creating performances that match each song down to the lyrics.
On top of her phenomenal stage presence, the effects utilized to enhance the performance were amazing. Flashing red lights accompanied her performance of “The Deal,” as the song crescendoed towards the end. In the rendition of “Valentine, Texas,” strobing pink lights illuminated Mitski as the song climaxed. In softer songs like “Star,” the stage lights changed to a light blue. The spotlight beam in her performance during “Heaven” is just another example of great stage work. Additionally, as she sang “My Love Mine All Mine,” pink and blue lights that looked like flowers decorated the stage.
Finally, Mitski’s band and the crowd really made the concert special. As Mitski sang “Bug Like an Angel,” the band and the crowd came together to sing the word “family,” which sounded beautiful. The band was amazing; they all appeared to enjoy their time on stage, and their performances were lovely. As Mitski gave many of her songs a folk or upbeat twist, the band performed all the acoustics, instead of a backing track. Furthermore, the crowd was respectful of Mitski’s wishes to stay in their seats and not disrupt other concertgoers with camera flashes, and it was such an experience to sing together, especially with her closing songs, including “Nobody” and “Washing Machine Heart.”
Overall, Mitski put on one of the best concerts I have ever seen. I strongly encourage everyone to attend her shows at the Merriweather Post Pavilion on August 30th, 31st, and September 1st*.
*The August 30th and 31st shows are sold out, but September 1st still has tickets available.
