The last few years have been a whirlwind for Mitski — going from an extremely well-respected, critically acclaimed and relatively commercially successful indie artist to the top of the Tik-Tok Billboard list with “My Love Mine All Mine,” among other songs that translated well to the social media platform. This led to a bit of a strange dichotomy — a fairly avant-garde performer attracting the kinds of audiences that are used to Taylor Swift or Sabrina Carpenter concert etiquette.
Mitski concluded her most recent tour in support of The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We (which features “My Love Mine All Mine”) at the Hollywood Bowl. And while some of the complaints she and others have had about her new fans rang true during the set, they weren’t distracting to the average concert-goer at the famed Hollywood venue. Yes, the demographics skewed much younger than the average Bowl show, there was some shouting along with the lyrics to her most popular songs, and unfortunately, some phones were out filming the set in totality. But for the most part, it was no different than any other show at the amphitheater.
Before Mitski took the stage, her opening counterpart Sharon Van Etten was more than impressive. In one of the best sets of the season (which is now technically fall and not summer), she played an eclectic set of songs that showcased why she is one of the most respected artists in the independent music world. Any ticket holder who decided to skip the opener missed out on what was arguably the night’s superior set. It’s hard to compare Mitski and Sharon Van Etten — and unfair to pit them against each other — but with the performance Van Etten put on, she could have easily headlined at the Bowl.
While older fans may think of her as a heartland rock revivalist, a bit of a modern Bruce Springsteen, her new material has expanded well beyond that shoehorning. There were synths galore and for the most part, Van Etten performed without a guitar, taking the traditional frontwoman role. She opened with a bit of a tease, playing a looped sample with her disembodied vocals repeating a refrain. Suddenly the music stopped and the band transitioned into “Jupiter 4,” a song from her incredible 2019 album Remind Me Tomorrow that was featured heavily affected guitars, giving it a pulsating, spooky vibe.
Next, she played what appears to be a new song called “Afterlife,” which she has previously played at least one show in London. It was also heavy on the synths and extremely melodic while maintaining the melancholic atmosphere of her earlier material. After the song, she took a beat to get ready for the next song, during which a fan screamed “I love you Sharon!” — she gestured with a bow.
What followed was the emotional climax of Van Etten’s set, “Comeback Kid.” Another classic from Remind Me Tomorrow, this cut had a bit more of her classic rock cadence, with the guitars front and center. This was easily one of the night’s highlights, with the audience singing along to the anthemic chorus.
Then was the first song that featured Van Etten on guitar. It appears to be another new song, titled “Idiot Box,” with a very guitar-forward sound that fits with some of her earlier material. After the song she took an extended period to address the audience, saying that as a Jersey Girl her heart was wild with nervousness playing the famous Hollywood Bowl. Van Etten finished up her set with the sludgy “Headspace,” the Springsteen-esque “Every Time The Sun Comes Up” and concluded with one of her biggest hits, the nostalgic and transformative “Seventeen.”
As Mitski prepared to take the stage, the Bowl suddenly felt a lot more full, a shame considering they paid so much money just to miss half the show. But that’s between them and their bank account. But young, inexperienced and devoted fans are just part of the sudden (but not quick) fame for an artist like Mitski. Plenty of fans arrived wearing Mitski shirts, waiting for all of Sharon Van Etten’s set to buy a vinyl record of Mitski’s and yes, lots of filming of the set with their phones.
But there’s no sense in blaming an artist for their fans. And at the end of the day, it’s great that young music fans are latching themselves onto someone as artistic and boundary-pushing as Mitski. The kids are picking the right kinds of artists to love. Mitski performed with a robust band, featuring a guitarist, bassist, drummer, percussionist, a pedal steel/banjo/accordionist and a synthesizer player. With a six-piece backing band, she was able create sounds that ranged from straight-up Americana to futuristic synth pop.
She opened with “Everyone,” which like many of the songs she played tonight, had strong Americana vibes. It would be too far to call it country, but the pedal steel guitar rang through strong. Next up was “Buffalo Replaced,” one of the hits from her 2023 album The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We. “Working For the Knife” is easily one of her most recognizable songs from 2022’s Laurel Hell, and it provided ample opportunity for her now-famous improvised dance moves. “The Frost” is from her most recent album as an organ-driven, soulful song.
“Valentine, TX” is a dark, mysterious song with a bit of a noir atmosphere that explodes into a straight-up rock anthem. “I Bet on Losing Dogs” offered one of the more humorous moments of the night, as Mitski posed like a dog on all fours and panted during the final moments of the song. It was the perfect combination of her appealing songcraft and unique, sometimes confusing stage presence, and the audience ate it up.
“First Love / Late Spring” featured a more straightforward song structure — no surprise since it was the one of the oldest song from her set, dating all the way back from 2014’s Bury Me at Makeout Creek. She would later revisit the album later on in her set with the powerful “I Don’t Smoke.” While Mitski is mostly known as a straightforward if experimental indie rock artist, it needs to be stated how heavily classic country, western and folk music play into her sound. The pedal steel was prominent throughout the set, and sometimes even more obscure American influences penetrated her songwriting.
“Happy” is the perfect example. Believe it or not, with its heavy horn section, the song incorporated a Zydeco sound — not something you’d expect to hear on an indie rock night at the Hollywood Bowl. After “Happy” came the performance that surely much of the audience was waiting for with bated breath. “My Love Mine All Mine” was performed exactly as expected, with much of the audience filming along to the anthemic song.
One thing to note about the show is that Mitski — likely in an attempt to fit as much material into the hour and a half set as possible — opted to play truncated versions of most of the songs. That meant a mostly verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure, with lengthy solos or instrumental interludes omitted. All in all, it made for a brisk and pretty fan-friendly experience.
Before the last segment of the concert, Mitski took a moment to address the audience one last time. She admitted she’d be getting corny and that the “cynical Los Angeles” fans should stop listening. She talked about wishing she could bottle up the feeling she has when performing live, and that when shows were over, she mostly lost that feeling. She earnestly related this to life in general, saying how she cannot take the good feelings she gets from touring and life in general with her when she dies. Then, after asking us cynical Angelenos to listen back in, she finished up her set.
She finished her proper set with “Fireworks,” a bass-heavy song that comes from her breakthrough album Puberty 2. Encores aren’t really a thing at the Hollywood Bowl, so after briefly faking out like her set was over she came out for two more songs. First was “Nobody,” a singalong song followed by one of her biggest hits, “Washing Machine,” which saw much of the audience singing along word-for-word.
Mitski’s newfound audience may make her a little uncomfortable, but they are bringing her and artists like Sharon Van Etten new levels of exposure. And how wonderful it is that the kids are listening to an artist as uncompromising and experimental as Mitski? All in all, another great performance at the legendary Hollywood Bowl.
Mitski Setlist
Everyone
Buffalo Replaced
Working for the Knife
The Frost
The Deal
Valentine, Texas
I Bet on Losing Dogs
Thursday Girl / Geyser
First Love/Late Spring
Star
Heaven
I Don’t Like My Mind
Old Friend
I Love Me After You
Happy
My Love Mine All Mine
Last Words of a Shooting Star
Pink in the Night
I Don’t Smoke
Lonesome Love
I’m Your Man
Fireworks
File photo by Kalyn Oyer
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