On Sept. 22, alt-indie darling Mitski played at Portland’s Moda Center on her album tour “The Land is Inhospitable and so are We.” Thousands of Doc Marten-adorned, slip skirt-wearing, septum-pierced, eccentrically-accessorized fans flocked to witness Mitski perform in the flesh.
Mitski is well-known for writing sad songs. Her voice has a rich clarity that makes her viscerally heart-wrenching lyrics even more emotive. Her songs are relatable, vulnerable and oftentimes walk the line of artistic and straight up bizarre. But it is the silliness and rawness of her work that so many people are drawn to.
Her performance on stage can be described as outright theatrical. For the opening song, Mitski sang behind a curtain, serenading the crowd with her silhouette before tearing down the curtains as the song ended. Throughout the concert she remained in the center of the stage, walking, crawling and — what I would call — interpretive dancing. She was backed by a band composed of a bassist (stand up and guitar), organist, percussionist, violinist/accordion/lap steel player and three guitarists.
Mitski’s latest album is tied together with a sound reminiscent of country, often through use of the lap steel guitar, acoustic instrumentation and swing rhythms. This theme was present throughout the concert, even for songs from previous albums in a different style. It was a pleasant surprise to hear somber songs such as “Pink in the Night” played in an upbeat, boogie-woogie style.
In an unexpected turn of events, two friends and I were given tickets that were significantly better than the ones we had originally bought. As we waltzed down the halls of the nose-bleeds floor after opening act Suki Waterhouse’s set, we were approached by a stadium employee offering first floor seats. Instead of watching Mitski crawl on the stage via a screen perpendicular to the actual performance, we got to see the performance up close and personal—a major upgrade.
I was impressed by the level of intimacy and intrigue that the concert achieved despite being in one of Portland’s biggest stadiums. This was the largest concert I had ever attended, but my friends who have gone to other stadium shows noted that this was the best one they had seen.
Unsurprisingly, Mitski’s final songs were time-tested favorites: “Nobody” and “Washing Machine Heart.” The crowd was full of energy and singing as the upbeat melodies circulated the stadium.
In my opinion, a good concert is one that takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions. There should be moments that make you laugh, moments that make you cry, moments that make you think and moments that make no sense at all. By my account, this performance delivered all of the above.
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