The lights begin to dim and shadowy figures file onto the stage, taking up their positions arranged in a circle around something hidden by a curtain. The audience quiets, preparing their phones to record and their voices to scream. As the band strikes up the first few chords of “Everyone,” another person walks onto the stage, making their way to the center. As Mitski starts singing into the microphone, quiet and low, the audience erupts into cheers.
On Sept. 14, Mitski performed at the Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie. I was incredibly lucky to be able to attend this concert, which I consider to be one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. As a long-time Mitski fan, I’ve always dreamed of being able to hear her music live. After the rumors going around about her retirement from music in 2022, I was afraid I’d never this dream. However, with the surprising release of her 2023 album, “The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We,” came a tour announcement that excited millions of fans.
The biggest difference between Mitski’s concerts and other shows is that hers end up being more of a performance than a concert. The venue was all seated, and I had a perfect view of the stage from right in the middle. Everyone stayed seated during the show, which is very different from other concerts I’ve been to. It was also much quieter, with less people screaming along to every single song. The choreography itself was very different from what you’d see at a typical concert as well. Every song had a coordinated and pre-planned dance, performed by Mitski herself on a platform in the middle of the stage, with the lights dimmed to make it look like she was the only one there. Some of the dances were “strange,” but all of them added greatly to the overall show. It was far more performance-oriented and intimate than many other concerts, and I loved every minute of it.
Throughout the show, the stage lights and spotlights were used several times to symbolize parts of songs. At the beginning of her song “Star,” a small beam of light came down from the rafters and seemed to be floating around the stage until Mitski caught it in her hands. As the lyrical part of the song began, the light of the ‘star’ expanded, eventually turning into the spotlight. Immediately after “Star,” she performed the song “Heaven” (one of my personal favorites). At the end of this song, two beams of light were on stage, one focused on the floor and one on Mitski herself. On the center platform, Mitski seemed to slow dance with the second beam of light as the instrumental played. These are just two of many songs that used lighting effects as part of the performance, but they were the ones that stood out to me the most.
I had the chance to hear several of my favorite songs, but some of them sounded very different than they do on streaming. Mitski is notorious for making very sad music, which often doesn’t translate well into a concert. However, this issue was remedied. The songs “Pink in the Night” and “I Don’t Smoke” were performed as more folksy melodies as opposed to the very melancholy and heavy tunes that they are known for. Although it was definitely a change from what I expected, it helped me and probably many other fans to not have our moods collectively brought down in real time. I also loved the way both songs sounded with happier melodies, and I am holding onto false hope that live versions of both will one day be released onto streaming services.
With an audience so large (the theater holds around 6,000 people), there are bound to be some issues with concert etiquette. Although the concert itself was amazing, my biggest issue was with the audience. People screamed at the artist during quieter moments, often making weird comments that were probably not well-received. Many people were also screaming lyrics during quieter songs, which did throw off everyone’s experience because it was so loud. However, at times the audience had some really good ideas. During the song “First Love/Late Spring,” people waved their flashlights from their seats, creating an amazing, luminous effect that started from the back of the audience and eventually made its way to the front. For the most part, people were pretty respectful to the artist and the performance. I think that for a seated concert with no general admission, people managed to maintain the quiet, intimate atmosphere fairly well.
Overall, this concert was an amazing experience. I am so grateful I was able to go and see one of my all-time favorite artists live, and I hope that Mitski comes to Texas again sometime in the future as I would definitely jump at the opportunity to see her for a second time.
