Father John Misty at CityFolk 2017. Photo credit: Scott Martin Visuals
“The only bearded weirdo that matters” Josh Tillman, AKA Father John Misty, joked to a fan asking for a hug at Saturday’s CityFolk Festival. It was one of few things he said to the audience that night; for an hour and fifteen minutes, Tillman and his band offered a variety of piano rock and ballads ranging from all three of his full-length albums. The result was a fine mixture between soothing and invigorating, a spectacle that was, if nothing else, satisfying to any fan of his music.
While the personality and humour that is so prevalent in Father John Misty’s music was seemingly absent for certain songs, when it did rear its head, it made for some truly great and authentic moments. “Pure Comedy”, the title track from Father John Misty’s extravagant third album, kicked the set off in a grandiose manner that fans have come to expect from Tillman and company. Backed by odd and unsettling images of the same cartoon characters that can be found on the cover of the album and armed with nothing but his vocals, Tillman’s emotive performance enhanced the satire of the track. This is one of a few key moments in the setlist where his presence struck a beautifully ironic similarity to a preacher. This was also the case with another graceful piano ballad off of Pure Comedy “When the God of Love Returns, There’ll Be Hell to Pay”, where his antics were especially wild and expressive.
Being a recent fan of his work, especially his new album, it was great to hear him open the show with the first four tracks from his latest record. However, tracks from his older material made for some exciting moments as well. “I Love You, Honeybear” was a stellar track to see performed live, with instrumentation that exploded through the crowd.
His encore track, while it was shorter than most and very subtle compared to the rest of the show, did close the show wonderfully and softly. Tillman took the stage solo with just a guitar and performed the closing track from his second album, “I Went To the Store One Day”, and while it wasn’t the explosive ending I was expecting, it was certainly a welcomed change of pace.
If you have yet to check out Father John Misty’s latest album, it’s easily one of the best to come out in 2017. He definitely makes a solid argument, both with his music and his live show (though more-so within music) as to why he is one of the most exciting and versatile artists making music today.
Father John Misty at CityFolk 2017. Photo credit: Scott Martin Visuals
Father John Misty at CityFolk 2017. Photo credit: Scott Martin Visuals
Father John Misty at CityFolk 2017. Photo credit: Scott Martin Visuals