For her “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” tour, Mitski made a stop at the Smart Financial Center in Sugar Land, Texas. Before she took the stage, her opener, Arlo Parks, wowed the audience. Arlo Parks and her band are incredibly talented and professional. Despite a few audio mishaps, they stayed level-headed and kept the show moving. The standout songs from her set, in my opinion, were “Blades” and “Devotion.” I really enjoyed listening to her voice, and her band did such a great job accompanying her while showcasing their own flair. Overall, it was a great start to a night that only got better.
Before Mitski and her band came on stage, the crew began setting up. There was a curtain hanging in the center of the stage, hiding a smaller, raised platform. I love when things are hidden this way because it adds a little mystery to the show. As the band walked on, the curtain was illuminated in red light. The band began playing the first song on the setlist, “Everyone,” then Mitski walked onto the stage and started singing along. She interacted with the curtain for a moment, then disappeared behind it. The lighting shifted slightly, and now you could see her silhouette projected onto the curtain. Her silhouette slowly grew larger until the song ended, and the curtain dropped. This imagery was beautifully paired with the lyrical content of the song and set the tone for the rest of the concert.
All I knew about Mitski before this concert was that she is an incredibly artistic and poetic artist. I had no idea how this would translate to the stage, but it surpassed my expectations. For a few songs, she used chairs as props, arranging them in different ways or dancing with them. At one point, she even seemed to move and dance with a beam of light, which felt like another prop. My absolute favorite was when broken “shards” of metallic boards, suspended by strands, surrounded her during “My Love Mine All Mine.” With the lighting, it looked absolutely stunning. I think it beautifully represented the idea of the moon shining her love back down to earth. In each song, she incorporated specific dance moves or movements that embodied different aspects of the lyrics, like when she mimed playing the guitar during “The Frost” or crawled around on all fours during “I Bet on Losing Dogs.” The entire show felt intentional and meticulous; nothing she did or used was without purpose, and everything represented something within the song.
One of the funniest moments during the concert was when Mitski mentioned she had heard the (Dallas) Cowboys won the other day, and the audience started booing loudly. (Go Texans!) She responded, “I’m a dumb fool who knows nothing about football, so forgive me!” She also joked about how she and the audience were theater kids, which made me giggle because I was a theater kid, too. This also explained why her show was so theatrical, which made me appreciate her even more. During the few times she spoke, she took time to thank the audience, including the parents, for being there. It felt very sweet and genuine—I love when artists take the time to acknowledge the audience like that.
Overall, this was an amazingly beautiful and intricate show. I loved every moment, even though I didn’t know every song. Mitski did such a great job holding the audience’s attention while expressing her artistry through props and movement. I truly believe Mitski is the kind of artist you need to see live to fully appreciate. When she returns, I’d love to experience her show again. If you haven’t listened to her music, you definitely should. Better yet, if you can, go see her in concert! Her next stop is at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on September 12th. You can find the rest of her tour dates and places to stream her music on her website: https://mitski.com.
Photo Gallery by Shelby Sheffield:
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