Coming from Seattle, a city known for its music, I’ve visited a variety of music venues. That being said, The Observatory is a special place. It’s small and intimate; perfect for getting lost in the music and maintaining a sense of comradery with fellow concert goers.
The blue lights on the stage shine down; a big black veil suspended from a frame of PVC serves as the backdrop for the opening band Tess & Dave. The letters T and D hang on the black fabric, glittering gold; on the stage a sword’s handle sticks out of a box. No one seems to know who this duo is so we wait in anticipation to see what is to come. Tonight the crowd is made up of mostly young hipsters from the greater OC area. They wear their vintage clothing most likely made in this century proudly. They’re very stylish compared to the laid back, ultra casual look I am used to in Seattle.
A voice comes on overhead as the lights darken; it’s a deep futuristic robot voice. Tess & Dave enter from opposite sides of the stage slowly walking to each other and begin singing to a track. At first the crowd is a bit miffed by the apparent performance art Tess & Dave offer. However, after seeing them jump around and dance together as if they were at a high school prom; Dave in a white blazer and red undershirt and Tess with a bright floral dress shirt and black vest both adorned with corsages the crowd starts to loosen up. We start to have fun. Their set is short but leaves us wanting to know more about this interesting duo with two backup dancers who complete with choreographed routines.
Finally, it’s time for the main attraction; the man himself Josh Tillman, better known to fans as Father John Misty. The entire show is electric. He is the preacher and we are his followers. Starting with “Everyman Needs a Companion” he launches into “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings”. Wearing his iconic look of a black blazer and black pants Father John Misty wanders around stage; the music taking hold of him and together we are mesmerized by the music. The first part of the show he plays primarily from his first album, “Fear Fun”. The highlight is “Nancy From Now On”. Josh Tillman has developed this sort of trance like dance. From there he begins a sort of Act II singing songs mostly from his latest album, “I Love You Honeybear”, released last February.
In a roomful of young 20 year olds, “Bored in the USA” elicited a humorous reaction from the crowd. As Tillman croons “Save me, white Jesus…they gave me a useless education and a subprime loan” the lyrics hit home for the many college or recent college grads. Father John Misty proves to be a voice of a generation; many of his songs have a spiritual element or some deeper meaning behind them. It makes sense too as Tillman was raised in a strict Pentecostal family and struggled with his faith for sometime. Tillman ends the set with the title track “I Love You Honeybear”. For his encore he comes out alone to do “I Went to the Store One Day” and then covers “Kiss it Better” by Rhianna. Skeptical at first the crowd loves it. The final song of the night is “The Ideal Husband” which has Tillman frantically dancing all over the stage for a thrilling finale. Before leaving the stage Tillman reaches down to shake many of the outstretched hands of the crowd and thanks us for a great night.
As the crowd filters out of the theatre and grabs their tacos and bacon wrapped hot dogs we depart; minds blown by the man, called Father John Misty.