This past weekend, I was lucky enough to be able to attend the opening night of Mitski’s North American tour for her album, The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We. Personally, I have been waiting for this show for the past two years. I originally had tickets to see her in Nashville in 2022, but a canceled flight from Tampa ruined the hope that I had to one day see an artist who means so much to me perform live. At that time, there were rumors that she was going to retire from touring and music indefinitely, so to say I was disappointed to be missing that show would be an understatement (but luckily, my sister was able to attend and FaceTime me for my most favorite songs). However, the show I was able to see this weekend was completely worth the wait. From the setlist to the stage production to Mitski’s own performance, there was hardly anything more you could ask for.
From the minute we got to the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami Beach, I could already tell what kind of night we were going to have. All of the event staff were so kind and helpful, fellow concertgoers were so aware and respectful of others, and the vibe of the venue was just right. Even the poor grandfather and granddaughter duo that were sitting at the end of our row were so sweet despite my best friends and me having to get up a million times before the show. When the show finally began, everyone stayed seated and showed so much respect for the band and Mitski, choosing to sit and absorb her and her performance rather than get up and heckle her and record without end, as so many concertgoers behave today.
Opening the show with “Everyone” from her sixth album Laurel Hell, we see Mitski enter from stage right in a white button-down and black trousers. She makes her way around and behind the huge circular curtain in the middle of the stage, where she ends the song as a massive shadow facing the audience. The curtain drops at the end of the song, and I immediately can tell how much thought and work went into the production of this show. The choreography (which she shared on social media that she had been working on for months), the setting, and the band all around her in a half circle — all of it created such a specific feeling that was incredible to watch. Even the lighting and props used, like suspended paper airplanes coming down during “My Love Mine All Mine” and the lone spotlight used during “Heaven,” were so moving to see her interact with as she performed songs that clearly meant so much to her, and to the audience. A lot of the show I watched through blurry eyes, as the emotion she exudes while she sings and moves throughout the song is so spectacular that you can’t help but cry. And of course, there were those who were only there for her songs that went viral on TikTok, like “Nobody” and “I Bet on Losing Dogs,” but I believe anyone who came only knowing those songs left with their Spotify open and ready to listen to the rest of Mitski’s discography.
Finally, there is something to be said about the song arrangements themselves. The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We carries a much more different sound than Mitski’s other bodies of work, so I was excited and unsure what to expect for what she was going to play and how she was going to play it. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by songs like “I Don’t Smoke” and “Pink in the Night,” in which the original production is very somber and full of intense longing. The choice to make these songs very upbeat and folkier on tour was so cool to see, and even more so knowing that Mitski wrote and produced her new record in Nashville, so it was almost shocking to see the direction she chose when performing these songs. Spoiler Alert: she lines dances to “I Don’t Smoke,” which is something I never imagined I’d see in this lifetime.
Overall, I’d say this was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to in my life, and my only regret is that I didn’t wait in line to get a poster to add to my collection before or after the show. For anyone who has tickets to see Mitski this year, I promise you won’t be disappointed, and for those who don’t, I encourage you to try to get tickets — although most are sold out — and discover Mitski’s music and her artistry, which I think is on a completely other level than most artists today.