Father John Misty tries to conjure up magic at Northrop

Thank you. Lurking around a college campus in a black suit is my normal Saturday anyways.

Father John Misty is an amazing performer, and Northrop Auditorium in Minneapolis is a gorgeous venue with pristine sound. Normally, this combination leads to a memorable concert, but on this night, it felt like there was far too much space between the performer and the crowd. On tour to support the 2015 release I Love You, Honeybear, Father John Misty (J. Tillman) and his stellar band did their best to rock the capacity crowd. And in the end, they did accomplish that. It was the venue that felt a little flat.

After seeing Father John Misty absolutely rock First Avenue last year, as well as put on the best set at Festival Palomino, it at times felt Tillman was just going through the motions at the Northrop. Since last year, some song arrangements have changed a bit, like an ultra-twangy start to “Tee Pees 1-12” from Father John Misty’s 2012 debut Fear Fun. Towards the end of “Nothing Good Ever Happens at the Goddamn Thirsty Crow”, the band went heavy metal for a bit as well. Not surprisingly, the songs that sounded the best at Northrop were the mellower acoustic guitar tunes that Tillman played solo like “Now I’m Learning to Love the War”, and a really beautiful “I Went to the Store One Day” that started off the encore.

With attendees stuck to their seats, the heavier and more intense songs like “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings” and “True Affection” didn’t pack their normal punch. It’s not to say that Tillman didn’t try. During “True Affection” he was silhouetted against and bright purple and pink lighting, and he was loose and danced like I’ve never seen him dance. It was awesome to watch.

Much to the appreciation of the audience, the band covered Nine Inch Nail’s “Closer” during the encore. Tillman said it was “his favorite love song”, before the band rocked it. The show ended with the noisy and awesome “The Ideal Husband” from I Love You, Honeybear. Again Tillman and company did their best to raise the energy before finally leaving the stage. But in the end, there is only so much one can do when a lot of the crowd remained seated for the entire concert.

Father John Misty at Northrop Auditorium

Tess and Dave