Father John Misty and Jason Isbell gratify fans at The Armory

Father John Misty and Jason Isbell are two of the best songwriters alive today. While musically they differ greatly, it is easy to see how the two paired up as friends and launched a co-headlining tour together. Not including festival slots both have played in the area, The Armory in Minneapolis was a step up in size for each artist, and the larger venue at times lacked intimacy for their respective styles of music.

Over half of the crowd arrived early and witnessed a fantastic opening set by British singer-songrwriter Jade Bird. With help from local radio station 89.3 The Current (who was also livecasting each set), Bird already had many fans in the audience. She was grateful and charming, and her vocals were incredibly strong. Songs like “I Get No Joy” and “Uh Huh” packed a hard punch, especially considering it was just the twenty-one year old onstage with her acoustic guitar.

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

Jason Isbell along with his band The 400 Unit started their set with “Anxiety” from the 2017 release The Nashville Sound. It hit home, as did the rest of their hour and ten minute set. While Father John Misty (Josh Tillman) relies heavily on sardonic wit, Jason Isbell brings a more southern gentleman-like presence to the stage without hiding cleverness or honesty. “White Man’s World” is a no bullshit look at presumed racial superiority and it hit hard, with Isbell grinding the song out across the strings of his Gibson electric guitar.

“Elephant”, from Isbell’s 2013 solo release Southeastern, is one of the saddest songs I’ve heard live in recent memory. Written about a friend dying of cancer, Isbell plucked at his acoustic with some help from keyboardist Derry DeBorja. It echoed through The Armory purely and it was emotional and chilling. Isbell later dialed up “Outfit” from his days with Drive-By Truckers. It had a laid-back feel but ended with a really nice solo by Isbell and fellow guitarist Sadler Vaden.

The band raised the energy with a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well” before ending their set with the hit single “If We Were Vampires” from The Nashville Sound under heavy red stage lighting. Although Isbell’s wife, Amanda Shires, who plays violin with The 400 Unit was not in attendance, the band played tight and sounded perfect all night, and the crowd thoroughly enjoyed it.

Father John Misty

The stage was a shadowy dark blue when Father John Misty started his set with “Hangout at the Gallows” from his 2018 release God’s Favorite Customer. Dressed in ill fitting slacks, a white t-shirt, a well-worn jacket, and sunglasses, a heavily bearded Josh Tillman stood center at the mic while the rest of his band filled the edges in near darkness. I love this song, but it didn’t hit as hard as the first time I heard it live at Rock the Garden last year. “Date Night” was played next and made up for it however. Tillman moved back and forth across the stage with serpent-like ease and it was captivating and rose the energy level of the show quickly.

“Ballad of the Dying Man” from the 2017 album Pure Comedy was beautiful. Accompanied by his acoustic, Tillman’s voice sound pure and stunning. Sticking to the theme, “Please Don’t Die” and then “The Palace” from God’s Favorite Customer both felt delicate and real from the middle of the crowd. Leaving heavier songs like “True Affection” and “The Ideal Husband” from the 2015 album I Love You, Honeybear off of the setlist, Father John Misty stuck to his lighter tunes and it mostly paid off, although the airy sparseness of The Armory at times took away some of the sentiment of the quieter songs.

With a 70s AM radio vibe, “Real Love Baby” was played in the middle of the set and was definite highlight of the night. Before breaking in to the brand new synth-driven song “Time Makes Fools Of Us All”, Tillman stated “This is a new song I’d like to dedicate to Kevin Durant. Get well soon.” The crowd laughed, and then went back to barely moving. The addition of a horn section added so much to the sound all night, and was especially highlighted during “God’s Favorite Customer” played towards the end of the set. Before the encore, “Pure Comedy” and “I Love You, Honeybear” were both stunning and heavy, and the best back to back songs played all night.

Tillman and the rest of his band returned to the stage with ten minutes to play before 11pm. Rather than squeezing in two songs, Tillman took time to write a mocking ad lib about the movie A Star Is Born — a running joke all night between he and Jason Isbell. While it was humorous and loose, I much rather would’ve heard one of his real songs. The night ended with an upbeat and twangy version of “I’m Writing a Novel” from his excellent 2012 debut Fear Fun.

It’s sometimes hard to discern if Josh Tillman is acting or being himself and that’s what I love about him. The fans that knew his music danced and sang along, while a majority of the crowd stood in stillness, seeming to ponder what was happening in front of them. It felt like a weird mix of energy in the crowd at times, but I for one, enjoyed the show very much. Seeing Father John Misty and Jason Isbell at The Armory was wonderful and I hope to remember this one for a long time.

Jade Bird