Father John Misty headlines Rock the Garden 2018 with powerful set

With a heat index over 100°F, Rock the Garden 2018 was hot. And the music made it even hotter. The annual festival held at the Walker Art Center always has had diverse line-ups, and this year was no different. I walked into the festival as Philadelphia based rock band Low Cut Connie was bringing huge energy to the main stage with their opening set. While I didn’t want to burn too much energy early on with the sweltering heat, it was hard not to groove when they were playing.

Southern belle Nikki Lane played a very nice country-rocking set next, before new jazz titan Kamasi Washington and his stellar band laid down an incredible performance that was a tough act to follow. Kamasi, donning a thick knitted hat and long black robe, led his band in through the hottest part of the day with a fantastic set. I can’t wait to see them again.

Chastity Brown played soon after on the smaller garden stage and filled the entire area with thousands of local fans. Her set was enduring, and it was obvious why she is now making a big name for herself outside of the Twin Cities. Canadian artist Feist then played a mesmerizing set on the main stage. It was so nice to finally see her live, and she did not disappoint one bit. Her voice was beautiful, and she and her band played arguably the best set all day.

Father John Misty headlined the festival with one of the most powerful sets I’ve ever seen him play. “Hangout At The Gallows” from his brand new album God’s Favorite Customer was a huge highlight, hitting much harder live than on the album. To a point where it might be easy to say he was just going through the motions, the singles “Pure Comedy” and “Bored in the USA” have been polished to a razor’s edge over the last few years. And those songs sounded fantastic with Father John Misty (Josh Tillman) leaving nothing behind and his voice sounding wonderful.

While a few of the mellower songs might have hit harder in a theatre setting, I’m glad Tillman did it his own way for Rock the Garden. Love him or hate him, he doesn’t seem to care. I thoroughly had a blast and will state without hesitation that he put on an incredible headlining performance.

Previous Father John Misty coverage found here.