Overall rating: 4.5/5
Mitski took the stage on Feb. 10 to engage her audience in a meaningful conversation about the complexities of human emotion.
A limb-numbing breeze sweeps up Victoria St. as a large crowd huddles outside the doors of Massey Hall bathed in the red glow of the venue’s neon signage. Long lacy skirts ripple in the wind as girls wearing dark tights pull their leather jackets closer to their bodies, hoping to retain some body heat. While it might be mild for an evening in February, no one waiting in this line is dressed appropriately for the weather.
The façade of the historic venue looms overhead, the stained-glass windows that line the brick exterior peering down like watchful eyes. The whistling of the agitated wind sounds like voices from the past, whispering to one another in tongues. Even from the street below, there is little doubt that the 130-year-old hall has a story to tell.
Yet, modern-day life hustles on.
Ticket re-sellers shout prices while a man with a backpack slung over his shoulder hawks’ unofficial merchandise to unsuspecting fans. The line, which has now made its way around the corner of the building, is growing restless.
When the doors finally open, the crowd lurches forward with fervour. Heat seeps out of the entrance and onto the street, once numb limbs are quickly warmed back to sensation by the six-floor climb to the upper balcony.
Despite the size of the line outside, concertgoers fill the venue slowly, gazing up in awe at the building’s beautiful architecture. A floor-to-ceiling red curtain hangs in a circular shape on the stage, concealing any important set pieces Mitski may be hiding. Surrounding the red curtain is an abundant assortment of different instruments, ranging from electric guitars and keyboards to a large arrangement of timpani. To the untrained eye, Mitski’s band could easily pass off as a full orchestra. It is astounding.
All of this is quickly forgotten when the show’s opener, Tamino, makes his way onto the stage. Accompanied by only an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar and a lyre, Tamino forgoes the usual showmanship expected of a starting act and lets his haunting vocals take the lead.
His set leaves the audience – who were all vastly underprepared for what they had just witnessed – stunned. Roaring applause follows the young Belgian-Egyptian singer as he quietly makes his way off stage, allowing an admiration-filled murmur to permeate the room. The name ‘Tamino’ is on everyone’s lips as the lights come up, his social media following swiftly increasing by the hundreds.
Mitski takes the stage at exactly 9:05, Massey Hall packed with fans cheering her name. One of her first shows back after an extended break from touring, Mitski wanders out from the wings sporting a boyish new haircut, a pair of jazz slippers and a set of knee pads. With her is a slew of other musicians, all taking their places behind the variety of instruments lined up along the perimeter of the stage.
Throughout the night, Mitski plays a variety of tracks. While the setlist is densely populated by songs from her most recent album The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We, the artist also shares hits such as “I Bet on Losing Dogs,” “First Love/Late Spring” and “Working for the Knife.”
Working with two chairs and a mic stand, Mitski performs the entire two-hour show without interacting with the audience more than three times. Focused more on the choreography that has become the singer’s signature, Mitski treats her shows less like a concert and more like an art show. A stunning representation of humanity, Mitski’s hyper-controlled movements and exaggerated facial expressions leave the audience borderline uncomfortable, forced to digest the singer’s emotional intensity.
As Mitski and her band exit the stage, the audience is slow to move from their seats, processing what they have just witnessed. As people finally make their way down the stairs and back into the frozen world outside of the theatre, the building’s stained-glass eyes keep watch. They know that this night, like many that have come before it, will never be forgotten by those in attendance.