Show Review: Father John Misty “Solo” with Kate Berlant

Comedian Kate Berlant opened the night for a steadily growing crowd. With an acoustic guitar in hand for the majority of her set, she would strum a few chords and go into built-up rants or observations of the moment, easily making the crowd laugh without her jokes being blatant.

There’s something to say for comics who are genuinely funny, in the sense that they can just talk, like you would to a friend at a bar over a whiskey on the rocks. Berlant didn’t have the stereotypical joke-punchline routine, it was more along the lines of storytelling and critiquing. Her sarcasm and general antics were believable and got consistent laughs from the crowd. Personally, I’m not one who will watch Saturday Night Live or go to comedy shows, but I enjoyed Berlant’s performance.

After talking a bit about the manufacturing business practices behind the obnoxiously popular rubber wristbands, she threw some of her own, reading “I Feel,” out to the audience who eagerly snapped them up. Increasingly personable as her set continued, she encouraged the crowd to talk with her after the show, tweet at her, and as she flipped her massive curly hair to one side, to take photos on phones, too.

Show Preview: Father John Misty “Solo” w/ Kate Berlant

Father John Misty will perform a solo set on
Friday, Oct. 25 at Cat's Cradle with Kate Berlant
opening.

The night will have a bit of an nontraditional start, especially considering the catalog of musicians J. Tillman could have called upon to join him on tour. In lieu of music to prep fans for the swanky tunes of Father John Misty, Kate Berlant will perform “psychedelic, absurdist stand-up.” She’s known for her weekly comedy shows in New York and has been part of a handful of prominent comedy festivals and showcases. While part of the beauty of going to a touring concert is the potential in discovering new music that one of your favorite artists digs, I’m definitely not opposed to a good laugh.    

As with most people, I was a Fleet Foxes fan, and guilty of playing "Ragged Wood" way more than anyone ever should. I heard the drummer started a side project and was intrigued. Then I realized that this drummer was also the same one from post-rock outfit Saxon Shore. The combination of backgrounds in indie folk and ambient/shoegaze made me really curious to what Father John Misty, as a band, would sound like. Inevitably, I checked out Fear Fun (2012) and fell in love. Folk harmonies met psych influences, undoubtedly drawn from Tillman's personal background, and I was hooked.

I caught Father John Misty with full band at Bonnaroo this summer. His stage presence was simultaneously laid back and infecting, and the show marked a highlight of the weekend. I expect that feeling not to be lost in a solo show, perhaps it'll be even more amplified because of the intimacy having only one person on stage creates. The narrative he found in his lyrics tells interesting stories, easy to digest yet thought-provoking and sometimes off the wall.  

Tickets for the show on October 25 at Cat's Cradle are $20 and are available online at catscradle.com and at the door. Doors open at 8:00 PM and the show starts at 8:30 PM.