Following the release of her seventh studio album The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We, indie singer-songwriter Mitski Miyawaki (mononymously known as just “Mitski”) began to announce highly anticipated show dates. The first few of these show dates took place across Europe; though, Mitski described this leg of performances as “not a full blown-out tour” and more a preview of her album. However, she then announced nineteen tour dates across the United States, with the first two shows taking place between January 26-27 in Miami Beach.

The Fillmore is a traditional theatre-like venue, harboring around 2,700 seats; tickets sold out in a matter of seconds, but I was fortunate enough to secure tickets for my friends and me. This intimate venue, while a subject of complaint for many who were unable to buy tickets due to limited availability, was perfect for Mitski’s style of performance which is theatrical in on of itself. An artist who emphasizes that her work is, indubitably, art, Mitski thrives in smaller venues.

Among the openers of Mitski’s tour are Sunny War, Cowboy Junkies, Trust Fund, Julia Jacklin, and Sarah Kinsley. Opening for the first show of the tour was Belgian-Egyptian musician Tamino-Amir Moharam Fouad (typically referred to as just “Tamino”), who played a short four-song set. His music had a clear Middle-Eastern influence, highlighted through his powerful yet soul-caressing falsetto, charming fans and new listeners alike. A girl in front of me shouted a passionate “I love you!” in between his sets, to which he responded with a sweet “I love you, too.”

“One of the most shocking and memorable things of the concert was her opener,” mentioned senior and attendee Leandra Obando. “His live vocals are some of the best I’ve ever heard, which is very rare to hear this time and age.”

Following Tamino’s set, there was a brief break. The stage lights shone a bright red, leading me to lean over to my friend and jokingly whisper: “The stage is red, meaning she has to open with Laurel Hell”— Much to my surprise (and unshakeable joy), Mitski did in fact open with a song from Laurel Hell, that being her live debut of “Everyone“. This song was sung by her in a more folk-like style, fitting in with the Spaghetti Western sound that heavily influenced The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We. Considering this song is one of her least streamed, I was surprised she chose to open with it– However, be not mistaken, I was thrilled. An underrated gem, “Everyone” was a beautiful choice for an opener. Mitski delighted audiences as she sang: “I open my arms wide to the dark.”

“Since we were the first show of the tour, I had no idea what songs she would sing, so I was definitely surprised to hear her pull out some more obscure pieces from most of her albums!” mused ILS ’22 alum Gabriela Danger, an avid Mitski fan in attendance. “She was very kind to the crowd, even speaking to us in Spanglish like a true Miamian! Most people were sitting— but not for a lack of concert etiquette, but rather because the style of music simply didn’t call for a rowdy, standing audience. Overall, the show was nice and I am happy to have been at the very first one!”

As she proceeded with her set, her staging was quite minimalist; two chairs accompanied her on stage, which she used in parts of her choreography. Her choreography is credited to Monica Mirabile, who has worked with Mitski’s shows many times in the past. The theatricality of Mitski’s performance can only be defined as organized chaos, described as “ritualistic” by i-D. Every movement, no matter how loose, was undoubtedly filled with intention, forming a part of a narrative; this style of choreography felt reminiscent of that of the late dance icon Bob Fosse. No other visuals were needed for Mitski to deliver a moving performance, as her voice and movements told a story. To me, the most notable piece of choreography was during “Star” and “Heaven,” in which numerous spotlights lined the stage– she reached her hand into each light, finding herself unable to grasp anything. As she continued to walk through the lights, she finally focused her energy on one spotlight as she held her arm outward in a poised manner, slow dancing across the stage with her impalpable partner; I knew Mitski’s performance would be a tear-jerker, but I didn’t expect my eyes to well up at such an ostensibly simple piece of choreography.

“I died,” stated senior Victoria Pla quite simply, a quiver of excitement in her voice. “I literally died.”

The only time additional visuals were used in her performance was halfway through the show when she took center stage to sing “My Love Mine All Mine,” the most popular song in her new album with 551K Spotify streams (as of late January 2024). As she sang, she was highlighted by a large spotlight. Surrounding the spot where she stood were various figures that slowly came down from the ceiling; upon further inspection of these flat figures, one could notice that they resembled pieces of a shattered teacup, similar to the imagery Mitski used when promoting the album. These pieces remained on stage as she sang “The Last Words of a Shooting Star,” shortly floating back up before disappearing as a whole before she moved on to her next song.

While Mitski stayed relatively true to the original orchestrations of the majority of the tracks she performed, she did alter the expected sound of a handful of songs (including the aforementioned opening, Everyone). The song to follow “The Last Words of a Shooting Star” was an uptempo version of her devastating track “Pink in the Night,” leading the audience to dance in their seats while holding back tears as they sang out “And I know I’ve kissed you before but I didn’t do it right; Can I try again, try again, try again?”. Additionally, one of her most notable orchestration changes was to “I Don’t Smoke” (which just so happens to be my favorite song of hers), which she sang in an upbeat folk style as she danced something reminiscent of a traditional country line dance. The aforementioned orchestration was briefly teased on social media by choreographer Mirabile, gaining traction from fans and attracting mixed reviews, being deemed “I Don’t Smoke (Jolly Version)” by many– Despite the countless skeptics of this interpretation, it had to be my favorite performance of the whole night. There was nothing like watching Mitski doing a fun little step dance to one of the most heart-wrenching songs I’ve ever heard.

Mitski debuted a handful of songs at this show alongside opener “Everyone,” including “Valentine, Texas” and the aforementioned “Pink in the Night.” This show also marked the first time she has sung “Fireworks” since 2019. However, there were some exclusions to the set list that shocked many of her fans; for example, this show was the first time she removed the famous “Francis Forever” from the setlist. There were also no songs performed from her debut albums Lush (my personal favorite) and Retired from Sad, New Career in Business. Additionally, she omitted “When Memories Snow” from the set list, making “When Memories Snow” the only song not performed from her new album. Despite these decisions, her set list was perfectly crafted with a beautiful combination of her songs, ranging from her more popular tunes to some of her lesser-appreciated ones. I laughed, I cried, and I sang along so passionately that there’s a raspy squeak in my voice when I try to talk now.

“I thought the Mitski concert was amazing and it lived up to my standards,” praised senior Maya Martinez, who had been anticipating this concert since October. “I wish she had played some of her other songs that were my favorites, but I enjoyed it regardless.”

Overall, it was a fantastic show, and feel extremely fortunate to be a part of the first group of people to experience this tour for one of my favorite artists of all time. Mitski will continue  touring throughout the rest of this year, recently adding more datings up to September with iconic openers including Ethel Cain, Laufey, Lamp, Alvvays, Arlo Parks, and Wyatt Flores. If you’re able to secure tickets, this is not a show to miss.

“I wish I could’ve gone because I love Mitski,” mourned senior Nadia Pages. “Go if you can! Spend all of your money!”