The Wiltern (Kendall Robertson/Neon Tommy)

That was my first thought when I walked through the doors of the Wiltern this Saturday to watch Father John Misty in concert.  

I shouldn’t have been surprised - Father John Misty, otherwise known as Josh Tillman, reminds me of the Fleet Foxes, but with a little more kick. Give him a listen and you won't be surprised to learn that he was in fact the former drummer for the band.The crowd reflected this musical taste with its folk/indie feel.

My first thought was almost immediately overwhelmed by my second: the Wiltern was beautiful. There are tons of amazing concert venues around Los Angeles that I’ve always wanted to check out, and this was one of them.

It didn’t disappoint: the ornate roof was warm and glowing, but it was the huge red curtain that drew me towards the stage. 

I had always been a fan of Father John Misty's sound, and so when I realized he was playing at the Wiltern I couldn’t resist making a trip out there with two other musically-inclined friends. It was a fantastic decision. 

After we had wandered as close to the stage as we could manage, my friends and I prepared ourselves for the opening act: Kate Berland. In all honesty, we had heard she was horrible, although I didn’t actually know why. I just assumed that she wasn’t a very good singer…

After coming on stage, Berland began to strum, stopping herself almost immediately to launch into some long speech about power structures, equality, the meaning of life and brotherhood, etc. It took me a moment or two of eye rolling to realize that she was being completely satirical. 

Whew. 

Once I understood this, her performance was a lot more entertaining. She joked with the audience, presenting a satirical music-loving hippie to a crowd that understood where she was coming from. Oh how those hipsters laughed. To be honest, I did too. A lot. Still, thirty minutes of dialogue without any musical interruptions can still feel a little tiresome. I enjoyed her act, but wish she had included at least a moment of singing, or more than two chords on her guitar.  

After being pleasantly surprised by Kate Berland- the star of the show came onstage. There was nothing on stage except Father John Misty, his guitar, and a woman in a bunny mask.

Curious about the bunny? So was I.

(I have a feeling it’s up for interpretation.)

Father John Misty (Kendall Robertson/Neon Tommy)

In case you're looking for a more immersive experience, click this Spotify link to listen to the songs he played as you read along music presented at last night’s concert: Father John Misty.

Father John Misty, or FJM as I will call him now, started off with one of my favorite songs off of the Fear Fun album, “I’m Writing a Novel.” I was immediately blown as away this was followed by my actual favorite, “Son of a Ladies Man.” Then FJM really won us over by playing my friend’s favorite song, “Hollywood Cemetery.”

Three for three, right there. FJM for the win.

Father John Misty then launched into something unexpected- a song that I had never heard before called “I Love You, Honeybear.” As it turns out, this was a new song off his upcoming album "I Love You, Honeybear."

To my delight, that was not the only new song that FJM would play for us that night.  

After dropping down a human-sized iPhone case around him, he gave us another preview of a new song about girl who thought she was the center of the cosmos. Before he did this, however, he gave us a peak at his sense of humor by saying: “You know the worst part is, right when I ordered this, they came out with a new one.”   

After a few more jokes akin to that of the iPhone, I realized that Father John Misty has an amazing sense of humor.  He was witty and sarcastic, and incredibly in tune with his audience. 

iPhone Joke (Kendall Robertson/Neon Tommy)

Talented and funny? A double whammy. 

After becoming tired of being “content,” FJM got rid of the iPhone case and started in on “Nancy From Now On” and “Fun Times in Babylon.”

Then he played for us what he called “another panty dropper” (jokes on jokes) - although I’m not sure what the name was, the song was about finding a girl who was unlike anyone he had ever met before: “People are boring but you are something else. Damn. Let’s take our chances.”

If panties weren’t dropped, jaws certainly were.

This new song was beautiful and emotional, and I can’t wait for it to come out.

Father John Misty brought the crowd back in again with a performance of “Well, You Can Do It Without Me,” only to share another new song that left the crowd in awe.

For a quick break in the music, Father John Misty proceeded to remove his jacket and hang it up, then filled a glass with red wine until it overflowed. In his words: “We had to cut down on the pyrotechnics… So all you get is pure art.”

I just kept wondering about the artistic meaning of the bunny. 

Then Father John Misty jumped back into our musical adventure with a cover of a song “about hooking up and thinking too much” aka Dory Previn’s “Lady with the Braid.” Although you may have never heard the original, his cover was phenomenal. 

After the cover, FJM launched into another new song “Bored in the USA.” (Bruce Springsteen, anyone?) followed by “Now I’m Learning to Love the War” from "Fear Fun."

The night appeared to end with “Every Man Needs a Companion,” and Father John Misty’s exodus from the stage with his bunny companion. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when he returned to perform “Tee Pees 1-12” for the chanting crowd.

You know when you like listening to an artist, and then when you watch perform him/her perform live you fall in love?

This what that experience. 

Not only was Father John Misty an amazing singer and guitarist, he was also brilliant with his words.  The lyrics of his songs and the expression of his humor reflected the intelligence and wit of this artist who needed nothing more than a guitar and a microphone to please the crowd.

I cannot wait to see where he goes in the future. 

Read more of NT's show reviews here.

Reach Staff Reporter Kendall Robertson here.