Amidst an expanded nationwide tour to support his sophomore album, I Love You, Honeybear, Father John Misty played a pair of sold-out nights at The Fillmore in San Francisco to a highly anticipated crowd. While we were fortunate enough to catch one of his first shows of the tour back in January, it was a real treat to see him and his exceptional six-piece band dialed-in after a few months of road testing the new material.
Before Father John Misty hit the stage, fellow Sub-Pop labelmates, King Tuff, got the crowd warmed up with their own unique style of garage rock. The band consisting of Kyle Thomas (guitar/vocals), Magic Jake (bassist), and Old Gary (drummer) played the majority of their set with tracks off their recently released album, Black Moon Spell, but also included old favorites “Bad Thing” and “Alone & Stoned.” The set was filled with epic guitar solos, smoke machines, and ghoulish grins, almost reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne, but nonetheless a fun opener to the evening.
After staring at a neon lit sign that read “No Photography” with a heart around it for a good half hour, Father John Misty hit the stage and jumped right into the title track of his new album, “I Love You, Honeybear.” The sign did little to stop people from pulling out their phones and capturing moments to share with their friends on social media, but this is the type of sarcastic humor FJM is known for. I highly recommend giving him a follow for a good laugh, as he self proclaims it “the only Instagram account worth following.”
The show as expected was highly entertaining, packed with mic twirling, knee-dropping dance moves, hysterical on-stage banter (which is worth the price of admission alone) and spontaneous audience involvement. At one point, Tillman took the phone of a girl recording his performance and sang “Bored In The USA” until the song was finished. He even jumped into the crowd to give some lucky fans a hug and climbed atop a speaker to express his love to his wife sitting in the upstair balcony, while singing “I’m Your Man,” a Leonard Cohen cover.
The on-stage antics and Album of the Year potential make this a must-see tour this year, which should be easier to catch with a bunch of new headlining dates and additions to festivals including, Sasquatch!, Bunbury, Glastonbury, Pemberton, Osheaga, and Lollapalooza. Check out the list of upcoming shows to see if he’s stopping by a city near you…
Father John Misty 2015 Tour Dates:
05/15-17 – Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Music Festival
05/22-25 – George, WA @ Sasquatch! Festival
05/24 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
05/28 – St. Louis, MO @ The Fox Theatre
05/29 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
05/30 – Minneapolis, MN @ Hall’s Island
05/31 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theatre
06/02 – Indianapolis, IN @ Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River
06/03 – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre
06/04 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
06/05-07 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bunbury Music Festival
06/06 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
06/06-07 – Toronto, ON @ Field Trip Festival
06/24-28 – Glastonbury, UK @ Glastonbury
06/26 – Bexhill, UK @ De La Warr Pavilion
06/27-28 – Killarney, IE @ Killarney Food & Music Festival
07/01-04 – Gdnya, PL @ Open’er Festival
07/02-05 – Barcelona, ES @ Vida Music Festival
07/18 – Pemberton, BC @ Pemberton Music Festival
07/19 – Colwood, BC @ Rock the Shores
07/23-26 – Calgary, AB @ Calgary Folk Festival
07/24-26 – Edmonton, ON @ Interstellar Rodeo
07/31-08/02 – Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Festival
07/31-08/02 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
08/01 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Hall
08/03 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre
08/05 – New York, NY @ Central Park Summerstage
08/11-15 – Oslo, NO @ Oya Festival
08/13-15 – Gothenburg, SE @ Way Out West
08/14-15 – Haldern, Nordhein-Westfalen, DE @ Haldern Pop Festival
08/20-21 – Paredes de Coura, PT @ Pauredes de Coura Festival
08/21-23 – Biddinghuizen, NL @ Lowlands Festival
08/22-23 – Beacon, UK @ Green Man Festival
09/20 – Madison, WI @ Orpheum
09/25 – Rochester, NY @ Anthology
09/29 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
09/30 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre
10/01 – Birmingham, AL @ Iron Ciy
10/05 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
10/08 – Louisville, KY @ Palace Theatre
10/09 – Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
10/12 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
10/15 – Las Vegas, NV @ Pool at the Cosmopolitan
10/16 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
10/22 – Galway, IE @ Roisin Dubh
10/23 – Belfast, UK @ Mandela Hall
10/24 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
10/26 – Sheffield, UK @ Plug
10/27 – Cambridge, UK @ The Junction
10/28 – London, UK @ O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
10/29 – London, UK @ O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
11/01 – Bologna, IT @ Locomotiv
11/02 – Munich, DE @ Strom
11/03 – Weisbaden, DE @ Schlachtof
11/04-08 – Reykjavik, IS @ Iceland Airwaves
11/11 – Nantes, FR @ Stereolux
11/12 – Lyon, FR @ Epicerie Moderne
11/13 – Koln, DE @ Luxor
