Father John Misty proves to be his own force of nature

Fans of Father John Misty found themselves in a battle of wills with Mother Nature Sunday night. 

A strong band of thunderstorms rolling across New York delayed Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards from opening the gates to the popular Lafayette summer concert venue for more than three hours.

Most waited out the weather in their cars, fearing an outright cancellation of the former Fleet Foxes member’s rare upstate New York appearance. Yet around 6 p.m., the worst of the storms had subsided and the flood of Misty faithfuls ventured into the open-air venue. 

With the rain delay nixing initial opener Hamilton Leithauser’s set, Lucinda Williams was left to warm up the night. The veteran singer-songwriter’s stage presence was lackluster at times, however, her nostalgic rock ballads charmed the crowd just enough to keep spirits hopeful amid a persistent sprinkle of rain.

By the time Williams closed out her set with a rousing cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” the skies had cleared enough, setting the stage for Misty to be the main act rather than the weather.

And the 44-year-old singer who artfully blends indie rock and traditional country into a lounge-like act put on a show that was worth waiting out all the uncertainty that preceded it. 

Misty, née Josh Tillman, opened with “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All,” a sultry groove of a song and the second-longest track off his latest release, Mahashmashana. 

Tillman walked onto the stage oozing a confidence that draws you in, making it impossible to look elsewhere. He casually leaned onto the amps bordering the stage, beckoning front row fans in the pit to draw closer to him.

Clad in a simple cream button-down and brown slacks and adorned with a pair of shades that hid his face for the first few songs of his set, Misty’s look matched his nonchalant, yet charismatic persona.

In his second song, “Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose,” Misty truly showed off his character skills and the matter-of-fact nature of the song allowed him to create some intimate moments with the crowd. As he pointed directly to the standing crowd, saying, “You may never be whole again,” many must have felt as I did that he was speaking directly to them.

The 80-minute setlist continued with all but one song off his newest album, and interspersed with fsome earlier hits, including “Nancy from Now On” and “Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins).” These in particular shone, beloved by the crowd and adding a welcome sense of joy to the evening.

Before “Being You,” Misty riled up the crowd, pointing to the open section of grass right of the stage, saying there’s “plenty of room to scream” if anyone needs it, then excusing himself for not having “finely tuned stage banter.”

Misty’s songs themselves are full of banter and a delight to watch, as it almost feels like a glimpse into his inner monologue. Yet to call it simply that would be a dismissal of the true performance that Misty puts on.

The weather eventually did pose one final threat to Misty’s triumphant night in the apple orchards. As the full band departed for its standard end-of-set break, Misty spun around and headed back to centerstage to announce that he wouldn’t be able to play a full encore because lightning had been spotted on the radar.

But rather than send home a couple thousand disappointed fans, Misty picked up his guitar and performed an acoustic version of “Holy S—” off his decade-old second album, I Love You, Honeybear.

Misty’s deadpanned delivery and stripped performance emphasized the lyrical craftsmanship in a song about finding a silver lining through the tragedy that seems to be our modern world.

While fans swayed back and forth to the melodic chorus under the darkened skies, I couldn’t help but think holy s—, it feels like a miracle that the show really happened.