Picking Fights With J. Tillman (Of Father John Misty)
Jefertitis Nile played a rousing set of psych-garage rock for the first few innings, and Le Sera played through the next few innings with their extremely enjoyable blend of pop-ish/punk-ish indie rock. I could not imagine a better scenario. Being able to enjoy live music while simultaneously watching live baseball was a dream come true. The Tigers were tied with the Giants when Father John Misty took the stage. My excitement mounted as the tension in the game reached a fever pitch and the band was getting ready to start. My excitement quickly faded the moment J. Tillman opened his mouth. He demanded that the TVs be turned off as if there was more than one. He went on to claim that he didnt care what ball competition was on or if we were all watching a revolution taking place in a foreign country. He was making it very clear that this was his show and that there were to be no distractions. Throughout the first few songs, and until the game ended, he continued to make snide remarks about the game and the few people watching it, myself included. As a musician, I understand the frustration of playing to a room who couldnt give two s**ts about you. Its aggravating and hard to swallow, but ultimately the show must go on. J. Tillman had a hard time letting the show go on. Live shows are a great communal experience. Total strangers cram together in tiny bars or giant arenas to hear their favorite bands. Now I want to take a moment to clarify that I am not dismissing between-song banter my favorite live album is Todd Sniders Storyteller, which is half spoken word tracks introducing songs but shows are ultimately about the music. I am also not trying to make sweeping conjectures as to why people go to shows some go to try and pick up women/men, some go just to go but ultimately the majority of people go to live shows to hear their favorite songs in a context other than the one they have heard before. Its nice to hear the back-story to your favorite song or hear the front man of a band have a conversation, but ultimately shows are about the music. J. Tillman forgot that and made the show all about him. After the first song he asked the audience to imagine 5,000 years into the future when everything we know and love will be dead and gone. Then he asked to imagine five years into the future. In five years, he asked, will we remember something as trivial as a game? He then went on to make some very superficial remarks about sports and consumerism. In five years I may not forget the concert I went to where the lead singer was a belligerent a**hole. Bad memories, unfortunately, stick out just as much as good ones. But I know I will remember the first fall I lived in Detroit when the Tigers went to the World Series. And next season and five seasons from now I will continue to root for the Tigers, but I probably wont pick up the next Father John Misty album.