The rigors of touring can bring an artist down and, earlier this summer, Mitski decided to hang up her spurs after years of touring. The tour for her critically acclaimed 2018 record, Be the Cowboy, brought her to SummerStage in Central Park for her “last show indefinitely”. That ended up turning into two shows on September 7th and 8th when the first sold out fast. As she further clarified on Twitter (from a now-deleted account), “I’ve been on non-stop tour for over five years. I haven’t had a place to live during this time, & I sense that if I don’t step away soon, my self-worth/identity will start depending too much on staying in the game, in the constant churn.”
For the tour, Mitski performed a carefully choreographed routine that incorporated minimal props, mainly a table and a chair that she performed atop of, though occasionally she burst into enthusiastic dance and jumped across the stage. She opened with a 2013 song, “Goodbye, My Danish Sweetheart” and strolled to the chair, taking a seat center stage. And she closed with a fitting finale to the tour, the sparse “Two Slow Dancers” and “Carry Me Out”.
As Rolling Stone noted, “It was only fitting that Mitski ended her tour in the heart of Manhattan, where she began her career quickly after graduating from SUNY Purchase in White Plains, New York (fellow alumni joyously screamed the college’s name in between songs). It’s unclear when she’ll return from hiatus, but the past five years have cemented her as an unforgettable voice. “This is all I ever wanted in my life,” she told the crowd. We believe it.”
Mitski at SummerStage, 8 September 2019
SET LIST: (source)
Goodbye, My Danish Sweetheart
Why Didn’t You Stop Me?
Old Friend
Francis Forever
Dan the Dancer
Washing Machine Heart
I Will
I Don’t Smoke
First Love / Late Spring
Geyser
Townie
Nobody
Liquid Smooth
A Pearl
Thursday Girl
Your Best American Girl
I Bet on Losing Dogs
Drunk Walk Home
Happy
A Burning Hill
[encore break]
Two Slow Dancers
Carry Me Out