HOLLYWOOD, CA- The Hollywood Bowl is one of those venues that carries its own weight. To perform there is to claim a space in music’s upper echelons, where only the most significant voices resonate among the hills of Los Angeles. When I saw that Mitski and Sharon Van Etten were sharing a bill there, it was more than just another concert; it was a melding of two distinct yet equally compelling musical worlds that have been staples of my playlists for years.
I was particularly drawn to the event because Mitski has been a rising star whose notoriety has taken on almost mythical proportions in the music world. Her eclectic style has always felt challenging to pin down. With a multicultural background, having lived in Japan, Turkey, and other countries throughout her upbringing, her music defies easy categorization. Whether it’s indie rock, pop, or avant-garde ballads, there’s always something deeply introspective and eccentric at the core of Mitski’s work. It’s this unpredictability that makes her such a compelling artist, and why I was eager to witness her live performance—especially on a stage like the Hollywood Bowl. The fact that the curators of such a historic venue chose her to headline says volumes about the reverence for her work and the anticipation surrounding her live performances. Needless to say, I was excited.
Sharon Van Etten, on the other hand, has been in my regular rotation for quite some time. My introduction to her came through the haunting track “The End of the World,” which made its way onto my playlist with its apocalyptic sense of nostalgia. Originally featured in The Man in the High Castle, the song feels timeless—rooted in an old-school tradition yet stirring enough to transcend it. But after I dove deeper into her catalog, I found that Van Etten wasn’t just a folksy balladeer; she was a firebrand, a rocker through and through.
Her performance at the Hollywood Bowl reflected that fiery side. Although she didn’t perform “The End of the World” that night, she still managed to electrify the crowd with a setlist that included fan favorites like “Jupiter 4” and “Headspace.” There’s something about the raw emotion and energy in Sharon’s live show that transcends the recorded versions of her tracks. Her delicate and ferocious voice hit harder live, and her presence on stage felt commanding. It was the kind of performance that endears her loyal fans even more and garners new followers with every song.
When she closed with “17,” it felt like the perfect punctuation to her set. The song is both deeply personal and universally resonant, capturing a yearning for youth and the passage of time that hit the audience with full force. Sharon Van Etten is not just a critic’s darling because of her artistry but because of the honesty and raw emotion she brings to the stage. Her Hollywood Bowl performance was no different—it was both intimate and grand, heartfelt and defiant.
Then came Mitski. The anticipation in the air was palpable, and from the moment she took the stage, it was clear that this would be no ordinary performance. While her setlist that evening mirrored much of what she’s been playing on her current tour, it didn’t detract from the magic of seeing her perform live. For fans, it was a dream come true—Mitski delivered on hits like “My Love Mine All Mine,” “I Bet on Losing Dogs,” and “First Love / Late Spring,” while weaving in material from her latest release, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We. Tracks like “Buffalo Replaced,” “Heaven,” and “The Deal” showed just how far Mitski has come as an artist, dipping her toes into various genres throughout the set.
But what stood out most about Mitski’s performance was the way in which it transcended the usual live concert format. This wasn’t just about music; it was about movement, emotion, and storytelling. I found myself whispering to my guest at one point that it felt almost like I was watching something that David Byrnes and Talking Heads produced. It had that same sense of performance art, where the boundaries between music, theater, and dance blur into something altogether new. My guest nodded in agreement.
Mitski’s movements on stage—sometimes sharp and erratic, other times fluid and graceful—were just as much a part of the performance as the music itself. She dangled from stage scaffolding, flailed her limbs with purpose, and kicked the air in perfect sync with her songs. It was choreographed, no doubt, but it felt spontaneous, as if her body was simply responding to the music in real-time. At one point, she mentioned that she’s had no formal dance training, but you wouldn’t know it from watching her. Her body seemed to be in perfect harmony with the sound, almost as if she were an instrument in the performance.
What’s more, Mitski’s ability to shift between genres and emotional tones was on full display. One moment, she’d have the audience wrapped in a melancholy ballad like “I Don’t Like My Mind,” and the next, she’d launch into a more upbeat track like “Happy” that had the crowd moving along with her. The sonic diversity of her set mirrored the diversity of her background and upbringing, a true testament to her ability to create something both deeply personal and universally resonant.
By the time she wrapped up her set, there was a sense that we had witnessed something far greater than a mere concert. This was a fully immersive experience, a masterclass in how music can be transformed into performance art. The Hollywood Bowl, with all its prestige, felt like the perfect stage for Mitski to showcase the depth and breadth of her talent.
As I left the venue that night, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had just seen something extraordinary, something that will linger in my mind for years to come. Mitski didn’t just perform; she created art. And at the Hollywood Bowl, on that warm night, we were fortunate enough to witness it.
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