Mitski - How to Turn a Concert Into a Spectacle

By: Sophia Vorhauer-Rubalcave

Mitski is art. Seriously. Put this woman's performances in an art museum.

In the past, Mitski, otherwise known as Mitsuki Laycock, has come under fire for her performances, specifically while opening for worldwide superstar and it-boy Harry Styles.

Hundreds of videos flooded TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter of Mitskis performance, with many teenagers mocking her dancing, the way that she acted on stage, calling it 'weird', 'disgusting', and 'creepy'. They could never be more insultingly wrong. See, Mitski has a very niche uniqueness about her performances. Instead of simply singing into a microphone, moving around the stage, and engaging with the crowd like Harry and the majority of other artists do (no hate Harold), Mitski delves into the lyricism and meanings behind her songs and turns them into a stunning visual spectacle.

Take her hit 'I Bet on Losing Dogs': The song details staying by the side of a lover even when she knows it is ending in a foulness, in a heartbreaking end. She wraps this idea in the metaphor of a fighting dog and it's owner.

I had the pleasure to see her at Fiddlers Green Amphitheater in September, and during her performance of the song, she crawled down on all fours, acting as if she was a dog, panting and barking. She followed around an invisible, large presence, hitting home the ideas of undying loyalty, attachment, and obsession that she writes about. Then, she as the dog dropped dead, keeling over as the song came to a close. The raw intensity with which she portrayed the songs that have been hits for years left the audience feeling like they had just heard it for the first time, a talent that goes often unappreciated in its subtlety and rarity. The visual representations of her songs entrances everyone who understands the concepts of her music.

That is who she is performing for. Her performances, every odd move and peculiar dance, everything has a meaning, a statement to say. Each step she takes on stage is a carefully choreographed expression of her innermost feelings, a delicate balance of vulnerability and strength.

That's why I'm sure the hundreds of teens mocking her didn't appreciate her performance when opening up for Harry, because they didn't take the time to listen to her on the stage. If they had listened to her lyrics during the set, watching how her movements follow her words like a two person dance. One plays off of the other in quick sensation. Her correspondence of lyrics to song is something that just doesn't make sense if you ignore what Mitski is trying to say. Her work is timeless, in a sense I see it fitting perfectly in an art museum. Sitting down in a room of an exhibit on an uncomfortable bench in a stuffy room while a live loop of 'I Bet on Losing Dogs' and 'Last Words' plays again, and again, and again in a beautiful, haunting trance. Suddenly, you forget where you are, and your mind is only on her. That's talent.

That's Mitski.