On March 1st, counter-cultural critic and multi-instrumentalist Father John Misty will make his return to Washington, D.C. to perform songs from his sixth studio album Mahashmashana (2024). The show marks Misty’s first performance in the capital since his tour for Chloë and the Next 20th Century (2022), which he also gave at The Anthem in 2022. Besides the venue, however, the upcoming show promises almost no similarity to his last.
Mahashmashana sees Misty pivot from the big-band jazz standards style of Chloë back to the grandiose ballads and tongue-in-cheek hits that earned him critical acclaim on his 2017 LP Pure Comedy. Even so, the album features some of his most experimental musicianship yet, bridging influences of electronic, classical, baroque pop, and alternative rock seamlessly across each expansive song. Mahashmashana refers to the Sanskrit word meaning “great cremation ground” (according to Wikipedia), the perfect word to encapsulate the amalgamation of his cutting commentary, vulnerable self-reflection, and sardonic wit in this paragon of our postmodern moment. In the synthesis of these flows, Misty crafts an all-consuming experience, where every listener can find answers to questions they didn’t even know they had before listening.
If you’re looking for a place to introspect, sonically ascend, or even just get a laugh, Father John Misty’s show at The Anthem is your place to be. Get your tickets here!
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