Mitski Debuts New Songs And Breaks Out Live Rarities In Intimate Nashville Show

Mitski’s new album Nothing’s About To Happen To Me is rapidly approaching, and she drew attention to that fact with a pop-up show Sunday in Nashville at the 600-capacity Basement East. The show featured the live debut of several songs from the new LP, including singles “Where’s My Phone?” and “I’ll Change For You” plus the unreleased “If I Leave.”

Additionally, she performed “A Horse Named Cold Air” from 2018’s Be The Cowboy and “Circle” from 2013’s Retired From Sad, New Career In Business for the first time ever; “I Want You,” also from Retired From Sad, New Career In Business, for the first time since 2019; and Lush closer “Pearl Diver” for the first time since way back in 2012, before most of us knew who she was — so, like a live debut, in a sense.

From the looks of it, this gig did not feature the high-concept choreography that defined recent Mitski tours. It was more of a throwback to the simplicity of her earlier era. The eminent critic Ann K. Powers was there and described the performance as “noisy, soulful, cathartic.” Mitski sounds incredible in these clips, and the new material is shining right alongside the old classics. Check out footage below.

SETLIST:
“Working For The Knife”
“Buffalo Replaced”
“I Bet On Losing Dogs”
“Where’s My Phone?”
“Heaven”
“I’ll Change For You”
“When Memories Snow”
“Circle”
“Washing Machine Heart”
“Once More to See You”
“I Want You”
“Francis Forever”
“If I Leave”
“Stay Soft”
“A Horse Named Cold Air”
“Two Slow Dancers”

ENCORE 1:
“My Love Mine All Mine”

ENCORE 2:
“Pearl Diver”