The combination of R&B crooner Har Mar Superstar and the folk-tinged rock of Father John Misty seemed like an odd billing at first. With the exception of their similar last names (Sean Tillmann and Josh Tillman, respectively) the two seemed to have little in common. But after seeing their show Wednesday night at Brighton Music Hall, it all somehow made sense.
I’d had little exposure to Har Mar Superstar beyond the awesome George Michael cover he did with Gayngs a few years ago. From what I could gather, he looked like Ron Jeremy, acted like Prince and was fond of taking his pants off during shows. All of these things are indeed true. Over the course of his set, HMS strutted, sweated, breakdanced, stripped, sweated some more and even took a break to walk to the bar and order a drink. By the time he got to his last song, he was wearing nothing but a pair of leopard print briefs and an attitude. It was all incredibly entertaining. It does seem a shame that his onstage antics overshadow his genuine talent as a singer. His interpretation of dirty, 90’s-style R&B is performed with a level of reverence and skill that I did not expect. A lesser performer would have resorted to ironic parody to make this type of act work. I was pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case here.
Following this spectacle was no small task, but Father John Misty took the stage and immediately won over the audience with his humor and charisma. Tillman introduced us to the Misty character on his excellent new album Fear Fun. With hip swinging, tambourine shaking swagger, he brought each track to life on the stage. Those familiar with his more understated solo work as J. Tillman or his stint behind the drums for Fleet Foxes may have been taken aback by his performance, but under the new moniker he's free to defy any preconceived notions. Consisting of the new album in near entirety, the set was impressive, endearing, and most of all really fun. Whether belting out album highlight “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings” or showcasing his vulnerable falsetto on the night’s closing song “Fun Times in Babylon,” there was not a single boring moment.
The evening turned out to be about more than great music, it was about showmanship and performance. Seeing these two embody their musical alter egos was a reminder of how much fun it can be to play along.
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