The Head And The Heart and Father John Misty team up for co-headlining show in Salt Lake City (2023)

The Head and The Heart brought their duel headlining tour with Father John Misty to the Gallivan Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, August 4th. This was the first stop of their duel headlining tour together with more shows throughout the month. This pairing was a perfect match as both of their music styles compliment each other without being the exact same.

Miya Folick a singer songwriter from California was first up. Her songs had more pop music undertones which was a great fit for both of the headliners. Miya brought a very happy energy to the stage and mentioned that she would be back to play Kilby Court, a popular small venue in Salt Lake, later this fall.

Father John Misty took the stage first, from his first moments on stage fans were honed in on his performance. His deep voice captivated listeners as he moved around the stage to make sure each audience member was included in the show. He started his set with “The Next 20th Century.” He joked a few times that he wrote fake jazz music during the pandemic, anticipating that no one would hear them before playing a few for the crowd. His band consisted of a few horn players to really deepen and authenticate the Jazz sound.

While his music is more folky and softer, Father John Misty played a very strong set that continued to build off itself. I think this, and his overall talent helped to hold the crowd’s attention throughout his set. While he was the first of the two headliners to perform he drew a large crowd of people and was able to hold their attention from start to finish.

The Head and The Heart took the stage last and ended the night with a bang. Starting their set off with the title track of their newest album “Every Shade of Blue”. They have mastered their execution of this performance as the lighting for the set compliments the tone of the album and it’s a perfect start to a set list full of deep cuts and fan favorites.

Lead singer Jonathan Russell’s vocals were incredible from start to finish, after every song I was always in awe as he seemed to sing with a lot of emotion. Charity Rose Thielen is always a fan favorite as everytime she would harmonize with vocals the crowd would cheer with excitement. As the night progressed and the summer air cooled, the band joked with the crowd that some of their songs were about UFO’s including a personal favorite of “Missed Connection.” This song was fun from the very beginning and the crowd really bought into it as Jonathan and Matt Gervais, who plays the guitar and sings, went to the barricades to interact with the fans as they sang.

The night ended with a massive sing along of Rivers and Roads. When the first note played a hush fell over the crowd, no one breathed as Jonathan sang out the familiar words of one of their most popular songs. As the song progressed people slowly joined in singing until the chorus. Charity led the way with her very powerful and strong vocals, and the crowd followed in singing loudly with her, only to stop and cheer every once in a while.

Salt Lake seems to be a popular stop for both Father John Misty and the Head and The Heart as they have both performed here multiple times. I know I can speak for other fans when I say that I hope it stays that way.