‘It’s dark in here – you can cry’: Mitski hosts intimate residency at LA high school

The artist performed songs from her new album in a five-night residency at Hollywood high school’s auditorium With a swaying ocean projected on the stage, bathing the space in the brilliant light of sunset and sea, the figure holding a microphone almost appeared to be floating with the waves. It added to the surreal effect that permeated the auditorium of Hollywood high school on Thursday night as singer Mitski performed Dead Women from her new album Nothing’s About to Happen to Me. The stage looked as if it could have been set for a school play, with a cozy living room scene featuring a writing desk, a chaise lounge and lamps emitting warm light. But Hollywood high was on spring break, and the auditorium had been repurposed for the indie star to perform a five-night residency. For a singer known equally for her gifted lyricism as her melancholy songs, unleashing her music at a high school – a place tinged with the emotional turmoil of adolescence – felt a bit like cheating, Mitski told the crowd. “I got you primed,” she said playfully. “It’s dark in here – no one can see you. You can cry.” While the attenders were of all ages, there was a large concentration of