Acclaimed singer-songwriter Josh Tillman, better known by his stage name Father John Misty, brought crowds of indie music lovers to the Saenger Theatre in downtown New Orleans on last Thursday. Tillman and his backing band, who were touring in support of last year’s album “Mahashmashana,” were preceded by opener Cut Worms, the musical project of Americana songwriter Max Clarke. 

The show began at 8 p.m. on the dot, with Cut Worms wasting no time in taking the stage and showcasing their blend of soft rock and indie-folk. Clarke, whose songwriting felt like a cross between George Harrison’s ‘70s material and Elliott Smith circa “Figure 8,” performed with his backing band a variety of material not featured on any Cut Worms releases, including a strong cover of “There She Goes” by The La’s and a handful of unreleased songs.

Though Cut Worms played flawlessly, their performance felt noticeably reserved; Clarke rarely addressed the audience, and always did so quietly. The band largely lacked stage presence. Not only that, but Clarke spent a great deal of time re-tuning his guitar in between songs, which often hurt the momentum of the show.  

While the material Cut Worms played was great, the performance of the group itself often made their set feel unengaging. Following a short solo number played at the end of the show, Clarke thanked the audience with a murmur before quickly walking off stage. This exit carried the type of energy Cut Worms brought with their set. 

As Tillman took the stage at approximately 9:10 p.m., the audience was immediately transported into a 1960s Hollywood movie set, which consisted of a red curtain amidst bright yellow lights. It brought an old school feeling that felt still timeless. 

Tillman’s presence throughout his set was electric; whether he was talking to those in the front row on the floor or introducing his saxophone player to the crowd, his engagement was always at full form. 

Tillman opened with “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All” and “Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose,” both songs from “Mahashmashana,” before he began to take every listener through his catalog.  

Tillman’s performance of “Nancy From Now On,” a song originally on Father John Misty’s 2012 project “Fear Fun,” brought one of the best choruses in Tillman’s catalog to life. The drums truly brought everyone in the audience to their feet. As lights flashed across the theater, it felt like the crowd became more unified through each strum of the guitar. 

The arguable highlight of Thursday’s show was “She Cleans Up,” a punk-meets-funk freak-out that featured the nastiest grooves of the night. Tillman, who before then had exhibited a cool, laid-back demeanor on stage, amped up his energy with this song; by the end, he was prowling from one end of the stage to the other, often getting right in the faces of audience members as he recited the song’s rapid-fire lyrics. 

For “Screamland”,the lights grew brighter as Tillman’s band played louder and dimmed when the energy of the song decreased. This made energy peak in the loudest moments of the song, bringing the concertgoers onto their feet.  

Directly following “Screamland,” Tillman shined during his performance of “Summer’s Gone.” You could truly hear a pin drop as Tillman sang with no instrumental backing, crooning to a crowd that was silent. The moment was powerful and after over an hour of heavy instrumentation and belting vocals from Tillman, it felt refreshing to really hear his raw vocals shine.  

After the last song “Mahashmashana” — a more than nine-minute track that Tillman performed in its entirety — finished, Tillman announced to the audience that he was “feeling a little hammy” and would perform an extended encore.   

After leaving the stage for three minutes amidst much crowd urging to return, Tillman returned with his band, stronger than ever. 

The encore showcased a few of Father John Misty’s most popular songs, from “Real Love Baby” to “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings.” Unique to New Orleans, Tillman added “The Ideal Husband” to his usual setlist, ending the show with a ballad that had everyone in the audience standing up and dancing.   

Father John Misty delivered an electrifying show that never once felt stale or tedious. Tillman and his band — particularly Tony Barba, the show-stealing saxophonist — were on fire all night long, and Tillman’s stage presence made for an immensely engaging and captivating performance. While opener Cut Worms played a dry show, there was never a dull moment watching Father John Misty preach his own brand of musical gospel at the Saenger.