MIRADOR Live At Tower Theater

The people inside Tower Theater in Oklahoma City on the evening of September 26 were transported to another time and place before MIRADOR even graced the stage. With lights dimming, “What Will Become of England” by Jim Ghedi played, a foreboding and unsettling track that set the tone for exploration, with unfinished maps and unknown dangers ahead. 

The music cuts off; all four MIRADOR members step on stage, instruments in hand. Frontman Jake Kiszka steps up to the microphone and asks, “You ready?” before diving headfirst into “Heels of the Hunt.”

And boy, was Oklahoma City ready. 

While this was not my first time seeing MIRADOR on stage (and by far my first time seeing Jake Kiszka on stage), it was my first time at Tower Theater – all thanks to the kindness of *1824 and Republic Records.

After previewing the album in August, I was able to give the full studio album a listen on the night of its release on September 19. It is a masterpiece of a debut album, full of heart and a message to share. As well as being pure rock and roll – gritty and unapologetic – MIRADOR’s early folk, blues and rock influences are heavy, this album serving as both an evolution of and homage to those genres. 

But as magnificent as I thought the album was before, I understand now that it is meant to be experienced live above all else. 

The album is recorded and mixed in a way designed to capture as much of the rawness of a live performance as possible, but nothing can compare to the real live MIRADOR experience. The energy between band members is palpable; even if you had no idea who they were or where any of them had come from, MIRADOR’s love of music and passion for performing together is vibrant, obvious and infectious.

Contrary to MIRADOR opening their Spring 2024 tour with “Feels Like Gold,” “Heels of the Hunt” was a fun change of pace, a song full of groovy bass and sexy harmonica, high energy but light-hearted – they were saving “Feels Like Gold” for after they’d warmed up the crowd, I could tell. 

“Raider” was the second song on the setlist, one much of the crowd seemed extremely excited for, its lyrics suggestive and the guitars psychedelic, cut through with a drum beat and a chant that helped loosen everyone up. I had known Jake Kiszka to be an incredible performer, but put him center stage with a microphone and he unfolds into a whole new creature, more confident and shameless than ever.

“Feels Like Gold” was their third song, full of explosive energy and louder than I ever thought imaginable. Tower Theater is not an enormous venue, but the music and enthusiasm both on stage and in the crowd (and behind the scenes) filled the building to bursting. I’m confident anyone outside on 23rd Street could hear us.

Following “Feels Like Gold” was “Roving Blade,” a song Kiszka introduced as one he ‘knew a lot of people were excited for.’ “Roving Blade" is long on the album and double the length live, as the end of the song melted into what more poetic folk would call a ‘syncopated symphony,’ in which the band delved into instrumental chaos. The result? Stringed sword fights and a crowd gone wild.

It was at this point my mother turned to me and said this performance was some of the best and most authentically performed rock and roll she’d ever seen: “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen any musician let loose like that,” she said.

I know a lot of listeners' first complaint will be the vocal mixing (both studio and live versions). The amount of instrumental chaos happening at the same time as both vocalists letting loose can make for muddled lyrics that may be hard to make out. I’d argue that while MIRADOR has some fantastic lyricism across this mystical album, the words have never been the most important part of the story. 

The crux of MIRADOR lies in the way every single member of the band is able to communicate clearly and emotionally through their instruments. Be it across six strings, black and white keys or a drum kit, MIRADOR’s message and identity is clear with or without lyrics. 

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After a performance of “Fortune’s Fate” and a mesmerizing drum solo unlike anything I’d ever heard before, Turpin told the crowd a little about the band’s philosophy, how they made sure to “pay respect to the blues every time [they] get on stage.” This turned into a Fred McDowell homage, known on stage as Mississippi Fred McDowell and for his influence as an early hill country blues musician. 

Traditional folklore, early folk music and country blues have had a distinct influence on every member of MIRADOR, and not a day goes by that these musicians aren’t thinking about the founders of their genre(s), all the many innovative instrumentalists and the prevalence of string instruments across history and their vitality to storytelling. 

MIRADOR understand they would not be here, making the music they love to make and getting to perform it to thousands without the hard work and dedication of those earlier musicians; they carry that legacy and bow down to it at the same time.

Following this homage and “Ten Thousand More to Ride,” the band switched to a slower pace, returning to stage with acoustic guitars and settling into keyboards. Because MIRADOR is and always will be journey-bound, every song has a location or destination attached to it. Prior to performing my favorite song of theirs yet, Kiszka turned to the crowd to ask, “Will you follow us if we go to a lower place? A quieter place?”

He said we’d been up high, we’d hung out in the middle – but would we follow the band to a softer place? Somewhere more vulnerable, more emotional? The answer, of course, was yes.

“Must I Go Bound” is a stunning acoustic piece, one in which Kiszka and Turpin sound best together. Kiszka introduced the song in quite a special way, telling us that it’s about love, and it’s a little bit about us, too. He told us to look around at one another, to love each other, because we need it now more than ever.

We did not stay in this vulnerable place long, though – after handing his acoustic off, Kiszka told us we were “going right back up.” “Blood and Custard” was the next song on the setlist, just as filthy as “Raider,” Kiszka playing his Gibson with a copper slide wrapped around a finger. 

“Ashes to Earth” had me fooled for the first time in many years into thinking that was the encore, and the show was over. It’s a huge, fast-paced song that sounds a bit like a sprint across the end of the world, especially with Turpin belting out that doomful chorus.

I should’ve known that hadn’t been the end, because the song has an unresolved feeling about it, like it’ll never be over. The crowd roared for one more song, giving Tower more a feeling of a stadium than an old movie theater. Before long, bassist and keyboardist Nick Pini returned for a haunting keys solo as the other three came back to stage one at a time, roses in hand.

After turning an album with a runtime of 48 minutes into a two-hour-long novel of a performance, MIRADOR closed the show with “Skyway Drifter” and another extensive instrumental breakdown. 

MIRADOR is larger than life, destined to share their story in the medium they know best: live performance. Listening to an album in your earbuds is one thing; it’s another thing entirely to see it performed before your very eyes, in the way the artist wishes their story to be told and interpreted – but I think MIRADOR’s music has room for individual interpretation to everyone. 

All one needs to enjoy a MIRADOR show is a love for loud music and a little bit of enthusiasm, and if you ever find yourself presented with the opportunity to see these four in concert, it is well worth your while. 

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