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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s About to Happen to Me<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n For a singer known equally for her gifted lyricism as her melancholy songs, unleashing her music at a high school \u2013 a place tinged with the emotional turmoil of adolescence \u2013 felt a bit like cheating, Mitski<\/a> told the crowd.<\/p>\n \u201cI got you primed,\u201d she said playfully. \u201cIt\u2019s dark in here \u2013 no one can see you. You can cry.\u201d<\/p>\n And the crowd did cry.<\/p>\n While the attendees were of all ages, there was a large concentration of high school students, some who attend Hollywood high school, many seeing their favorite artist for the first time.<\/p>\n Jasmin Vasquez, left, and Sophia Barrios at Hollywood High School in California for a Mitski concert on 2 April 2026. Photograph: Dani Anguiano\/The Guardian<\/p>\n While a high school auditorium may seem like an unusual venue, the Los Angeles school has hosted high-profile artists before \u2013 Morrissey played in 2013. Mitski chose the space to offer more intimate experiences and recreate the feeling she had going to DIY and punk shows, she said in an interview<\/a> with NPR\u2019s World Cafe.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to get back to the feeling that I had 10 years ago, 15 years ago, where I felt like I was in a room with a few people and we were really connecting and and it felt more raw,\u201d she told the program.<\/p>\n The school held an attendance contest in which students who did not miss a class for two weeks were entered into a raffle for tickets, LAist reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aIt\u2019s definitely my most effective attendance challenge that I\u2019ve done all year \u2026 probably in my three years in the district,\u201d school staffer Michael Reagan told the outlet.<\/p>\n Mitski concert on 02 April 2026 at Hollywood high school. Photograph: Lexie Alley<\/p>\n The show attracted students from across the city and state.<\/p>\n Sophia Barrios and Jasmine Vasquez took a train and a bus from the Central Valley for the concert. Barrios, a high school senior who has listened to Mitski since the seventh grade, received tickets from her dad for her 18th birthday.<\/p>\n \u201cI just love how her music is very broad \u2013 there\u2019s multiple different genres that she covers. And I love that every album is very different,\u201d Barrios said. \u201cAnd I love how personal her lyrics are.\u201d<\/p>\n