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Sincere and sardonic: The Night Father John Misty Came to the Granada Theater

Sincere or ironic? Sweet or sardonic? For Father John Misty, who brought his considerable song craft and barbed sense of humor to the Granada Theater Wednesday night, the answer is yes, and all of the above.

Long, lanky and heavily bearded, the artist formerly known as Joshua Tillman is the kind of guy who can write a kiss-off song to a casual fling ("The Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apt.") and make it sound like the sweetest thing in the world - until you actually listen to the lyrics: "Of the few main things I hate about her, one's her petty, vogue ideas/Someone's been told too many times they're beyond their years." Ouch.

The ladies at the Granada still seemed to love him, judging by the frequent squeal and screams. "I'd like to become very intimate with you, very quickly," he said early in the show. Then: "Girlfriends, hold on to your dudes. I'm coming for them."

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With Father John it's hard to know where the quotation marks begin and end, and that's part of the fun. He stood on a stage light and did an arm-waving gig to a rare electro-jam, "True Affection." He got down on his knees and got in touch with his inner crooner. Through it all he seemed to be in on some private joke, but deadly serious in a showbiz-savvy way.

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Here's the clear-cut part: Father John is a dynamic live performer. He's blessed with a divine, rangy voice and a band that knows how to cut loose for long jams and dial it back for a more stripped-down folk song. The breadth of sounds was impressive all night. "I'm Writing a Novel" rollicked with a honky-tonk drive. "The Ideal Husband," whose narrator, as you might guess, is anything but, settled into a rising deep jam groove that wasn't matched for the rest of the night. "Nancy From Now On" had the harmonies and high lonesome California cool of vintage Eagles.

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Some performers barely engage the audience as they plow through their sets. Father John is not one of those. "Will you all do me a favor and stop messing with Texas?" he mock-plaintively asked before assessing the state: "Big but sensitive. A gentle giant." He set up a quiet number thusly: "Your energy and excitement is infectious. But I need you all to shut up." A woman screamed. "That's the exact opposite of shutting up. That is exploiting semi-silence."

He said it with a smile. Or was it a grimace? More important, for Father John Misty: Is there a difference?

Father John Misty frontman Joshua Tillman performs with his band at the Granada Theater on...
Father John Misty frontman Joshua Tillman performs with his band at the Granada Theater on April 22 in Dallas.(Gregory Castillo / Staff Photographer)