Mitski recently took a couple of years off of performing live — not because of the pandemic but because she was considering quitting music altogether. Last month, Mitski returned with her new album Laurel Hell, the top-selling album in America in its first week. Mitski now on her first tour in several years, and she’s clearly put serious work into the way that she presents herself onstage. In a since-deleted Twitter thread a few days ago, Mitski kindly requested that fans spend less time filming her while she’s performing: “Sometimes when I see people filming entire songs or whole sets, it makes me feel as though we are not here together.” People freaked out about that entirely reasonable request, and it seems like people will just continue to do what they do, at Mitski shows and at every other show.

You’re not going to get the full experience of a Mitski live show from watching a fan-made cell-phone video, though that didn’t stop us from posting videos of her tour opener in Asheville. You’re only going to get that experience if you actually go to a Mitski live show. But last night, Mitski was able to give the world a more elaborate, richer view of her current live show. She could do that because she was the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

On Kimmel, Mitski sang the Laurel Hell deep cut “Stay Soft,” and she brought an inspiring level of stagecraft and showmanship to her performance. For those of us used to seeing Mitski playing guitar onstage, this was a whole other thing. Mitski’s whole stage presentation now draws on musical theater and modern dance, and she seemed to act out the song physically while singing it. The whole visual experience was galaxies removed from most late-night performances. It’s the sort of thing that demands to be seen, and you can see it below.

Laurel Hell is out now on Dead Oceans.