Mitski concert tour at Stanford University's Frost Amphitheater

Mitski is aware that her fan base is quite young, so many of the audience members who had tickets to her show at Stanford University's Frost Amphitheater may have needed rides from their parents to get to the venue.

That's why the 33-year-old indie rock/art-pop singer-songwriter decided to let these parents know up front about what was in store for her – and her kids – during Wednesday night's concert.

“The lyrics will contain some PG-13 content,” Mitski admitted on stage. “And I’m going to say the F-word. You can't stop me. So be prepared, parents.

“I warned you.”

But Mitski — who also appeared at the Greek Theater in Berkeley on Mondays and Tuesdays — made it sound far more menacing than was necessary. Sure, there was some colorful language. Most of all, it was just a great opportunity for these young fans – including a significant number of seemingly high school-aged kids – to witness another intellectually stimulating and artistically ambitious performance from this rising star.

After an opening set from Wyatt Flores, Mitski took the stage just after 8 p.m. and immediately moved into “Lauren Hell” territory, belting out a rustic “Everyone” that sounded like something Tammy Wynette would have dreamed up in the '70s could. It was the first of three tracks on this 2022 album, which was her sixth studio record overall and her first to enter the Billboard Top 10.

Over the course of a wrap-around set, she ran through 23 more tracks, ranging in mood from confessional singer-songwriter material in the vein of Tori Amos and Yoko Ono-worthy avant-garde pop to uptempo country rock and mainstream pop was enough for 90 minutes.

Backed by an eclectic seven-piece band who flanked the star on either side as she performed alone on a circular platform about two feet from the regular stage, Mitski touched on five of her seven studio albums. Last year the lion's share went to “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We”, which contributed nine tracks to the setlist.