Sex, Straitjackets, And A Raucous Good Time From Of Montreal And Janelle Monáe
The up and coming star and newcomer of funk Janelle Monáe might have started the show, but she is not, by any stretch of the imagination, considered to be an opening act.
In fact, her hour-long set, which showcased songs off her critically acclaimed album, “The ArchAndroid,” felt more like a completely separate concert in its entirety.
By combining a track list of electrifying rock, soul, funk, and hip-hop, Monáe featured her ability to meld into various different musical styles, which proved favorable to the crowd.
Amid the string of upbeat tracks, however, Monáe did manage to wind down with a few slower tempo songs.
Her piercing vocals shone during her haunting rendition of Nat King Cole’s "Smile," which left many in the crowd (including this reviewer) speechless and wanting to hear more.
Along with her dancing nuns and psychedelic motifs, Monáe had plenty of other tricks (and treats) up the sleeve of her signature white tuxedo shirt including a duet of “Make the Bus,” with none other than Of Montreal’s lead singer Kevin Barnes decked out in a makeshift priest’s costume, as well as an impromptu painting session on stage.
Monáe finished a powerful and energetic show that elated many concertgoers. If anyone was not a fan of Monáe before the show, it would not the case after watching her perform live.
But at the end of the day, the majority of people came out to see the rulers of theatrical rock in the form of the Atlanta based band, Of Montreal. And after an hour past their scheduled time, the band came out in full force, ready to join in on the festivities.
Barnes took to the stage accompanied by giant human goldfish wearing gas masks and paraded around with sheer purple tights and a frilly see-through half apron, which considering the band’s flamboyance, remained to be considerably tame. However, that could not be said to describe the rest of the show.
Imagine performers with lobster claws holding machine guns, wearing straitjackets, simulating sex (and lots of it) in pig masks and unitards, staging a mock sacrificial ceremony and you would only begin to scratch the surface of the chaos that lies within an Of Montreal show.
The band played mostly from their newest album, “False Priest,” but also brought out some old favorites, including “Requiem for O.M.M.2,” and “The Party's Crashing Us,” to the delight of many fans.
Barnes delivered a solid and electrifying performance, however during “Gronlandic Edit,” another standby favorite song of the fans, technical glitches caused him to fall off beat from the instrumental music. The audience did not seem to care as they only continued to sing out louder to help ease the burden of this misstep.
Perhaps Monáe put it best when she warned the crowd that they must either “Dance or Die,” as there seems to be not a single person in sight who did not catch the infectious energy. The show was filled to the brim with plenty of surprises, theatrics, and just good music all around.
Unfortunately, the concert was scheduled on the same night as the sold out Hard Haunted Mansion, which might have explained the lackluster turnout, but for the fans who came to show their support, they certainly did not leave disappointed.
Reach Candice here.
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