Of Montreal and Janelle Monáe at First Avenue
Of Montreal caught in a more low-key moment
Janelle Monáe may be a hard act to follow, but that’s no reason to dry hump a woman wearing a pig mask. And yet, Of Montreal frontman Kevin Barnes, now doing business as his alter ego “Georgie Fruit” (I know, right?), seems compelled to scale new heights of goofy over-the-topness. Though last night’s First Avenue performances by Barnes’ twee-gone-glam-funk indie-rockers and R&B oddball Monáe shared a theatrical bent, the contrast between Monáe’s gracefully articulated personal style and Barnes’ “naughty,” garish razzmatazz were stark.
Anchored by a tight three-piece band, Monáe’s set was as well-honed as her trademark look: puffed hair, saddle shoes, high-collared ruffled blouse, and an occasional cape. Her nimble, quick-footed dancing carried her beyond the edge of First Avenue’s specially built-out stage, first to the second-floor landing, later into the crowd itself. She glided through standout tracks from her epic album The ArchAndroid, including the frenzied “Cold War” and “Tightrope,” as well as the Barnes duet “Make The Bus,” and changed pace midset with a bluesy rendition of the Charlie Chaplin tune “Smile,” accompanied only by her guitarist.
Of Montreal committed itself to visual excess. In addition to the already mentioned pig-headed frottage, there were dancers in American Apparel-style Lycra bodysuits and oversized masks (skulls, flames, dragons, whatever) wafting and gyrating across the stage. Barnes himself, flamboyant in purple tights, frilly apron, headscarf, and matching turquoise blouse and boots, hopped and shimmied among these creatures while shortchanging his material. Older songs like “The Party’s Crashing Us” and the better material from Of Montreal’s new False Priest, including the Monáe duet “Enemy Gene,” were overshadowed by the willful extravaganza surrounding them.
The night’s riotous conclusion was a Michael Jackson medley, joined by Monáe and her band. The glorified karaoke proved a crowd-pleasing move, but if Barnes insists on staging his approximation of a funky circus, he could stand to learn from the late superstar’s commitment to physical grace and state-of-the-art spectacle.
