Last night the House of Blues Boston played host to two of the most energetic and elaborate performers in the business; Janelle Monae and Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes. The Boston contingent of the MMB family were all present and accounted-for to catch one of the most anticpated shows of the year. Read on to see if the spectacle lived up to the hype, and catch up on all the pictures from the evening.
Janelle Monae was up first and wasted no time. I’ll tell you this about Janelle; she’s itty bitty and has more personality than any crowd she performs for. And that’s the best part, in a day and age where true performers are few and far between, she absolutely stands out. The woman does not stop moving. Whether she was up on the balcony, on her back on stage, or on the floor tearing it up with the rest of the crowd, she was always the focal point. Her voice is incredible – with a range and ability to bend and stretch notes better than I’ve heard from an artist in a long time. Her moves are flawless and should be described as graceful, electric, robotic, and full of boogie at any given time.
On top of all that the cast of characters interacting with her through the show made the night feel like we were watching a play or a HipRockera (Hip Rock Opera – I had to). I go to plenty of shows, but few of them are actually events worth talking about again. I’m very pleased to say Janelle Monae’s performance was absolutely an event I will talk about for a while and it only represented the first half of the night….
To book an act as charismatic and on-form as Janelle as your warm up, it goes without saying that you have to have a degree of confidence in your own abilities to put on a show. It was clear from the get-go that said confidence is something that Of Montreal possess in spades. From the opening track through to the encore, the band trotted out a cast of bizarre, elaborately costumed characters ranging from pajama-clad baby skeletons to giant robots with glowing orb heads. Blitzing through 20 tracks during a full two-hour set, the band covered the majority of their latest album “False Priest” as well as a healthy selection of fan favorites from their previous 9 albums (including a rousing rendition of my personal fave Gronlandich Edit).
Lead singer Kevin Barnes spent the majority of the evening clad in baby blue leather boots, purple leggings, a skirt and a vintage jacket. Humping everything in sight from costumed pigs to caged human females, Barnes was clearly enjoying himself. Perhaps the highlight of the night, however, was his acoustic piano performance on Landsdownse St, broadcast live to the paying audience within.
It ought to come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the band that all the characters, costumes, props and artwork are designed and manufactured by the band themselves. Many of the characters present during their set had made cameo’s during Janelle’s performance. Janelle herself came back on stage to perform Enemy Gene. During the song, the mutual admiration both artists have for each other was abundantly obvious. It is easy to see where this appreciation stems from, for few artists around today are as flamboyant, creative and talented as these pair. It was a rare treat to watch them perform together, and one that will be remembered for some time to come.
Here are the setlists courtesy of the wonderful humans over @ CoS
Janelle Monáe setlist:
Dance or Die
Faster
Locked Inside
Smile(Charlie Chaplin Cover)
Sincerely Jane
Wondaland
Mushrooms and Roses
Cold War
Tightrope
Violet Stars
Many Moons
Come Alive
Of Montreal setlist
Black Lion Massacre
Coquet Coquette
Our Riotous Defects
The Party’s Crashing Us
Godly Intersex
Sex Karma
Girl Named Hello
Gronlandic Edit
Plastis Wafers
Like a Tourist
Enemy Gene
Hydra Fancies
She’s a Rejecter
Tonight(Sibylle Baier Cover)
Casualty of you
Around the Way
For Our Elegant Caste
The Past is a Grotesque Animal
Encore:
Heimsdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse
A Sentence of Sorts in Konsvinger
Michael Jackson Medley
- Kano
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