I mentioned a few posts back that I went to see Of Montreal with my friend Rachel. Well, here’s the blag post I promised I would write about it. Let’s start with a picture of the first time I saw them. It was at the same venue as this recent show, the Roseland in Portland. Also, please excuse the horrible quality of some of the photos in this post… They’re cellphone pics, what do you expect?
Of Montreal, the first time around
I know, I know, the photo is awful. But at least you get the feel of the concert. Vibrant, colorful, and chaotic. Of Montreal is considered to have one of the best live acts, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. When I saw them in 2008, among other stage antics, the lead singer, Kevin Barnes, stripped out of his white pants and turquoise sequin jacket and spent most of the show in a gold speedo. Later on, he was “hanged,” and painted red, only to be resurrected as an angel by emerging from a coffin to be covered in whipped cream and feathers. Yeah, that kind of show.
UPDATE: My friend Phillip who went to the 2008 Of Montreal show with me has generously granted me access to some seriously amazing photos he took at the show. Enjoy!
Kevin Barnes
More mostly nakes Kevin
Ziggy anybody?
My absolute favorite.
Hands in his pockets like he's no big deal.
GIANT HANDS
Note the pink-haired boxer.
Another personal favorite.
Annnnnd a cowboy.
So, as you can see, Of Montreal had a lot to live up to. And honestly, they didn’t quite measure up to their own standard.
One of the highlight’s of the show for me was the opener, Janelle Monae. Monae shouldn’t be opening for anyone. She has this raw talent and power that just blew me away. Here’s a picture of her performing, courtesy of Rachel.
Here’s a photo I stole from the Internet. I love her style.
Here are a few videos of her work. “Cold War” is my personal favorite especially with the Sinead style video, but “Tightrope” is equally fantastic.
After Monae wrapped up her set, the stage was redesigned for Of Montreal, and one of the most Surrealist concerts ever staged started. The real problem I had with Of Montreal’s performance was the lack of climax. Sure, last time I saw them they were insane, but as you can see by the pictures Phillip took, the show had a sense of build-up. This time around, the antics were still there, but the order holding it together was missing. Was it a great show? Oh of course, it was fantastic. But it wasn’t quite as good as the last time around.
Here are a few of my personal favorite Of Montreal songs, in case you have no idea who they are/what they sound like.
By the way, here’s a picture of me, pre-concert.
Before picture. You can't quite tell but I'm wearing all of the glittery eye makeup on the planet.
Memorable Moments: A giant Chinese dragon of dancers. A HUGE “fake” TV was wheeled on set and Barnes disappeared. A group of dancers all wearing giant papier-mache skulls sat down on stage facing the TV and rainbow bars came up on the screen. And then it shifted to a black and white live feed of Barnes walking up the stairs of the Roseland singing a number. And then there were the feather canons inside the papier-mache heads the dancers were wearing that sent feathers absolutely everywhere.
Music: The set was naturally heavy on False Priest material, but it also was big on Hissing Fauna, which was much appreciated. I was disappointed by the general lack of Sunlandic Twins, but I’ll get over it. I was also a bit surprised they didn’t play “Wraith Pinned to the Mist…” I mean, I’m sure they’re sick of it, but the concert seemed incomplete without it. I could tell just about everyone in the audience expected it as an encore, which would have really rounded out the concert. Instead we got two Michael Jackson songs (admittedly “Thriller” was a bit appropriate with Halloween just a few days later).
Rachel and I also made so friends at the concert. I present to you Ashley and Ian from the band Shake It For Grandma.
So yeah, that was good.
On the way home, once we navigated some monetary issues regarding paying for parking (I pimped Rachel out for cash) (not really, I sold a kidney) (okay, FINE, we borrowed money from a friend), we were dying of thirst. The following picture captures one of the few successful attempts at getting something from a drive-through on foot. They actually filled our water bottle for us.
I was the stooge walking through the drive-through. Rachel documented the moment.
Let’s get some after pictures of the show:
Covered in glitter and paint, yep yep
I'm so tired.
Overall, it was a great concert experience. Not the best show I’ve seen (that post is for another day), and not even the best Of Montreal show I’ve been to, but certainly a great time more than worth the cost of the tickets.
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