Of Montreal- MHOW 04.17.09

via Music for Moodies' flickr photostream

I did say that I would stop seeing Of Montreal indoors after the Roseland Ballroom show last fall. But, when I saw that they were putting a series of smaller shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg, I couldn't resist but to give them another go. I'm glad I did, because this show was closer to the first time I'd seen them (Pitchfork '07), which I still consider to be one of the most entertaining performances I've ever experienced.

Fourth time's the charm, and Of Montreal definitely got it right this time. The smaller venue made a huge difference, and it was comfortably filled to capacity. Another plus for an aging concertgoer like me, the crowd was significantly less aggressive but still danced around as one should at an Of Montreal show. This time, the show didn't feel like a bad high school production. With toned down theatrics that were more than sufficient and psychedelic visuals on three screens, Of Montreal had found a way to bombard the audience's senses without overloading them. Since the last show, Skeletal Lamping had grown on me a bit, but it will still never measure up to the tremendous Hissing Fauna. Although I will always find "Gallery Piece" to be annoying beyond belief, I did like the new song that they played on Friday night. "Like a Tourist" already makes me excited for the next crazy thing that Kevin Barnes will whip up with the next album. You can listen to the song via nyctaper here.


This guy brought his own mask. I dig that.


via Music for Moodies' flickr photostream

Ever since I saw Janelle Monae open for Jamie Lidell's Summerstage show, I've been mesmerized by her futuristic music and persona. She's got crazy dance moves, and she painted a canvas while singing a song. Random, but sort of awesome. At first, the hipsters around us were a little confused by Janelle. But, it wasn't long before everyone was dancing along. The Of Montreal crowd tends to be very open-minded when it comes to insane stage antics, so this was the perfect audience for Janelle. Years in the making, Janelle joined Of Montreal onstage during the encore for a cover of David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream."

Of Montreal continues on their U.S. tour. Catch Janelle this summer at Bonnaroo.

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