Stylish, quirky Of Montreal rocks Pabst stage
By Carey Peck
Of Montreal shined at the Pabst Theater last Thursday with a magnificent set list, seductive stage presence and perhaps the tightest pants ever.
Before Of Montreal pounced on stage, opening band MGMT took the stage while displaying iconic indie hairstyles. There was the fro, shaggy disheveled look, long hair and the Grateful Dead-bearded fellow. It was a two-way portal between the Pabst Theater and a high school.
Aside from the cliche haircuts, MGMT played an excellent set for the audience. The band lacked Of Montreal's and Grand Buffet's enthusiasm, but its musical expertise made up for it. The one man dancing in the crowd can confirm that.
After a short intermission, Grand Buffet claimed the crowd's attention. A two man hip hop group from Pittsburgh Jackson O'Connell-Barlow and Jarrod Weeks completely blew away the audience's expectations. Starting out with a rant about Elmo's association with communist Russia, the group threw down Wisconsin love by referencing the legendary Mars' Cheese Castle.
Continuing with heavy crowd interaction, Grand Buffet lifted the excitement level. Individuals started yelling for more while Barlow and Weeks threw down rhymes. Barlow's absurd dancing peaked when he started swimming on the stage. The group appreciated everyone's enthusiasm by thanking them after every track.
Of Montreal's crew set up an elaborate vertical stage plastered with lights. Within minutes the band began distributing musical enjoyment to everyone. "Rapture Rapes the Muses" accompanied a seizure-inducing strobe light show while a video screen zoomed in on keyboardist Dottie Alexander's fingers. Following with "The Party's Crashing Us," Of Montreal refused giving the audience an auditory break. Emotional dancing occurred in the aisles from front to back.
Of Montreal's "Gronlandic Edit" performance continued displaying absolutely bizarre images on two large screens. At the same time, front man Kevin Barnes walked on a stage piece reminiscent of Tom Hank's piano walking scene from Big. Before "Oslo in the Summertime," Barnes swapped wardrobe for a gold mask, dreadlocks and startlingly tight light blue shorts. The concert's overarching theme was unpredictability.
With a red-light special version of "Suffer for Fashion," a black feather wings-wearing Bryan Poole delivered a stunning solo. The band also decided to play a few tunes from its upcoming album Skeletal Lamping. Combining Jamey Huggins' drumming and cymbals work with a mid-song guitar change up, "Exquisite Confessions" came out of nowhere to impress.
The encore featured another of Of Montreal's new songs, "Softcore." With lyrics like "we can take it soft core, but you should know I take it both ways," Barnes proved the band is willing to go where other bands dare not to. While the encore could have been better (where's "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal"?), it gave Barnes an opportunity to deliver a warm message about love and peace.
Before Of Montreal pounced on stage, opening band MGMT took the stage while displaying iconic indie hairstyles. There was the fro, shaggy disheveled look, long hair and the Grateful Dead-bearded fellow. It was a two-way portal between the Pabst Theater and a high school.
Aside from the cliche haircuts, MGMT played an excellent set for the audience. The band lacked Of Montreal's and Grand Buffet's enthusiasm, but its musical expertise made up for it. The one man dancing in the crowd can confirm that.
After a short intermission, Grand Buffet claimed the crowd's attention. A two man hip hop group from Pittsburgh Jackson O'Connell-Barlow and Jarrod Weeks completely blew away the audience's expectations. Starting out with a rant about Elmo's association with communist Russia, the group threw down Wisconsin love by referencing the legendary Mars' Cheese Castle.
Continuing with heavy crowd interaction, Grand Buffet lifted the excitement level. Individuals started yelling for more while Barlow and Weeks threw down rhymes. Barlow's absurd dancing peaked when he started swimming on the stage. The group appreciated everyone's enthusiasm by thanking them after every track.
Of Montreal's crew set up an elaborate vertical stage plastered with lights. Within minutes the band began distributing musical enjoyment to everyone. "Rapture Rapes the Muses" accompanied a seizure-inducing strobe light show while a video screen zoomed in on keyboardist Dottie Alexander's fingers. Following with "The Party's Crashing Us," Of Montreal refused giving the audience an auditory break. Emotional dancing occurred in the aisles from front to back.
Of Montreal's "Gronlandic Edit" performance continued displaying absolutely bizarre images on two large screens. At the same time, front man Kevin Barnes walked on a stage piece reminiscent of Tom Hank's piano walking scene from Big. Before "Oslo in the Summertime," Barnes swapped wardrobe for a gold mask, dreadlocks and startlingly tight light blue shorts. The concert's overarching theme was unpredictability.
With a red-light special version of "Suffer for Fashion," a black feather wings-wearing Bryan Poole delivered a stunning solo. The band also decided to play a few tunes from its upcoming album Skeletal Lamping. Combining Jamey Huggins' drumming and cymbals work with a mid-song guitar change up, "Exquisite Confessions" came out of nowhere to impress.
The encore featured another of Of Montreal's new songs, "Softcore." With lyrics like "we can take it soft core, but you should know I take it both ways," Barnes proved the band is willing to go where other bands dare not to. While the encore could have been better (where's "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal"?), it gave Barnes an opportunity to deliver a warm message about love and peace.
Published: 10/9/07 Section: Marquee
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
In Love
posted 10/22/07 @ 7:31 PM CST
That was the most amazing show ever. The pants were tight, the lights were bright, and everything was alright! Sorry.
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