Of Montreal @ Metropolis
By: Jason Giammaria
At the time of year when wearing costumes and acting outside the confines of your personality are encouraged, who better to lead us then Of Montreal?
Yes, Of Montreal's shows are the stuff of nonsense, but in a way they border on the side of genius rather than that of madness. With five risers scattered across the stage, including one in the middle that rotated to reveal different props, costumed extras and videos, Of Montreal aren't just a band, they're performers.
Having played for two hours straight with hardly any breaks, the psychedelic sounds of the Athens, Georgia band took us on what felt like quite the trip, and not the kind you get on a plane for. Every third song or so was accompanied by a short skit, which included characters such as pigs, golden Buddhas, soldiers, cowboys . . . the list went on. It was like Of Montreal had gathered up all the rejects from Cirque du Soleil and put them in their show.
And let's not leave lead singer Kevin Barnes out of it. A character in himself, Barnes, in his best lipstick and eye-shadow, started the show fully clothed, stripped down to shiny orange underwear and red body paint halfway through, and ended up in a coffin completely covered with whipped cream. You figure it out.
I guess I should talk about the music a little: Sometimes overshadowed by what was happening in the background, Of Montreal seemed to have been made to play live. The intensity of their stage performance added something essential to their already amazing albums. Most of that intensity came from Barnes himself, but that's what a lead singer is supposed to do. Dancing, clapping and yelling, whether it was the band or the crowd, both sides had won.
Of all the arbitrary acts that took place on stage that night, maybe the most random was how Of Montreal closed their set - playing their version of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" with all their extras dressed up in costumes jumping around as if they'd been possessed by little kids.
It was absolutely amazing.
Video: "Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse" by Of Montreal
