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November 27, 2007
Of Montreal - Live @ Ogden Theatre, Denver 11.17.07
George Fruit - from hermit to glam-hero.
Of Montreal's elaborate set pieces looked like the menacing front grill of a souped up big rig to my easily excited imagination. Just one observation that came to mind during the long exploratory opus of opener, "The Past Is A Grotesque Animal". I patiently waited for a violent, head-on impact from that specific symbolism, but it never came.
Few victims of a proverbial mind blowing could be counted among the amped crowd at the Ogden two Saturday nights ago. Lets just say things didn't pan out as expected. Most post-show exit polling focused on the extended noodling sessions and not, surprisingly, what was definitely the splashiest set design of any show I've seen this year. Not that the competition was especially fierce, so might as well go out and say it was vastly more interesting than Arcade Fire's netherworld pulpit.
Of Montreal's meteoric rise to the relative heights of modest indie stardom is a testament to the stupendous success of Kevin Barnes' heady work with Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? Taking on severe glam rock treatment is nothing new for Barnes. However with Hissing Fauna Barnes triumphs in creating a fold in time allowing Ziggy Stardust a new path to walk on instead of Rock 'N' Roll Suicide. It's only natural to expect a meaty live show.
Expectations being what they are anything short of an over the top visual spectacle would have been a letdown as compliment to the extravagance of Hissing Fauna. As if to purposefully mock the up-for-it party throngs, Of Montreal spotlighted long jams rather than glitzy production elements to set tongues wagging. Setting the table with an eleven minute song to start a show can obviously accelerate such focal shifts.
Choosing "Grotesque" as opener is further made curious when you learn it is the longest song in the Of Montreal coffers. While I hesitate to second guess any artist's decision in regards to song placement, it would behoove my review efforts to ignore the head scratching from others in attendance. It seemed very much like the band was making a conscious show of defiance by supplanting succinct pop songs with episodes of stretched out jamming. Defiance of whom, however, is anyone's guess.
Continued with setlist, more photos + MP3...after the jump.
It wasn't all eye-glazing jams though, Barnes wicked weirdness was a constant. On the new "Exquisite Confessions" Barnes steps into his alter ego where he communicates like an unhinged, unfiltered version of Elton John. His made up character, George Fruit, is the breakout star of Hissing Fauna. If I was a betting man (I am) I'd say Mr. Fruit's story is not done being told in the closing notes of Hissing Fauna. Put me down for fifty. "Exquisite Confessions" starts off in a falsetto rendition convincingly proclaiming exhaustion from "sucking too much dick." Oh Kevin Barnes and your androgyny! You stay so edgy and the kids love you! Later in the song he peppered the new track with equally frightening lyrics and dance moves for good measure. "Alicia Keys" - grunt + pelvic thrust - "FANTASIES!"
**Live video of "Exquisite Confessions" from a different show**
Naturally, there were costume changes. Including a memorable number anchored with blue smurf booties and gray tights stemming to a green blouse supporting a pair of enormous shoulder pads. One large red bow literally tied the fabulous linebacker ensemble into what could reasonably be called a color coordinated yuletide gag. If memory serves they were performing a new song that sounded like a condensed version of everything demented from the 70s and 80s. Potentially awesome, but I'll hedge my bet. Keep me in for a fiver.
Later the noodling resurfaced for a twenty minute improvisational exploration tagged to the outro of "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse", which was notably introduced by the ever playful Kevin Barnes as "the last song". Choosing a meandering route to jam on they bounced from dancey house themes to pointless trips into nowhere land. At times lost and looking for a way back into meaningful musical structure. It wasn't amazing and it wasn't terrible. It sorta just was, and ultimately that is the best way I can describe it. Detractors of improvised music will claim 'gotcha' and build their case against the school of jam, also, win a coveted trophy from the 'it doesn't matter anyway' organization. Hey, congrats.
I'm all ears to anyone who can refute my theory of how this was not just a convoluted ploy to fuck with the audience. Obviously harmless though, nothing more than a game of tease with the crowd. Yanking them around in one instance and holding them in the controlling palm of rhythm and beats like the deadly toying of a killer funk band. When Barnes' asked the eager Saturday night crowd if he can "hang out after the show" he received a riotous, presumably affirmative answer in cheered response and deadpanned back with a lisping boystown dialect, "ok, we'll go to your house."
Looking like he had just woken up from a dream, Barnes along with co. returned to the stage for a three song encore by acknowledging the previous wayward drift and declaring, "I don't know what happened". I'm quite certain I heard him say something about a long strange trip while emphasizing his point. Actions that simultaneously fan excitement with fans of drawn out experimental music while inducing mild shock-waves from the collective eye roll of most squatters within indie rock's big tent. At the very least I imagine hippie hating hipsters getting pissed.
Maybe the long fall into the rabbit hole marking the end of the set was a way for the band to ape the celebrated narrative of Hissing Fauna's tortured protagonist in a live performance setting. If so, yeah for me and theories. What matters is it flipped the focus from the uneven flow of the first half of the show to a more consistent, legitimate dance party during the encore slot.
Of Montreal - "The Party's Crashing Us"
Final send off was "The Party's Crashing Us Now" off the excellent Sunlandic Twins. Preceding the opening of exit doors with one of my favorite lines from any Of Montreal song: "You Fucked the suburbs out of me." In other words, Good night Denver - hugs and kisses from Of Montreal.
Setlist
The Past Is A Grotesque Animal
She's a Rejector
Oslo In the Summertime
Forecast Fascist Future
Exquisite Confessions (new)
Don't Disconnect the Dots
Crushed the Egg I Was Born In (new?)
unknown/new?
My British Tour Diary
Gronlandic Edit
Sink the Seine
Cato as a Pun
Suffer For Fashion
Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse > Jam
Encore:
Requiem For O.M.M.2
Faberge Falls for Shuggie
The Party's Crashing Us
Posted by Merry Swankster at November 27, 2007 02:12 PM
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Comments
It's a tough line to navigate. I saw them play "The Past is a Grotesque Animal" in NYC a couple shows back and at the end of the set, it was just exhausting. The kids in the audience looked like rave survivors dancing at 5 AM. So where do you place it? They opened the last show I saw w/ "So Begins Our Alabee," which is a pretty perfect opener...
Posted by: Jeff K at November 27, 2007 02:57 PM
Wow, he played The Past Is A Grotesque Animal. That's awesome. Lucky you!
Posted by: Eduardo at December 1, 2007 04:27 PM
