Of Montreal glams it up

By Meg Walsh

Published Feb. 23, 2007

As I took off down Ninth Street, Sharpie left behind in the hands of my creepy fangirl obsession, I couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably about the evening's events.

Wednesday night at The Blue Note, I experienced happiness in the form of an evening. I experienced the Of Montreal concert, and it was like taking a needle full of pure joy to that big vein in my arm.

The opening band was pretty fantastic, a group of seven boys from Tokyo who sang songs in English and Japanese. Members of Elekibass played the basic rock instruments as well as the soprano sax, tambourine and some weird combination between a flute and keyboard. I thought they were talented with just the right amount of gimmick thrown in, not so much that they relied on it, but enough to give them a little something to make them seem even crazier.

During one song, they would tote out a sign asking the fans, "One More Time?" and sing the chorus again and again. They also brought a "Thank You = Konichiwa" one as well as "You Are Awesome!"

After a somewhat long wait, Of Montreal hit the stage in gleaming, winged grandeur. The members all wore shiny, sequined outfits, along with glam-clown make-up. The images projected on the three screens behind Of Montreal displayed strange photos of very 1980-esque teens, a flashing outline of a couple with a baby popping out of the wife's head, negative live footage of the band playing and various color-bursts among other strange depictions.

I feel that Kevin Barnes, frontman and founder of Of Montreal, should only exist in a dreamlike, anti-reality where everything is how it should be: colorful, crazy and original. He started the night shirtless in a pair of purple tie-dyed hot pants and fishnet thigh-highs and then strapped into a pinstriped leotard with a ruby cummerbund. At one point, his shiny cummerbund fell off and a tech guy ran on stage to fix it. That is my dream job: to be Kevin Barnes' wardrobe tech. For one song, he stood atop a ladder, wearing a golden robe that extended to the floor, and for the encore, he wore a loose-fitting golden sequined jacket.

Of Montreal did a good job of mixing up new favorites and old classics, and every song kept the crowd moving. I was a tad disappointed to see unused props backstage that were featured in Of Montreal's video to "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse." This track and "She's a Rejecter!" were crowd favorites that met with cheers and moving bodies. Although my body was tired, I couldn't stop moving until the final "thank you" and blown kisses from the stage.

I feel like I robbed them because the show was worth a lot more than the ticket price. For this night, God popped open a Prozac and sprinkled it on The Blue Note.