What on earth was that?

Last night we went to see Of Montreal in Asheville, NC and it was one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen. Just to give you a taste...

The show started with several aliens carrying out a large golden box [I think it was supposed to be the Ark of the Covenant] Barnes climbed out and people went NUTS as he jumped right into "Id Engager," a song where the hook line is "I can't help but it's true. Don't want to be your man, just want to play with you. Play with you." And that set the tone for the rest of the show. It was in your face, sacrilegious, provocative, homoerotic and one of the coolest shows that I have ever been to.

It was much more than a concert. Barnes had about 15 costume changes. Just to name a few examples, he came out in a gold Speedo, shaving cream, a centaur costume and a purple bathrobe. One of my favorite additions was a giant, pink fanny pack, which he tossed away in order to take on his guitar.

At one point he left the stage for a change but came back after a few minutes sporting only his Speedo and looking slightly disappointed. He said, "I guess it's pretty professional of me to stop a show to look for my cheetah jacket. I just really want you to see it." Later, a roadie came out and put the cheetah jacket onto him and he interrupted the song with a cool look and a, "what do you think?"

In the middle of the stage they had a big set, which rolled on rails and spun around. Every few songs they would introduce a new set and with each new set came a new troupe of actors. Most of the "skits" were visualizations of the lyrics and the lyrics at times can be a little abrasive.

One of the sets was gallows. Barnes walked out in a bathrobe and throughout the song was encouraged to commit suicide numerous ways by actors on stage and was eventually led to the gallows. He put the noose around his neck and one of the actors kicked out stool he was standing on, leaving him hanging by what appeared to be his broken neck. It took a second for me to realize that he had on a harness beneath his robe.

But despite the sometimes-disturbing things happening on stage the music was tight and the way it was played was incredibly creative.

Barnes is notorious for being a perfectionist about his albums to the point that most of the recording does not involve the other members of the band. After the show the main drummer, Ahmed Gallab, a newer member of the band who originally hails from Sudan, commented that the band had only a couple months to learn all of the music.

He and the other drummer [Yes there were two drummers. And yes it was amazing] had locked themselves in a warehouse with drums and a lot of pot for 3 weeks in order to learn how to play with each other. The two played off of each other perfectly. Gallab said the idea originated with bass player/drummer Jamey Huggins.

The sound was slightly different from the album but it wasn’t at all compromised. Even the strange electronic beats and sounds were all played live by Gallab on an electric drum pad or by guitarist, Bryan Poole.

Everything worked both musically and dramatically. Nothing was missing…except hope.