Janelle Monae in Concert

 

I didn't know how the turnout for this show would be.  The air was chill.  There was more then a slight hint of moisture in the air. As far as I know, I was sure the show was going to be moved inside.  And that would have been awful.  To see a crowded show inside the Rathskellar is unbearable not to mention uncomfortable.  In one sense, I was glad then to see them doing a sound check outside.  In another sense, I hope they still would get the crowd they deserved even with the weather.

I didn't have to worry for long.  Although there was no one there at 8pm, by 9pm the terrace was packed full of people.  Luckily I found myself in the gay friendly section which apparently for those newbies to the terrace is at the left corner of the stage.  Who knew?  I was glad that a large number of my friends were also excited to see this Diva in action.  Including these very attractive men. 

The show opened up with a beatbox guy from Minneapolis who I think was called Heatboxx(?) which at first glanced looked like a skinny version of Fred Durst.  I wasn't really that interested.  He was definitely no Janelle Monae.  But when he started looping his beatboxing and rapping over the top, I knew this guy was a helluva lot better then Mr. Durst.  I couldn't get any good pictures of him, but I can say there were a number of songs that he really impressed me with especially since the only "musical accompaniment"  behind his rapping was his own beatboxing.  It also gave me fond memories of TuNe-YaRdS when she played here.

And then she came.  Or at least I was pretty sure it was Janelle Monae even though they came out wearing these devil worshipping cloaks.  Not that I know exactly what kind of cloaks devil worshippers wear.

  But it wasn't long before the cloaks were off.   She asked the audience if they were ready for the Archandroid Experience (the name of her newest and as of yet, not released album).  With the approval of the audience, She began to sing quite a few songs that were off her new album.  I can say right now, it's definitely an album you don't want to miss.  The songs were amazing.  Some songs are just as dancy and fun as the ones off of her debut album, Metropolis.  Others she slowed down, cooing to the audience with that amazing voice of hers.  She did sing a few songs from her first album, Sincerely Jane, Violet Moons...etc.  And these of course made the audience go crazy though by going crazy just means a few people jumped up and down and danced.  I mean come on, college students can't blow their cool with too much craziness.

By the end, although the temperature was cold outside, I was definitely hot and sweating.  I also couldn't hear anything since we were right up against the speakers.  But I had a great time and I would love to see this woman again if she comes back to Wisconsin.