Janelle Monae
The Fillmore
Nov. 20, 2013
Toward the end of Janelle Monae’s first encore, deep in the heart of “Come Alive,” she tried her best to get the crowd to crouch down. She motioned with her arms twice, but the crowd got right back up. She asked everyone, “Do you trust me? Then get down…” But, again, the crowd got right back up. She shouted, “Get down!” but it failed, too. Finally, she gave up and let everyone stay where they were as she jumped, danced, twirled and sang.
I’m not sure if the crowd was lazy, tired or too busy taking video on their phones to participate, but throughout Monae’s hour-and-45-minute set, her infectious energy just wasn’t hitting people in full force. That’s to `no fault of the 27-year-old R&B singer. Monae puts on a show in every sense of the word.
Based on a loose storyline of Monae as a psych-ward patient being let out to exercise, the night got started with her, in a straightjacket, being wheeled out by two men in white coats. After a lengthy intro, Monae, on a stark white stage flanked by white curtains, started slow with “Givin’ Em What they Love” before kicking into high-gear with the dance-groove infused “Dance Apocalyptic.”
From that point on, Monae rarely stood still. She shook, shimmied and spun her way around the stage showing clear inspiration from artists including James Brown, Outkast and Prince. She didn’t worry about addressing the crowd, only briefing incorporating some lyrics for people to join her at Cook-Out after the show for a hamburger and strawberry shake. She was just too busy performing and showing fantastic range – no wonder she recently needed vocal rest.
While half of the set was made up from her recent album, The Electric Lady, Monae also found time for a cover of the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” before launching into a double dance set-closer of “Cold War” and “Tightrope.”
After a short break, Monae hit the stage for a three-song encore including a cover of Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy.” I was sure it would get the crowd moving and, duh, going crazy, but a majority of the crowd simply stood and watched. I only hope they were soaking it all in and enjoying it either way.
After the first encore ended with an extended version of “Come Alive,” she left for another short break. While nearly half of the venue filed out assuming the show was over, it wasn’t. Monae returned to thank everyone for their support of her art, and brought a few people up on stage as she ended the night with the apropos “What an Experience.”
Yes, Janelle. What an experience, what a performer, what a show.
Setlist
2.0 Introduction to Palace of the Dogs
Suite IV Overture
Givin Em What They Love
Dance Apocalyptic
Sincerely Jane
Q.U.E.E.N.
Electric Lady
Victory
Ghetto Woman
I Want You Back
Cold War
Tightrope
Encore
Primetime
Let’s Go Crazy
Come Alive
Encore II
What an Experience
This article appears in Nov 20-26, 2013.
I honestly have to wonder if Mr. Hahne was at the same show that I attended last night. I don’t know if he just unfortunately found himself in a dead pocket or what (I’ve rarely had a particularly “present in the moment experience in a press pit, so maybe that’s a factor?) but from my vantage point, and the vantage points of various friends who also attended the show, his was definitely not the average experience.
To say the crowd was lazy and boring is more a reflection of the tired old “Charlotte crowds are lamer than everywhere else” trope than reality. From where I was standing, the energy was incredible. For example, Hahne talks about Monae attempting to get the audience to “get low” and the crowd not responding… but he doesn’t mention that people had already been squatting at her request for nearly 10 minutes by that time, long enough for her to come out into the audience with the crowd basically bowing at her knees (like the goddess she is, no doubt) and for her to walk into the middle of the audience and perform a Negro spiritual call and response. By the time she got back on stage and told everyone to “get low” again, the back and forth banter from the crowd of “I love you Janelle, but my knees are tired!” was hilarious in it’s own right. Then she crowd-swam.
But that’s not in the review though. Nor is the fact that artists don’t come out for an encore if “half the audience” leaves… which they didn’t. A small portion of the audience ALWAYS leaves every concert because there are always lames who want to hurry out before traffic picks up. I hung around for about half an hour chit-chatting and buying merch and the security guards had to be on the lingering crowd to clear out. There was still a crowd waiting for Monae and her crew to board the tour bus two hours after the show had ended. (Sidebar, she actually did go to Cookout. I ended up behind her limo in the drive-thru line.)
But he didn’t talk about all that. Weird.
I agree with Danielle. The show I attended was a very enthusiastic crowd, and Mr. Hahne must not have been in attendance. For one I was a part of it, and two have the videos and pictures to show that ” her infectious energy just wasn’t hitting people in full force.” is a very false accusation. Secondly, that was my first live concert ever attending and by far the best one. Not to mention Janelle, herself saying that Charlotte was the type of crowd she loved, and she loved us. Pretty sure I have it on film too, because it was a damn good show! Oh and how long was the crowd outside waiting by her bus, after the concert was over, after the she came back out on stage because the crowd ranted for her to come back on stage? Yeah, thought so. But good pictures you have there sir! Wish I would have been that close to the Monae you speak of.
If you were in the front half of the crowd, you likely didn’t see a large group of people leave (though some did come back when the music started), or stand still for much of the show – because you probably didn’t look behind you to see the ones not dancing and leaving early.
I’m glad from your vantage point everyone was showing enthusiasm, because from where I was standing, people looked bored. I expected the entire place to be dancing, not just a part of it.