Janelle Monáe gifted Montreal a pretty perfect show last night

If there is such a thing as a perfect show, last night’s Janelle Monáe concert in Montreal hit pretty close to that mark. Between the spectacular star power of Monáe (and her crew of fabulous dancers and musicians) and the spread of genre-spanning songs, not to mention the creative mise-en-scène (pairing stage décor and a big video backdrop) and brilliant costuming (more about that later), this was truly a stellar show from end to end. That Monàe also shared some words of encouragement for fellow LGBTQ2IA+ people (she is nonbinary) on the day that those asinine demonstrations took place was the cherry on top.

Given Monáe’s 17-year-so-far music career and significant side hustle as an actress and off-runway model (her red carpet and special-event appearances in impossible outfits are legendary), a certain level of showmanship is to be expected, but she really outdid herself with this Age of Pleasure tour. If you’ve seen the hyper-sexualized music videos and promotion for this album, you might have been led to believe that the show would be all about bikinis, hazy lighting, reggae tempos, sensual moves and generally loose vibes — there was a bit of that, certainly (and with a comically large sun hat on top), but Monáe’s aesthetic language is as broad as her sonic one.

Her looks ranged from extreme floral to Black militant to austere glam to pussy pants (for “Pynk,” of course), repping an 18-song setlist featuring tracks from as far back as her 2010 debut, the sci-fi concept album The ArchAndroid (she closed the show with “Tightrope” and “Come Alive (War of the Roses),” far from my favourite Janelle Monáe songs but they still killed live), through The Electric Lady (“Q.U.E.E.N.” and the title anthem), Dirty Computer (“Make Me Feel” keeps Prince alive) and of course the latest album The Age of Pleasure (singles “Lipstick Lover,” “Water Slide,” “Champagne Shit” etc), from funk to rap, soul to R&B, under a beautiful Afrofuturist space pop umbrella.

I’m guessing there has also never been so much twerking at Metropolis (aka MTELUS) as there was when Monáe & co. invited a lucky few of Montreal fans on stage to shake it during an extended jam of “Paid in Pleasure.” Truly a joy to behold.

This is the third time I’ve seen Janelle Monáe live, and while her Osheaga main-stage sets in 2011 and 2019 were amazing and memorable in their own ways, her ever-expanding range (and the relative intimacy of an indoor venue) made this show that much extra special. Her voice is fantastic, her appearance is flawless, her sense for what people want from a show is only improving as the years go by. One of the only criticisms of Janelle Monáe that I’ve heard (and retained) is that she’s a bit robotic — and that was during her first tour, for an album where her alter ego was a cyborg. But maybe her only defect remains that she’s just too perfect. ■

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