By: Jon Behm
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| Jamie Lidell - photo by Jon Behm |
Jamie Lidell is a man of two faces. On one side you have the Motown inspired soul singer; Al Green reborn as a white Englishman. On the other, you have the experimental dance virtuoso, a microphone distorting soundboard jockey who has computer keys wired to his guitar's body. I am personally a much bigger fan of the former, and was therefore a bit apprehensive to see which side would show up at the Varsity Theater on Tuesday night.
As it happened, both sides made appearances. Lidell started the set with full band in tow, a guitarist dressed like Elvis, saxophonist dressed as Jesus and a keyboardist well into his twilight years. Compared to the rest of the band, the drummer was relatively unexciting in a simple '70s style mustache and aviators getup. The group hit it off with the audience-- immediately taking them through some favorites off of Lidell’s recent release Jim, an album that mostly ignores his electronic impulses.
About 30 minutes into the set, the band launched themselves into the crowd, climbing amongst the theater’s numerous couches with maracas in tow before disappearing backstage. This left Lidell free to explore his musical wanderings solo, which he promptly did after stationing himself behind a mountain of electronic knobs and switches stage right. While the 20 or so minutes that ensued were my least favorite of the show, I have to admit that the man’s skill at warping his beats and vocals into a veritable dance odyssey is downright admirable. Plus, shouted audience requests for “More Cowbell,” (a reference to a popular SNL skit) prompted Lidell to rap out some of the meanest rhythms that I think a cowbell has ever seen.
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| Janelle Monáe - photo by Jon Behm |
Luckily after Lidell got the electronica out of his system, the band re-entered the stage and brought my mood back up with rousing renditions of “Out of My System” and “Another Day.” The longer they played the more playful the band became, with Lidell and the guitarist shoving each other around stage and the sax player taking on what appeared to be a bass and soprano saxophones simultaneously. The band’s energy was infectious, and I think that by the time they wrapped up the final song of their encore everyone was at least tapping toes, if not getting down in a full out boogie.
Soul and Rock crooner Janelle Monáe was the evening’s opener, arguably besting even Lidell and company in showmanship. The young singer has as gorgeous a voice as I have ever heard and sports a hairstyle like I have never seen (a sort of pompadour meets afro). In a recent video Monáe plays the part of a futuristic cyber-singer, and it’s not hard to imagine her as a sophisticated machine. Her combination or looks, dance moves and vocals are almost enough to convince one that a mere human couldn’t possibly be so gifted. Monáe covered every inch of the stage (and much of the floor) with acrobatic dancing, all without dropping a single note or even appearing winded. Her performance left me assured that she is likely on the cusp of a VERY big career in music. Judging by the fact that she is already hobnobbing with the likes of Outkast and Sean “Diddy” Combs, I am not the only one who thinks so. I consider myself lucky to have seen her up close (in fact she used me as a springboard to go crowd surfing) since I am fairly sure that eventually I won’t be able to afford the tickets to her shows.
Jamie Lidell's Myspace
Janelle Monáe's Myspace
More photos from the show:
Location Info:
The Varsity Theater
Artist Info: Jamie Lidell, Janelle Monae
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