Of Montreal/Loney, Dear @ Irving Plaza: Night Two

Night two of the Of Montreal experience at Irving Plaza had the band rearranging and adding to the set-list and their wardrobe. You can't wear the same thing two days in a row, that's just not right. I'd like to see the budget and tour rider for the band. I'm going to e-mail George Lucas the spray painted gold Darth Vader costume that their sound man was wearing.

Anyway, I got a sweet vantage point for the show, thus, had a fantastic time. As I mentioned before, this is probably the last time the band will play a room this mid-size. Having sold out two shows here, they can easily move up in the ranks. I, for one, am glad the band is gaining the exposure and a new fan base. They're making their best music now and performing at a high level.

The stylist for Saturday. Still, they avoided playing "Wraith Pinned to the Mist (And Other Games)."

• Carlyle's Song
• Humidistat Like a Promethean Curse
• So Begins Our Albee
• Suffer for Fashion
• Sink the Seine
• Cato As A Pun
• Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider
• Disconnect the Dots
• Requiem for O.M.M.2
• Will You Come and Fetch Me
• My British Tour Diary
• October is Eternal
• The Past is a Grotesque Animal
• She's a Rejector
• I Was Never Young
• Faberge Falls for Shaggier
• Oslo in the Summertime
• Greenland Edit
• Rapture Rapes the Music
• Encore: Star man
• The Party's Crashing Us
• The Repudiated Immortals

Here are some of thing you'll get to see at an Of Montreal show, Kevin Barnes wearing a huge dress and standing on a ladder, making him look like a 10 foot tall woman, a man in a skin-tight stocking swearing his body with bananas, a giant furry creature, a man in a skin-tight stocking drawing on paper and throwing it into the audience and a man in a skin-tight stockings doing some tumbling with a man in a Darth Vader costume. Now that's what I call a show.

Beyond the show, on Friday show, while I was in a balcony, I saw a big fist fight breakout during the show. At Saturday's show, I saw a kid pass out before Of Montreal even started and a guy in a construction helmet get kicked out as well. For some reason, Irving Plaza has become freak central for shows. In the past, I've seen someone try to set their shirt on fire, people puking on the floor, naked chicks, a drunk chick get felt up by an old guy and not minding it and someone stealing the fire extinguisher and starting to use it.

Sweden's Emil Svanängen, going by the name Loney, Dear, took opening act duties for the night. Last year, the Rough Trade crew turned me onto this singer-songwriter's DIY brand of chamber pop. I was kind of worried for him because he seemed a little out of place with an audience that was listening to a DJ spin loud, crappy house music for an hour. Despite some chuckles from the crowd when Emil was singing high-pitched chords to start, they came around when his music sprung to life. I was pleasantly surprised how engaging his live act is because it's different from what I've heard on Sologne. On CD it's a little more ethereal and live it has much more punch. The "I Am John" track from his Sub Pop debut, Loney Noir, came off awesome. It has a lot of bounce and drive.

 

Comments

[Paul]

"Encore: Star man"

When was this? I don't remember hearing this... After looking through Friday's setlist - I really envy the fact that they got to hear Vegan in Furs and their version of Tropical Iceland - but I wouldn't trade those two for The Past is a Grotesque Animal, which was on Saturday. That was the most intense thing I have ever seen in concert!

[Jess]

Ugh, I was right in front of that guy in the construction hat. Him and his little crew reeked of pot and beer. He kept telling people it was his birthday, and then saying his girlfriend was up in the front. They kept pushing the entire crowd forward.

[Jess]

Oh also, if you bought that big orange shirt they were selling, you got to squeeze into it with Jamey and take pictures.

[Eduardo]

Seriously, The Past is a Grotesque Animal was I N T E N S E

Anyone have a setlist for friday night's show?

None of us drank beer idiot.

We were high on meth, so get over it