Janelle Monaé Dazzles As The Dirty Computer Tour Made A Stop In Denver

Janelle Monaé dazzles the Denver crowd. (Photo: Robert Castro)

Janelle Monaé brought her Dirty Computer Tour to the Paramount Theater this past Sunday night. On the heels of a highly praised performance during the BET Awards last week, the Denver crowd anticipated the same worthy performance from the multi-Grammy nominated performer (singer, rapper, actress, songwriter). As the lights dimmed out came Monaé under a spotlight, a thick layer of fog filled the stage leaving only a silhouette of the performer. Going right into "Crazy, Classic, Life", Monaé was joined by a troupe of dancers who accompanied her throughout much of her set. Much of the show consisted of newer material off the Dirty Computer album. Perfecting the role of showstopper, she lit up the stage with a variety of costume changes that adorned black and white checker patterns with flashy red ensembles. 

With a penchant for her love of dance, Monaé performed well calculated choreographed numbers that only brought each song to life giving it an organic feel to the performance. Other fan favorite hits included "Electric Lady", "Yoga", and "Make Me Feel", in which she channeled her own James Brown persona mimicking the legends signature dance moves. Often pausing between songs Monaé took time to mention some of our world's current cultural issues stemming from LGBTQ to immigration gaining positive reactions from the crowd. Her now famous "vagina" pants even made an appearance on the song "PYNK".

Monáe describes the song as, "a celebration of creation, self love, sexuality and pussy power", and that the color pink "unites all of humanity" because it is the color "found in the deepest and darkest nooks and crannies of humans everywhere."

As the crowd disbursed after the amazing show, the whispers of "show of the year" managed to echo across the theaters lobby as patrons made their way to the merch both to give them something tangible to remember the magical night and performance that Monaé brought to the Mile High City.

As for show of the year......we will go ahead and concur with the masses who felt the same way.

Words and Images: Robert Castro

Setlist Here

One of the many costumes Monaé wore. (Photo: Robert Castro)

Preaching the message of love throughout the night Janelle Monaé gave the Denver crowd a memorable performance. (Photo: Robert Castro)

Download Mayer Hawthorne's Impressions The Covers EP


Impressionshere

Download Impressions Here:

STORY BEHIND THE SONGS:

 1. Work To Do- Isley Bros
This one features my live band, The County: Quentin Joseph on drums, Topher Mohr on guitar, Quincy McCrary on piano, and Joe Abrams on bass. It was recorded live in a radio station studio somewhere during our Winter 2010 US tour. The tapes recently surfaced, but nobody can remember exactly where we were. The song is originally by The Isley Brothers, and that's the only version I was familiar with until we started playing it in our live shows and people would come up to us and say "hey, loved your cover of Average White Band!".

2. Don't Turn The Lights On- Chromeo
My favorite track from Chromeo's latest LP. On the surface it's an electro-funk, dance floor filler, but underneath is a brilliant love ballad with lyrics that reminded me of something from Tyrone Davis. Dave1 (of Chromeo) told me the song is about a guy who falls in love with a ghost, so I wanted my version to have an eerie, ghostly feel to it. Quincy McCrary played the creepy piano solo at the end.

3. You've Got The Makings Of A Lover- The Festivals
Textbook Northern Soul from a little known Dallas, Texas group called The Festivals. I was digging for records in NY with my homey DJ Kurse, and the shopkeeper played the 45 in the store. Both of us immediately ran up to the counter and said "yo! what is THAT?!". The original version was recorded in the late 60s, and the mix isn't very good. I wanted a version that I could bump. Quentin Joseph played the drums and we recorded them at Sam Beaubien's studio in Detroit. That's Sam playing the trumpet as well.

4. Fantasy Girl - Steve Salazar
This song was written and composed by an amazing man from Pasadena named Steve Salazar. He was born with a heart condition and passed away at the young age of 27. Before he died he recorded one incredible album of demos in the mid-70s with a band called Shorty's Portion. Peanut Butter Wolf found a copy of the album and I loved it so much that he gave it to me (thanks Wolf!). The vinyl had a handwritten note tucked in the sleeve that was addressed to anyone who could help the band with management, a record deal, radio airplay, etc. I'd estimate there were less than 300 copies pressed. That's my Dad playing pedal steel guitar on my version.

5. Little Person- Jon Brion
Jon Brion is not from this planet. He penned this song for the soundtrack to Charlie Kaufman's film "Synecdoche, NY". I didn't get the film at all, but I really got the soundtrack. The original has only female vocal and piano, but I always heard a larger arrangement. Hubert Alexander played some of the piano and I did everything else.

6. Mr. Blue Sky- ELO
This one also features my band, The County, and was recorded live, in one take, in a tiny makeshift tent, at a festival in Dour, Belgium.