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
