Kevin Barnes is a mystical and magical human whom I have yet to understand. Perhaps I never will -- I'm fine with that. But the live performance that of Montreal put together last night was probably the closest I'll ever get to understanding this band. Talking about the performance itself is actually something I thought about for much of the performance -- how could I possibly put into words what had transpired before me on stage?
The performance begins when Lanc, Barnes' alter ego, donned in what appears to be a cross between a wrestling uniform and a death metal ensemble of sorts, entered the stage to cheers and applause. He began telling the story of a dream he had, which in description, sounded like something someone would vision while tripping on some sort of psychedelic drug, dreaming, or some sort of combination of the two.
His story ended and with it came the introduction of the band, and this song was the first one they performed. It's my favorite off Aureate Gloom and I wasn't surprised at all to hear that most of the audience seemed to know the words. The audience wasn't fantastic, but I will at least give credit to the fact that most people seemed to be rather devoted fans.
For the next hour, anything you could possibly imagine in a dream or psychedelic trip happened on stage -- which makes Lanc's vague and spacey dream-telling introduction all the more beautiful, as it served as a sort of preface for the entire show. Anything from people dressed up in poodle costumes with fake balloon sized breasts to a Spiderman Abraham Lincoln could be seen. They actually did something really impressive with large flat circular objects that served as a map for projections that would play behind or with the band at any given moment during the performance.
If anything, of Montreal's performance last night solidified the fact that in my mind, the group is in a constant state of evolution and growth. They embrace change beautifully and allow their personas to grow, proven especially on stage, in a live performance setting.
Be sure to give Aureate Gloom a listen if you haven't already, and catch them on tour in a city near you.
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