As Janelle Monae’s “Dirty Computer” intro video played the Fans didn’t bother to contain their anticipation for her to hit the stage. She took her time to greet them – further building the excitement of what she would present. It’s corny and cliché to say for such a cutting-edge artist, but a post script to the overly used “Forrest Gump” quote is the best way to describe Janelle Monae. Yes, she’s like a box of chocolates in the sense that you don’t exactly know what you’re gonna get. But as with the chocolates, a delicious surprise is to be rightfully expected. And as usual, she delivered a show that left palate of her fan base delighted with her 90-plus minute set Wednesday night at The Pageant during her sold-out St. Louis leg of the “Dirty Computer” tour.
Monae echoes the legacy of her late mentor Prince. She’s an androgynous, genre-bending musical wonder that is so captivating both on stage and on records that it doesn’t seem real or fair. She hasn’t achieved the mainstream success as Prince in the decade since she burst onto the alternative soul scene. But flying under the radar has afforded her a level of creative freedom that is somewhat void of pressure and expectation.
Monae is unabashedly woke. She uses her art to decry political and societal institutions that perpetuate racism, discrimination, poverty and other dysfunctions that are symptoms of a broken establishment. But she’ll also twerk as she compels folks to “let your booty do that yoga” or croon a love ballad like “Primetime.” If there were any boxes still imposed upon her by the industry and society, her third studio album and accompanying narrative film for which the tour is named shredded them to pieces.
With April the release of “Dirty Computer,” Monae presented a proclamation of sexual liberation that speaks to the millennial – mostly herself. Through pop, funk and soul music she compels listeners to move beyond the constraints of society’s norms with respect to sexuality, femininity and power.
The album fueled rumors about her own sexuality – and she promptly addressed them, revealing that she identifies as pansexual (an individual not limited in sexual choice with regard to biological sex, gender, or gender identity) in an interview about the record.
St. Louis soaked in every minute of the live presentation that leaned heavily on her new material and the context it provided.
“Now that you’ve learned a little bit more about how I love, let me say this: ‘happy pride forever,” Monae shouted to the diverse crowd that responded with a roaring ovation. “No matter who you love or how you love, you are welcome here tonight. Be who you are, regardless of if it makes someone else feel uncomfortable.”
Even before she dove into “Q.U.E.E.N.” Monae perched on an ornate throne and was surrounded by her group of backup dancers. By show’s end, she proved herself worthy of the symbolism. Her unique take on life, love and bucking the establishment through music proved as exhilarating in performance as it does on a playlist.
“Crazy, Classic, Life” “Take a Byte,” and “Screwed” and “D’Jango Jane,” were among the albums cuts she dove right into to kick off the high energy show.
She rapped, she danced, she got political. She slowed it down. She sped it up. But most of all she seemed to genuinely enjoy further expanding the already open minds who sang along to political statements of songs like “Cold War” and praised the female anatomy through “PYNK” with equal fervor.
“We have loved together, we have marched together and we’ve celebrated together,” Monae told the crowd. “We continue to fight together. WE continue to fight for the rights of the LGBTQIA community, for reproductive rights, for black people’s rights, for immigrants rights and against the abuse of power. This is what love looks like. This is a crowd that understands the importance of unity. ”
Monae proved herself to be an alternative, punk, soul, funk, rock and rap goddess all rolled into one by the evening’s end. She reached back and gave fans some favorites from previous projects, including “Q.U.E.E.N.,” “Tightrope” and “Primetime,” her lone radio hit – which faded into Prince’s “Purple Rain.”
Monae seems utterly unbothered by being too much of an anomaly to classify for the sake of urban or mainstream music. Actually, she seems to bask in it. Before she left the stage, she charged the crowd to do the same.
“You don’t need to be clean,” Monae told the crowd as she prepared to leave the stage after a two-song encore. “Your bugs, your viruses are all welcome. They make you who you are, and we love who you are.”
Alternative soul duo St. Beauty opened the show and was extremely well received by the crowd thanks to selections that drew from traditional R&B, funk, reggae and hip-hop. “Castles,” “Borders” and “Stone Mountain” were among the highlights of their fine-tuned set.
