Photo credit: Summerfest
Perusing this year’s Summerfest schedule, you could easily be forgiven for assuming Janelle Monáe being slated to perform at the BMO Harris Pavilion was some sort of misprint. After all, considering the amazing rise she’s enjoyed the last several years—starting with a string of inventive albums and EPs, detouring into acting turns in acclaimed films like Hidden Figures and Moonlight and culminating with the release of her highly anticipated smash hit, Dirty Computer, in April—she’s currently one of the highest profile names in popular music. When the list of American Family Insurance Amphitheater headliners includes Wisconsin State Fair staples like Journey with Def Leppard and boring safe bets such as the Dave Matthews Band, it feels like something of a missed opportunity for the Big Gig, both in terms of cash flow and credibility, but then again, there definitely weren’t any complaints from those experiencing her stunning live show more or less for free.
The festival did have the good sense to place her at their only quasi-premium stage, ensuring some lucrative ticket sales, but unless you’re dying for front-row seats or there’s inclement weather, the upgrade rarely seems worth the expense. Aside from some noise emanating from the bar bands populating the awkwardly placed JoJo’s Martini Lounge during a quiet moment or two, the view and acoustics are perfectly acceptable from the cheap seats, not that Monáe needs any help belting it out to the back rows.
Easing into things with Dirty Computer’s gentle, atmospheric title track, she soon kicked the energy up several notches, hopping between stylish party starters from the new record such as “Screwed” or “Django Jane” and older cuts like the soulful, celebratory “Electric Lady”—all of which were accompanied by glitchy, purple-hued video backdrops, elaborate choreography and more dramatic costume changes than you could shake a stick at.
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The latter, of course, included her instantly iconic vagina pants during “Pynk,” but the most memorable non-musical moments were the occasional between-song proclamations about the power of love in all its forms, which didn’t deviate much from the flowery language artists often bandy about but rang out with a conviction that seemed to resonate with everyone in attendance.
She mostly let the music do the talking, though, showing off her Michael Jackson-level dancing even as she snaked her sensuous voice around the tick-tock rhythm of “Make Me Feel,” or inviting audience members up to strut their respective stuff while somehow not missing a beat of the frenetic, Pharrell Williams-produced “Got That Juice.” Even before she shut things down with a sweaty, James Brown-esque rendition of the throwback track “Tightrope,” it should’ve been abundantly clear that she’s a serious talent, one you’re unlikely to find playing a ground stage next time.
