The Boys Catch the Space Madness From Janelle Monae!

Sure, last night's Homecoming over at Memorial Stadium may have been predictably miserable (45-10 against Texas A&M?), but there was a jubilant homecoming of a different kind at Liberty Hall, as a KC hero beamed back into the region for her first performance as a bona-fide superstar. Yes, Janelle Monae, the ArchAndroid her own self, touched down from the future at Liberty with an hour's worth of funky dance moves, a selection of dancing and boxing robots, a balloon drop, and a baffling interlude where she set up a large easel and drew what appeared to be (from our balcony vantage point) a pair of tits with LOVE written vertically down the middle.

Chip: "I think the sketch was a commentary on her own artistic process. As we see Monae literally 'doing art' onstage, resulting in a simple sketch of love and sex, we realize that beneath the carefully crafted complexity of her persona and stage show, she is really speaking to us on a basic, universal level. Also, her drawing gave me a stiffy."

Verdict for Monae's set: four out of four space beers! (and if you weren't there for Monae's set, we recommend telling people that you were, because it's going to become a local legend).

And to the guy in the restroom during Monae's set who was whining loudly about how he wished Of Montreal would come onstage already, you are an idiot, as their antics paled in comparison to the talent on display from Monae. Yes, readers, it's true. We never thought a man in a dress having simulated sex with a humanoid pig-creature could become boring, but that's exactly what happened during Of Montreal's set. When every song works that same white-boy disco/funk groove, your "performance art" can only take you so far.

Verdict for Of Montreal: 2 out of 4 hits of Ecstasy (because surely something more than beer was required to fully "get" their dance party hi-jinks).