Janelle Monáe Performs at Highline Ballroom

It is nice to see an artist step on the stage fully clothed up to her neck and who sings so beautifully that you, the audience, are inspired by her talents and not distracted by stage antics. That artist is Janelle Monáe. I have had the pleasure of seeing her perform previously as an opening act for other artists; it was great to see her take the stage of her own sold out show at the Highline Ballroom.

If you don’t know who Janelle Monáe is, let me put it like this, she is in a class all of her own. Take a little bit of Andre 3000’s energy, a little bit of James Brown stage presence, add some of Jackie Wilson’s fancy foot work, put all that together into the pint size package of a young lady whose voice is as crisp as a humming bird and you have Janelle Monáe.

I’ve never been disappointed with a Janelle Monáe performance. The same energy she exudes in her music videos is what you get from her live performance. Accompanied by a live band and a video presentation to set the mood of the show, she performed songs from her up coming release The ArchAndroid including her current single Tightrope, as well as songs from her critically acclaimed Metropolis: The Chase Suite such as Sincerely, Jane, one of my favorite songs, and Many Moons. The only downfall of the night had nothing to do with the artist, but with the venue’s audio system. The levels were unbearably high, that most of the audience plugged their ears with their fingers. For some that would have been so irritating that it would have ruined the concert experience. Personally, Janelle Monáe’s performance was totally worth the risk of losing my hearing!

There is nothing more that I can say, but that Janelle Monáe is amazing! If you have seen her perform live before, go see her again! If you have never seen her perform live, go see her, you will not be disappointed!

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