OF MONTREAL, HAR MAR SUPERSTAR, PROVOCATEASE
RIALTO THEATRE
Sunday, Oct. 31
Dare I say it was perfect? I mean, the fact that Tucson was treated to an of Montreal performance on Halloween night, a holiday that frontman Kevin Barnes stated was his reason for being born?
The fun limit was officially exceeded on Sunday night. Between the Leigh Bowery-esque costumes, the palpable audience energy and the no-holds-barred hypersexual displays onstage, escapism ruled the evening.
Burlesque troupe Provocatease, from Phoenix, set the mood with dance numbers involving feathered fans, plenty of glittery pasties and drinking from saucers on all fours. The charming emcee demanded "horny noisemaking" to reanimate the performers when they froze. Tucson was quick to oblige.
Har Mar Superstar (who dressed up as "the apologetic white Zorro, called Zorry") followed, as did more clothing removal (save the winning combination of his red drawers and white socks and shoes). Aptly described by TucsonScene.com's James Hudson as "Justin Timberlake meets Ron Jeremy," Har Mar gyrated his pelvis and declared his awesomeness after each of his catchy electronic pop numbers.
Touring in support of False Priest, of Montreal went above and beyond their usual over-the-top theatrics with unrivaled salaciousness. Opening with the new single "Coquet Coquette," the band was joined by a performance troupe that danced along while dressed in black-and-white-checkered head-covering unitards; the troupe members then unexpectedly dove from the stage and crowd-surfed. Throughout the show, Barnes interacted with the troupe, which constantly changed costumes, becoming giant droids at one point, and skull-headed creatures wearing pajamas at another. As if all this wasn't enough for the brain to handle, there were simulated sex acts in spades: Man-on-woman, man-on-man, fellatio, bestiality ... it was like a Dan Savage column had sprung to life.
The avant-pop group played hits such as "The Party's Crashing Us," "Suffer for Fashion" and "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse" while interlacing their new material, which was more guitar-driven and less singy-songy—a tasty and non-alienating departure from their norm. Their professionalism was the grounding force in this unconventional, Halloween-themed raunch-fest.
The cherry on top? Of Montreal's encore was a montage of Michael Jackson hits, including, appropriately, "Thriller."
