Janelle Monae

Janelle Monae

Janelle Monae’s set at Governor’s Ball blew me away, and I wasn’t going to pass up the chance to see her again a week later (with a slightly longer set time this time around, thankfully). Unsurprisingly give the degree of theatricality and choreography to Monae’s show, the performance varied little from last week aside from the inclusion of one or two more songs. That didn’t matter. Knowing what to expect only meant that I got to dig into a little bit more, developing more of a specific appreciation for the sequencing of her set, or different tricks deployed in this or that song. Similar to Governor’s Ball, but knowing what to expect I got to dig into it all a little bit more. The first four songs of Monae’s set (“Givin Em What They Love,” into “Dance Apocalyptic,” into “Sincerely, Jane,” into “Q.U.E.E.N.”) are amongst the best runs I’ve seen anyone put together in a set this year. It’s an incredibly effective sequence in terms of getting you primed for something special, and Monae’s set delivers on every level from there on out. I had chills through the whole performance.