Review: Janelle Monáe provides Columbus fans a 'safe oasis' at 'Age of Pleasure' show

Janelle Monáe made sure a mostly filled auditorium on Ohio State University's campus on Friday had a pleasurable time.

"We're gonna make this the best celebration this venue has ever had," the singer-rapper-actor told the crowd during "The Age of Pleasure Tour" stop at the Mershon Auditorium in Columbus.

The tour is in support of June's "The Age of Pleasure," the singer's fourth studio album and a departure from their seven-part Afro-futuristic "Metropolis" concept series. The album is Monáe's first since 2018's "Dirty Computer," which garnered wide critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.

The new album mixes Afrobeats/Afro-pop and reggae with soul, with themes of sex positivity, queer love, confidence and Black joy.

The album has its detractors, many of whom may be used to a much more high-concept version of Monáe. But on the "Age of Pleasure Tour," these records fit a larger conception of inclusion and self-love.

Broken into chapters broadcasted on the large screen behind Monáe's set — a large, natural-toned set of stairs embossed with amps and adorned with colorful plants and flowers — they started "Chapter 1: A Thousand Versions of the Self" with the new album's first single, "Float," dressed in a flower poncho, matching boots and a flower crown.

Backed by a seven-part band, including three horn players, Monáe and their background dancers took a moment to make a champagne toast with the crowd: "To the lives we lead (and) the drinks we chase ..."

In a May interview, Monáe told New Zealand radio DJ Zane Lowe that "The Age of Pleasure" was a love letter to the African diaspora. The connection is evident both on the album and the live arrangements of the songs, including an extended dance break to African drums after "Champagne S***" and smooth jazz to transition out of "Phenomenal."

The show's second chapter, "Now or Never," featured the singer's third costume of the night — a black, low-cut blazer, knee-high boots and a red beret — and non-"Age of Pleasure" songs: "Dirty Computer" single "Django Jane," a rap song with Black feminist themes, and "Q.U.E.E.N.," a funk track with a message of liberating oppressed groups.

The high-energy performances continued with the album's most sex-positive tracks, including "Paid in Pleasure."

"I didn't always move my hips like this," Monáe said before picking out about a dozen audience members to dance with them on stage. Then, it was on to another costume, as the singer changed from a matching orange crop top and pants set, and a floppy straw hat, to the iconic pants from their "Pynk" music video, and a naked print bodysuit.

Following more "Age of Pleasure" tracks and previous singles, Monáe transitioned out of a swimsuit and coverup in "Paradise" to a crop top version of their iconic black and white suit in a performance that conjured both Michael Jackson and Prince in "Make Me Feel." The song led into an interpolation of James Brown's "I Got the Feelin'".

"Make Me Feel" may have gotten the best response from the audience to that point, leading the singer to remark how "exceptional" the crowd was.

Monáe then took a moment to thank fans for "seeing the vision." They asserted that detractors of "The Age of Pleasure" missed the almost satirical "take on the world" the album makes. Monáe, who came out as pansexual in 2018 and nonbinary in 2022, said they wanted fans to consider the show a "safe oasis" away from racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and people who "center hate."

Monáe attempted to bestow several moments of wisdom throughout their performance, but like some of their vocals, they were drowned out by the band, especially the bassist. But with this message, the band was silent, and the audience held on to every word, cheering intermittently.

The speech felt especially poignant on a college campus, and the capital of a state deemed a battleground for culture wars and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

Monáe closed out the show with the highest-energy performance of the night, which featured "Tightrope" and "Come Alive," a punk-rock track from their first studio album. The latter was a bit of an odd placement, but just as animated, with Monáe doing call-and-response and getting on the main floor with the audience.

Cleveland-born DJ and producer Nana Kwabena and viral L.A. rap duo Flyana Boss, comprised of best friends Bobbi Tyler and Folayan Kunerede, opened for Monáe. Flyana Boss performed an ambitious nine songs, including their TikTok famous hit "You Wish," and had their own party onstage as they brought up audience members for a performance of the song.

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tmoorman@dispatch.com

@taijuannichole

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Janelle Monáe aims to please on Columbus tour stop on campus