"i like the way you groove."

last night i went to see of montreal at in the venue. when i arrived 30 minutes before doors i was worried the show wouldn't be good at all due to the small size of the crowd; the venue was near empty when i got inside. i wasn't sure what to expect from the two opening bands because i'd never even heard of them. mgmt went on first. frontman andrew vanwyngarden was a skinny skater-esque boy with brown and blond hair - headband included. he started singing and i didn't expect his voice at all: higher and definitely more unique. their music was somewhat pop-ish, but more alternative, and overall their set was very good. next band up: grand buffet. a hip-hop duo - believe it or not. if you wanted to see a band where a good time is guaranteed and is funny too these are your guys. they had songs about tree houses ("that song was about the government!" they proclaimed) as well as imaginary joints where imaginary guitars and basses were played. in my opinion, i thought both opening bands were wonderful and a good match for the show. for of montreal a friend and i moved up into the crowd so that we could dance. their set was fantastic; complete with three costume changes from frontman kevin barnes. the stage had light-up platforms of different sizes and some spiral stairs in the back where the rest of the band played. i wanted them to play their whole set full of songs off their newest album "hissing fauna, are you the destroyer?", but even the songs i didn't recognize were energized and fun. of montreal's music is dance-able, unique, and catchy. after they finished with "heimdalsgate like a promethean curse" the yelling of "come on, chemicals!" turned into "one more song!". a man in a wolf mask/white suit combo that had come out at the start of their set came out once again provoking more screaming from the crowd which led to, yes, an encore (sorry chad). all in all this was one of the most fun shows i've been to in quite sometime and made the end of the week very good. also (in case you were dying of curiosity) the size of the crowd did, in fact, get bigger.