Of Montreal Cover David Bowie, Take On Girl Talk at Lollapalooza

Of Montreal razzled and dazzled Lollapalooza on Day One at Chicago's Grant Park with an elaborately theatrical show that ended with the same stunt Greg Gillis of Girl Talk pulled off during his Lolla set last year. As the band performed its last song, 'She's a Rejector,' two men dressed in drag (who were performing theatrical skits onstage) dove into an inflatable raft (a replica of Gillis') and allowed the raucous audience to carry them away. The guys made paddling motions with their arms giving new meaning to crowd surfing.

But before the chicanery ensued, singer Kevin Barnes demonstrated to the festival crowd why they can always count on him for a visually appealing and unpredictable show. Barnes came out wearing an outfit Ziggy Stardust would've certainly approved of, with his eyes drowned in blue shadow. Other members of the band donned feathered boas and equally impressive vintage costumes. Throughout the hour-long set, actors dressed as ninjas, Sand People from 'Star Wars' and drag queens paraded in front of the stage pretending to fight each other while the band sang its high-energy pop tunes. Colorful animated images including dinosaurs, half-naked women and George Bush's face continuously graced the monitors complimenting the carnival freak show unfolding onstage.

While all of this made for guaranteed entertainment, Of Montreal raised the crowd one by bringing out Janelle Monae for a cover of David Bowie's 'Moonage Daydream.' You know what they say, if the, uh, boa fits ....