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| Frank Ocean performs on the first day of the Panorama Music Festival on Randall’s Island 2017 in New York City.
Frank Ocean has captivated audiences since his
debut with his tenderness, a gentle but unwavering voice in the often
hyper-macho world of R&B and hip-hop.
Nearly a year after he released his long-awaited
second album, "Blonde," Ocean has presented his ever-patient fans
with a live vision of his music, one that creates a kind of cinematic intimacy.
Headlining the first day Friday of Panorama, a
year-old festival on New York City's Randall's Island, Ocean shunned the stage which
became a giant audiovisual project as he performed in the round from an island
in the crowd.
Ocean emerged to the boisterous beats of his track
"Pretty Sweet" before immediately dialing down the exuberance with
"Solo," his bare, organ-backed confessional on embracing solitude.
Clicking a button on a mountain of equipment, Ocean
appeared on the stage-screen in grainy footage akin to an old home video. But
soon it became a slick, real-time concert movie with shots of Ocean and
cheering fans fading into each other and occasional bursts of color including
Ocean's signature orange.
- A rare performer -
In a hint that the show may eventually wind up in a
new form, director Spike Jonze filmed Ocean up-close through the entire set
with a steadicam a scene that could have figured as a subplot to his movies
"Her" or "Being John Malkovich."
Ocean has returned from a three-year touring hiatus
but is only playing a handful of shows. Only two are in the United States; the
other one, a week ago in Los Angeles, again saw Jonze trailing Ocean as well as
a cameo appearance by Brad Pitt.
Ocean who made waves in the hip-hop world in 2012
by declaring that his life's first love was a man delivered a statement for the
current political moment by wearing a T-shirt that read: "Why be racist,
sexist, homophobic, or transphobic when you can just be quiet?"
Ocean reconfirmed the emotional power of his
falsetto on tracks such as "Thinkin' 'Bout You," one of his
best-known hits, infused with a jangly guitar by stage guest Alex G.
Yet the band and Ocean veered out of step at
points, with the perfectionist singer himself acknowledging to the crowd that
the show remained a work in progress.
The show culminated in a surround sound, rare for
festivals, as instrumentation from guitar riffs to organ boomed from
alternating speakers.
- Closed stage and memorable dance moves -
Panorama was inaugurated in New York last year by
the promoters behind Coachella, the premier festival that takes place each year
in the California desert, as the market for live music thrives across the
United States.
Panorama suffered a setback Friday as an indoor,
air-conditioned concert stage was damaged. Fan footage posted online showed the
wooden floor breaking open during a packed performance by rapper Isaiah Rashad.
No one was hurt but the stage was shut for the day,
forcing cancelations of sets by prominent hip-hop producer DJ Shadow and French
house DJ Breakbot.
Frank Ocean was preceded on stage by another
leading figure of alternative R&B, Solange, who brought brassy takes to
last year's album "A Seat at the Table," an introspective tour
through the state of black America.
With a stage resembling the flag of Japan, Solange
and her eight-piece band had a touch of Prince as they played decked out in
matching red outfits and Solange showed off free-flowing dance moves from fluid
shoulders to a shaking head.
As for dancing, Future Islands again showed
themselves to be among the most passionate performers in indie rock.
Frontman Samuel T. Herring opened with an apology,
saying the Baltimore-based band was jet-lagged after returning from Australia.
But the intensity was on full
display especially on "Cave," which touches on the US political
climate as the sweat-dripped Herring repeatedly growled, leaped across the
stage and pounded his chest.
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