I think I may have been playing it safe when I used the word pageantry to describe Of Montreal‘s live performance. It was more like Liza Minnelli’s dream Vegas show if she was twisted up on acid. Baby skeletons, giant pac-man dragon caterpillar things, phallic figures spewing confetti feathers, sequins, pig people riding inflatable rafts across the crowd, glitter, strobes, costume changes, fish head creatures with gas masks, and more spandex full-body unitards than the icecapades.
The band was comprised of about 7 musicians, a score of dancer / performance artists, and a roadie / musician in a leotard with a giant dildo (I hope it was) trying to rip through his lime green figure skater garb. Kevin Barnes was in rare form as he danced, pranced and sashayed across the Firestone stage. The music was rock driven and even psychedelic at points with an extended jam here and there. He reminded me of an indie rock Prince (with less guitar prowess), then they busted out a cover of Prince protege Apollonia 6‘s “Sex Shooter” and moved straight into “Gronlandic Edit.” Pretty nifty.
Over the past 20 years or so The Black Crowes carved a niche as the quintessential American rock n’ roll band. They did this by studying and practicing to receive an honorary PhD from the School of Rock. The Crowes are students of the trade, learning from the songwriting nuance of bands like The Beatles, the honky-tonk swagger of The Rolling Stones, the glam and volume of Zeppelin, the guitar power of 70′s mountain rock from bands like, well, Mountain, the jamming blues-rock prowess of The Dead, and the southern grace of the Allman Brothers just to name a few obvious influences. They are able to harness all of this and adapt it to their sound and abilities to create their own vibe. They can be gritty, folk-y, loud, jam-y, intimate, and heavy. They were all of this and more during the 2-day stint in their hometown at Atlanta, Georgia’s famed Tabernacle.
Thievery Corporation opened up the double headlining show and powered through a more uptempo set than usual. They were heavy on the reggae and the percussion, pumping up the large crowd for one of the most anticipated electronica shows I’ve seen. 
Phoenix put on a hell of a penultimate show in Orlando the other night. Although they did not stray far from setlists I viewed, they were able to really amp up their sentimental indie rock for the live setting. The performance was loud and bright with a pulsing light show. The band was tight and displayed some jam prowess by extending some songs, adding nifty build-ups or 
The show opened with Pearly Gate Music which was some guy with an electric guitar that reminded me a little of Lilly Taylor’s character in Say Anything, I kept waiting for him to belt, “Joe lies! / Joe lies when he cries!” The music was quiet and poignant, but if that’s what music sounds like at the pearly gates, then I’m glad I’m going to hell. His MySpace music player sounds like he mixes in more instruments for the recordings to be fair.