Review: Janelle Monáe salutes Prince and her pleasure principles at Armory in Minneapolis

Janelle Monáe is a triple threat: a Grammy-nominated recording artist, an Emmy- and SAG-winning actress and a dynamic, critically acclaimed live performer.

Like Prince, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, Monáe is an evolved musical visionary who crafts the sound, look and presentation of her music — for studio, stage and videos. All four of her Twin Cities performances since 2010 have impressed, each more captivating than its predecessor.

After a five-year absence from the concert stage and last seen in 2022's whodunit movie "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," Monáe returned to Minneapolis Monday for her biggest local performance yet, in front of 5,000 people at the Armory.

Dressed in flowers from head to toe for the opening "Float," she came dancing down the steps of her flower-festooned stage with unfettered joy, and it looked like it was going to be another special performance by Monáe.

"No, I'm not the same," the 37-year-old nonbinary pansexual proclaimed in her musical declaration of independence. "I think I done changed, yeah, woo, woo, woo."

"Float" is the opening track on Monáe's fourth album, this summer's "The Age of Pleasure." Material from the new record — a Black queer celebration of all things pleasurable from the beach to the bedroom set to a mix of Afrobeat, hip-hop, house and Caribbean rhythms — was the focus of Monday's show.

The album is a departure from Monáe's previous high-concept recordings of Afrofuturism and sci-fi storytelling. And Monday's 97-minute show was a departure from the greatness of her previous Twin Cities concerts.

The staging was less imaginative, the outfits less stylish, the vibe less sexy and the overall impact less exciting.

Shaped like an amphitheater, her stage was cramped and claustrophobic with seven musicians, four dancers and Monáe. Some of the production numbers — such as the singer's oversized straw hat and corkscrew red pants over bare feet for the reggae-infused "Lipstick Lover" — were so uncreative that this felt, at times, like a high-budget cruise ship revue.

There were many winning musical moments, though, notably the trap-heavy 2015 dance favorite "Yoga" featuring guest Jidenna, the galvanizing "Electric Lady" (the title track of her 2013 sophomore CD) and the playful pop bop "Pynk" for which Monáe reprised her 2018 oversized chaps designed like a woman's pink privates, which is what the song is all about.

Whether belting soulful rockers or crooning chill ballads, the versatile Monáe showed a strikingly soulful mezzo-soprano, though she sometimes lacked vocal control. Her raps were filled with consistent urgency.

At times, Monáe, who did a handful of outfit changes, seemed rushed. Her patter felt scripted, like an actress — she's been in "Moonlight," "Hidden Figures" and "Harriet," among other films — running her lines at rehearsal instead for the cameras.

"This is the age of pleasure," she declared. "You do anything that feels good to you, not do what feels good to me."

During the encore, the Kansas City-reared singer/rapper explained that this show was dedicated to her hero, Prince. She said it was bittersweet since he was at her show last time. (Actually, he attended her first three Minneapolis gigs, but he died two years before her '18 show.) He was a supporter and mentor.

Her three-song encore — featuring dance moves inspired by Michael Jackson, James Brown and Prince — was a dazzling knockout, especially her own "Make Me Feel" and "Tightrope," her 2010 breakthrough hit, followed by a bonus version of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy." In her dancing frenzy, Monáe had the self-awareness to stop and retrieve her fallen sequined Zorro hat and Brown-like cape. She must have missed that lesson because Prince would have just gone with the flow, wardrobe be damned.

Opening the evening were Flyana Boss, a spunky L.A. hip-hop duo who have a girlish sound with spicy lyrics, and Jidenna, a singer/rapper originally from Wisconsin Rapids who was limited to one number because the proceedings were running late. Because of the tardy arrival of Monáe's entourage, the Armory's doors didn't open until 8:05 p.m., five minutes past the announced showtime and 95 minutes later than scheduled.