(Doug Van Sant/Courtesy of Goldenvoice)
Elusive R&B singer Frank Ocean performed at the Panorama Festival on Friday, his first concert in New York City in five years, in a set marked both for its intimacy and its elaborate production, headed by legendary film director Spike Jonze.
Rather than perform on a traditional stage, Ocean and his team created a runway and central platform that extended down the middle of the audience.
The set-up allowed Ocean to spend the set wandering up and down the runway, sitting calmly in a chair at the center, or hanging out at the front of the platform with a keyboard.
Fans that were lucky enough (or got there early) to make their way to the the closest third of the audience were gifted with a close-up view of Ocean, depending on which area of the crowd he decided to sing to during a song.
The central platform was arranged with a keyboard, a tapedeck, some speakers, and a few clear chairs for his band — who didn't even come out for the first couple of songs and played from a pit below the stage.
At times, the set gave off the feeling of watching a recital or a jam session in someone's living room, not a festival headliner.
The minimalist arrangement meshed well with Ocean's spare style, but was contrasted by all the other elements that went into the production.
The main stage was reconfigured with a video screen that stretched 30 feet high and 170 feet wide, wrapping around the entire audience:
(Nikki Jahanforouz/Courtesy of Goldenvoice)
A kind of improvisational concert film played on the screen, with a team of camera operators running around the platform with Ocean, capturing his every move.
The camera work, which mixed ultra-HD and lo-fi video cameras, was directed by none other than Jonze, best known for "Her" and "Being John Malkovich." Some have speculated that Jonze is working on a film project with Ocean; he filmed the singer's concerts at FYF Festival in Los Angeles and Lovebox Festival in London earlier this month.
Here's a look at the live film on screen, courtesy of Kendall Jenner (who was spotted at the show along with Justin Timberlake, Aziz Ansari, and other celebrities):