Janelle Monáe and Wondaland Bring 'The Eephus' Tour to Atlanta

Janelle Monáe and Wondaland brought “The Eephus” tour to a close on Monday (Aug. 31) in their hometown of Atlanta. After seven free secret shows across the country, the Toyota-powered tour winded down with a rousing finale at The Tabernacle. Fresh off the release of their EP Wondaland Presents: The Eephus, the Wondaland crew was all present including Jidenna, Deep Cotton, Roman GianArthur, St. Beauty, and Janelle Monáe.

As the crowd of 2,500 including ATLiens André 3000, Big Boi, and T.I. looked on, GianArthur opened the concert with a cover of Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” featuring Monáe, who jumped on stage to sing a verse. The duo of Deep Cotton—Chuck Lightning and Nate “Rocket” Wonder—won over the audience with “Far Enough From Heaven” and “Let’s Get Caught.”

Looking ever the “Classic Man” in a three-piece suit, the dapper Jidenna was greeted with cheers when he hit the stage with Deep Cotton. He and the seven-piece band had the crowd on its feet with his soon-to-be hits “Knickers” and “Long Live the Chief.”

He was followed by the soulful duo of St. Beauty, Alexe Belle and Isis Valentino, who performed with GianArthur and covered Sheryl Crow’s “Strong Enough.”

But it was Monáe who received the biggest reaction when she returned to the stage for her female anthem “Q.U.E.E.N.” before thrilling with “Electric Lady” and her hit “Tightrope.”

Clad in a cape, Monáe brought out Jidenna for their turn-up anthem “Yoga,” while Jidenna closed with his top 10 hit “Classic Man,” on which he was joined by the men of Wondaland.

For the encore, all of Wondaland united on stage for their powerful “Black Lives Matter” anthem “Hell You Talmbout,” chanting the names of their fallen brothers and sisters including Trayvon Martin, Sean Bell, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, and Eric Garner.

“Say his name!” commanded Jidenna as the echoes rang into the night.