Kevin Barnes and of Montreal are ready for the party

Now 50, the Vermont-based Barnes and the current edition of his band of Montreal will open for one of his early influences. Both groups are set to perform Saturday night to celebrate the opening of the Classic Center’s new multiuse venue, the 8,500-seat Akins Ford Arena.

“We’ve never played with the B’s before, and I’m really excited,” he said by phone from his recording studio. “To be opening for the first real Athens band — and at a new venue — is an incredible honor.

“The whole night will be a sort of ‘homecoming,’” he continued. “So many of the people I’ve worked with over the years are (from) in and around Athens.”

Credit: n/a

Credit: n/a

Barnes added that he still misses the Classic City, despite the many changes and developments he noticed as a resident. “I remember in the ‘90s, everything was still kinda ‘mom and pop.’ It was depressing to see all those cool DIY spaces disappearing and being replaced by Starbucks or whatever. That’s one of the reasons I like being up here, because there are some great people around who aren’t super-famous but they’re doing it for the pure joy of creation. It’s kinda like the old Athens I saw in the movie.”

Though he missed the “golden age” of the city’s ‘80s music scene depicted in the Athens-centric documentary, the musician quickly fell into the burgeoning world of the Elephant 6 collective upon his arrival in the mid-’90s.

A chance meeting with fellow musician Julian Koster (Neutral Milk Hotel, the Music Tapes) steered him in a decidedly inspirational direction. “He said there was this house on 210 Sunset Drive that might be a cool place to live. No one ever signed a lease — (the landlord) just wanted the rent paid every month, and it didn’t matter who was living there. It was a good way to kinda dip your toe into adult life, but you could still exist in your own imaginary world. It was very bohemian; people would be doing art in one room and music in another.”

The crafty, freethinking gang that gathered at the communal house became like “a collaborative, positive family. They all supported each other, and they’d let me open for their bands when they’d go on tour. It was like every band in that scene were their own thing, but they also had, like, six other bands going on at the same time.”

Will Cullen Hart (Olivia Tremor Control), Bill Doss (the Sunshine Fix) and Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) were his housemates. “I kinda felt like they were the ‘cool, older kids.’ They had more life skills and knew how to release their own music, so they were already ahead of the game. I was just kinda floundering around with my cassette four-track.”

By 1997, Barnes released his debut album under the collective name of Montreal. Eighteen albums later, including 2024’s “Lady on the Cusp” (Polyvinyl Records), the prolific artist still works in the same manner. “It’s always been my project, and not in the way the Stones are a band,” he explained. “It’s basically me with a rotating cast.”

Of Montreal’s intricate soundscape is often mislabeled as indie pop. The limiting tag irritates Barnes, who embraces all personal pronouns while shunning specific labels. “It’s almost like pop has become a pejorative term for superficial, and that’s certainly not what I’ve been doing all these years.”

The songwriter was equally influenced by the Beatles and the ‘70s progressive movement, including King Crimson. “It was like with each record, they became a different band. Otherwise, why bother?” he explained. “Each of Montreal album is very much its own thing with a sort of connecting line that runs through it.”

In his case, the often-psychedelic compositions are connected by highly personal lyrics. “In general, everything I write is somehow connected to my own life. I’ll sit down with an instrument and just start writing. But I don’t really feel that responsible for it, it just kinda comes from the ether and there it is.”

Another of Montreal characteristic is theatrical performances. Think early Genesis meets Prince and the Tubes, and you’re on the right track. He has performed in the nude as well as clad in various costumes. “We take a lot of inspiration from artists like David Bowie or Kate Bush or really anyone who had a more theatrical side to what they were doing live,” he said.

Credit: Photo courtesy of Polyvinyl Records

Credit: Photo courtesy of Polyvinyl Records

So, he promises when of Montreal’s current lineup arrives on the new arena stage for the big Athens show, the band will be poised to offer a “pretty wild,” audiovisual experience. “It won’t be subtle because we only have a limited time to play, but we’re going to include as many costume changes as possible and props. For this show, our goal is to be a part of the big party. Without giving too much away, let’s just say … I think we’re ready.”

Cognizant that many of the new arena’s attendees may not be familiar with some of the band’s more esoteric music, Barnes said the set list will lean heavily on proven audience favorites. He is also aware that some attendees may only know his music from several high-profile commercial placements.

“Growing up, especially in the whole Elephant 6 thing, nobody would’ve said yes to having a song in an ad on TV,” he said. “It was like, ‘Our music is holy, there’s no way we’d associate it with corporate stuff.’ The true ‘artist mindset,’ you know?”

But by the early 2000s, reality had reared its head. “I had a child and nobody had ever waved money in my face before. Supporting a family is hard. When those offers came in, it was like the universe was saying, ‘Here, take this Outback Steakhouse money for everything else you’ve done that was definitely not commercial.’

“Then, suddenly, my parents were like, ‘Oh, now you’re a real artist!’”

CONCERT PREVIEW

of Montreal

Opening for headliners The B-52s, with special guest DJ Cummerbund. 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14. $39.50-$249.50. Akins Ford Arena, Classic Center, 300 N. Thomas St., Athens. 706-208-0900, classiccenter.com.