"Put Sufjan Stevens on, and we'll play your favourite song. 'Chicago' bursts to life..."
Sufjan concert.
Wow.
There are no words.
Okay, there are. It was short: Only an hour, nine or ten songs. But, ye gods, he's fantastic live. I can't imagine what one of his real concerts must be like. For this, he just played and sang, backed by an orchestra. The variety of instruments is such a huge part of his music, though, that it didn't really matter that they weren't performers in a pop music sense. It reminded me a little of seeing Broken Social Scene live: The recordings come across a bit muddled because of the huge array of instruments, but live, they really shine.
The highlight was definitely "Seven Swans". It was positively haunting. The other standout performances were...all of them, really. "Casimir Pulaski Day" and "Chicago" are fantastic, of course, and "Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head!" was charmingly enthusiastic. "The Predatory Wasp Of the Palisades Is Out To Get Us!" was incredible. "Sleeping Bear, Sault Saint Marie" was lovely, but perhaps most of all because it was the first time he'd performed it live. There were a couple that I didn't recognize, but they were no less excellent.
He's an incredible musician. He didn't touch the banjo during this show, and I can't speak for his guitar performance, not being a guitarist myself, but he is a fantastic pianist. His turns on the piano and keyboard were nothing short of amazing.
In terms of appearance, he wore a dark grey suit with a yellow-and-brown-diagonal-striped tie. And he has facial hair! Beard and moustache. I was too far away to judge whether he looked good or not, but it was definitely a bit of a surprise when he walked onstage. I really hope tomorrow's Post has at least one photo from the show. Please, God.
In short, it was brilliant. I would absolutely go see him again.
Wow.
There are no words.
Okay, there are. It was short: Only an hour, nine or ten songs. But, ye gods, he's fantastic live. I can't imagine what one of his real concerts must be like. For this, he just played and sang, backed by an orchestra. The variety of instruments is such a huge part of his music, though, that it didn't really matter that they weren't performers in a pop music sense. It reminded me a little of seeing Broken Social Scene live: The recordings come across a bit muddled because of the huge array of instruments, but live, they really shine.
The highlight was definitely "Seven Swans". It was positively haunting. The other standout performances were...all of them, really. "Casimir Pulaski Day" and "Chicago" are fantastic, of course, and "Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head!" was charmingly enthusiastic. "The Predatory Wasp Of the Palisades Is Out To Get Us!" was incredible. "Sleeping Bear, Sault Saint Marie" was lovely, but perhaps most of all because it was the first time he'd performed it live. There were a couple that I didn't recognize, but they were no less excellent.
He's an incredible musician. He didn't touch the banjo during this show, and I can't speak for his guitar performance, not being a guitarist myself, but he is a fantastic pianist. His turns on the piano and keyboard were nothing short of amazing.
In terms of appearance, he wore a dark grey suit with a yellow-and-brown-diagonal-striped tie. And he has facial hair! Beard and moustache. I was too far away to judge whether he looked good or not, but it was definitely a bit of a surprise when he walked onstage. I really hope tomorrow's Post has at least one photo from the show. Please, God.
In short, it was brilliant. I would absolutely go see him again.