*Sufjan Stevens @ Castaways (Ithaca)/9.23.09
In 2005, Sufjan Stevens dominated the musical landscape with his epic and ambitious album Come On Feel The Illinoise! Since then he has been working in the shadows while America became obsessed with vampires and watching semi-famous people dance, a guitarist from The Strokes has released two solo albums and Kanye West has followed the career trajectory of a roller coaster. Scarlett Johansson has even released two albums since Illinoise arrived. In 2009, Stevens is reemerging into the musical scene with his BQE project, a reworking of a previous album and a tour of intimate venues.
This tour is an opportunity for Stevens and his band to work on new material and “practice live,” as he told the fans who waited for a chance to meet him after his show at Castaways in Ithaca. Even after calling Stevens back for a second encore (John Wayne Gacy, Jr.) many of the fans refused to leave the small venue on Cayuga Lake that has of late become a regular stop for national acts (The Hold Steady, Ra Ra Riot, AC Newman, Rhett Miller, St. Vincent, Felice Brothers). Upon emerging from backstage to take down equipment, a patient group approached the singer for autographs, pictures and discussion. He calmly and graciously spoke with those remaining despite any apparent shyness and expressed an excitement for trying out the new material live.
The set opened with a significant portion of that new material which finds Stevens and his band, horns and all, exploring new sonic territory. There are certainly ambitious arrangements throughout Stevens’ back catalog, but new ground is being forged with the material that opened this show, at times reminiscent of The Flaming Lips. For evidence, check out this video taken from the front row of a new song from the first encore:
There's Too Much Love
After three new songs, Stevens played All Delighted People and Majesty Snowbird, unreleased songs that have been in his arsenal for years. Majesty Snowbird is a sweeping epic clocking in at around ten minutes and is a stately composition of grand melodies and ideas that could easily be the centerpiece of an album (think Death Cab’s Transatlanticism for a marginal reference point). The fact that Stevens has a song like Majesty Snowbird in his pocket, unreleased, speaks volumes about his songwriting confidence as I imagine most artists upon achieving a song of that caliber would rush it to release.
After the string of new material, Stevens signaled the transition from the unfamiliar to the familiar, stating “enough with that glam-rock bullshit, let’s play some real songs.” He rounded out the main set with a crowd pleasing sequence of material from Come On Feel The Illinoise! and 2004’s equally impressive Seven Swans that showcased his more subtle compositions, including: The Transfiguration, Casimir Pulaski Day, The Dress Looks Nice On You, To Be Alone With You, Chicago and In The Devil’s Territory.
The crowd at this show epitomized attentiveness and polite audience behavior. Due to the size of the venue and limited number of tickets, those is attendance really wanted to be there. Tickets sold out in minutes and strict measures were taken to prevent scalping to ensure true Sufjan fans were able to attend. While Live Nation and Ticketmaster are screwing fans all over the world, at least local venues and promoters are taking measures to protect music fans.
The crowd, more than quiet, allowed Stevens and his band to explore quieter moments in the music, at times to the point of whispers. While many shows require ear plugs, this night required attentiveness (and maybe a hearing aid - zing). A few in attendance near the back of the venue must have been hoping for a more raucous crowd as they mockingly shushed the crowd at one point. The crowd was so respectful that they even listened to their hecklers and became dutifully quieter.
That is not to say the crowd did not make noise when it was appropriate, with loud, enthusiastic applause between songs and enough noise to bring Stevens back for two encores. This could possibly be an example of a real, spontaneous encore as opposed to the standard planned encore.
Another tribute to this crowd was the lack of requests or ridiculous suggestions shouted at the stage that plague many shows of this intimate nature. During his solo acoustic shows, Jeff Tweedy, of Wilco, always seems to have to manage an audience the way a teacher would a disruptive classroom to deal with requests and comments from the crowd.
Stevens’ music can range from grandiose arrangements to experimental rock to subtle, hushed ballads and all of these aspects of his music were on display at Castaways. The following is a video of the final song of the night:
John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
In 2005, Sufjan Stevens dominated the musical landscape with his epic and ambitious album Come On Feel The Illinoise! Since then he has been working in the shadows while America became obsessed with vampires and watching semi-famous people dance, a guitarist from The Strokes has released two solo albums and Kanye West has followed the career trajectory of a roller coaster. Scarlett Johansson has even released two albums since Illinoise arrived. In 2009, Stevens is reemerging into the musical scene with his BQE project, a reworking of a previous album and a tour of intimate venues.
This tour is an opportunity for Stevens and his band to work on new material and “practice live,” as he told the fans who waited for a chance to meet him after his show at Castaways in Ithaca. Even after calling Stevens back for a second encore (John Wayne Gacy, Jr.) many of the fans refused to leave the small venue on Cayuga Lake that has of late become a regular stop for national acts (The Hold Steady, Ra Ra Riot, AC Newman, Rhett Miller, St. Vincent, Felice Brothers). Upon emerging from backstage to take down equipment, a patient group approached the singer for autographs, pictures and discussion. He calmly and graciously spoke with those remaining despite any apparent shyness and expressed an excitement for trying out the new material live.
The set opened with a significant portion of that new material which finds Stevens and his band, horns and all, exploring new sonic territory. There are certainly ambitious arrangements throughout Stevens’ back catalog, but new ground is being forged with the material that opened this show, at times reminiscent of The Flaming Lips. For evidence, check out this video taken from the front row of a new song from the first encore:
There's Too Much Love
After three new songs, Stevens played All Delighted People and Majesty Snowbird, unreleased songs that have been in his arsenal for years. Majesty Snowbird is a sweeping epic clocking in at around ten minutes and is a stately composition of grand melodies and ideas that could easily be the centerpiece of an album (think Death Cab’s Transatlanticism for a marginal reference point). The fact that Stevens has a song like Majesty Snowbird in his pocket, unreleased, speaks volumes about his songwriting confidence as I imagine most artists upon achieving a song of that caliber would rush it to release.
After the string of new material, Stevens signaled the transition from the unfamiliar to the familiar, stating “enough with that glam-rock bullshit, let’s play some real songs.” He rounded out the main set with a crowd pleasing sequence of material from Come On Feel The Illinoise! and 2004’s equally impressive Seven Swans that showcased his more subtle compositions, including: The Transfiguration, Casimir Pulaski Day, The Dress Looks Nice On You, To Be Alone With You, Chicago and In The Devil’s Territory.
The crowd at this show epitomized attentiveness and polite audience behavior. Due to the size of the venue and limited number of tickets, those is attendance really wanted to be there. Tickets sold out in minutes and strict measures were taken to prevent scalping to ensure true Sufjan fans were able to attend. While Live Nation and Ticketmaster are screwing fans all over the world, at least local venues and promoters are taking measures to protect music fans.
The crowd, more than quiet, allowed Stevens and his band to explore quieter moments in the music, at times to the point of whispers. While many shows require ear plugs, this night required attentiveness (and maybe a hearing aid - zing). A few in attendance near the back of the venue must have been hoping for a more raucous crowd as they mockingly shushed the crowd at one point. The crowd was so respectful that they even listened to their hecklers and became dutifully quieter.
That is not to say the crowd did not make noise when it was appropriate, with loud, enthusiastic applause between songs and enough noise to bring Stevens back for two encores. This could possibly be an example of a real, spontaneous encore as opposed to the standard planned encore.
Another tribute to this crowd was the lack of requests or ridiculous suggestions shouted at the stage that plague many shows of this intimate nature. During his solo acoustic shows, Jeff Tweedy, of Wilco, always seems to have to manage an audience the way a teacher would a disruptive classroom to deal with requests and comments from the crowd.
Stevens’ music can range from grandiose arrangements to experimental rock to subtle, hushed ballads and all of these aspects of his music were on display at Castaways. The following is a video of the final song of the night:
John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
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