The genius with the shiny pants and angelic voice
After releasing long awaited new material, including an EP and a full-length album in the same year, the indie musician Sufjan Stevens graced Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre and Seattle’s Paramount on October 28th and 30th respectively. Showcasing primarily his most recent album Age of Adz, Sufjan wooed the brimming theatres with a meticulously orchestrated spectacle (and glimmering silver pants complete with a matching sash). The enduringly quirky and entirely brilliant artist jumped from playing guitar, to banjo, to keys, to electronically composing, as he worded, the “sonic” sounds of his newest tracks. All of this was seamlessly transitioned by the musician’s blurbs on family and inspiration, as well as his own infectious, constant dancing. If you were vying for a ticket but couldn’t make it to either show, here’s a handful of the many perspectives wafting around Trinity Western University’s campus:
“I was assaulted visually and audibly. Seeing Sufjan dance around, loving each song like he’s never heard it before, with a voice that could tame a choleric dragon, blew me away.”
– Nathan Rubulaik
“Sufjan reached into my face and pulled out my heart through my ears.”
– Cam Reed
“My mind was blown away, to say the least. It was such a beautiful experience to be a part of. I’ve always been a fan of his folk stuff, and was yet to figure out what I thought of Age of Adz (Sufjan Steven’s most recent album). But hearing/seeing it live gave me a huge new appreciation for the album. Incredible.”
– Mackenzie West
“At first I was unhappily surprised by his new stuff, as I had been anticipating the folk-y Sufjan Stevens I’ve known and loved since I was 17; but he and his music were magnetic. The entire concert, and particularly in the moments when I wasn’t so into the music, I became lost to the world thinking about how bizarre and enchanting Sufjan Stevens is.”
– Melody Attaway
“While I knew to expect a different Sufjan, I wanted to see if the songs would translate well in concert and boy did they ever! The best thing about Sufjan’s performance is that it helped the Age of Adz to make sense. I felt I understood it more seeing it live than hearing it on the album. Whether that means the sound was fuller, or I had more context for what was going on, or my heart was stolen by his slick dance moves, something clicked. Something clicked, and I ended up liking every single moment of the 25-minute ‘Impossible Soul.’”
– Natalie McNeill
“The concert was an auditory-visual feast. It was easy to get lost in the music and entranced in the visuals that accompanied it. Sufjan is such a fascinating, quirky character. One of my favourite things about the experience was walking away with a better understanding of who Sufjan is and what his music is all about.”
– Andrew Stewart
“Five year long wait. Then this. ‘Seven Swans’ as the opener with just Sufjan and the banjo on a dark stage, and then his whole band exploding into the instrumentals: eerie, mind-blowing, and unforgettable. Crazily enough, the hardest transition for me wasn’t getting used to the electronic style, but was trying to re-appreciate his encore acoustic songs after the smoke had cleared from an hour-and-a-half of gigantic beautiful madness.”
– Derek Witten
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