His latest album, Carrie and Lowell, is completely heartbreaking and so tonight's show could have been completely melancholic had Sufjan wanted it to be, yet he took a different approach; playing the entirety of the record (amongst old favourites) but re-imagining the right amount to a live setting. 'All Of Me Wants All Of You' received an electronic facelift which took some of the weight off his crushing words. That said, some of the more cutting tracks were glued to their skeletal roots, 'No Shade In The Shadow Of The Cross' was particularly overwhelming. It wasn't until about half way through his set that Sufjan first engaged with the crowd, joking "I can see all your faces reflecting in the light, it's a shame I have to sing so many songs about death when there's so much life in this room". It's a fair observation, at this point we've heard 'John My Beloved' 'Death With Dignity' and 'Should Have Known Better', and so 'To Be Alone With You' is a welcome retreat in that it's a love song at its very core, with no dark undertones or double-meanings. A singular white spot light adorns Sufjan (by the way, the lights throughout the show were really, really incredible) during the track, making him seem even more like an angel than his ridiculously perfect velvety vocal delivery does. The main set concludes with a ten minute noise composition off the back of 'Blue Bucket Of Gold' which is sorta comparable to something My Bloody Valentine might end a show with, which is something I didn't think I'd be saying about this gig. The applause that follows is quite literally deafening, and continues until Sufjan returns to the stage to perform 'Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois' solo before being re-joined by his band for a tender rendition of 'Chicago', which was written to close shows like this.
By Marty Hill
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