Sufjan

Friday night I saw Sufjan Stevens at the Arlene Schnitzer concert hall in Portland. In fact, I bought the very last ticket available at the box office and I'm glad I did! First let's get this out of the way: Sufjan Stevens is extremely attractive. I had never really thought about that before the concert, but afterwards I definitely did. In fact, when I was talking to my dad about going to the concert he looked up Sufjan and commented on how he looked like the "average Joe".

The second thing I learned at the concert is that in his newest album "The Age of Adz", "Adz" is pronounced "odds". If you listen for it in the song of the same name you will here it. Now you too can sound pretentious and confuse other people when you talk about the album.

Third, Sufjan Stevens is really funny, e.g. pulling out a bedazzled visor--putting it on sideways and saying, "I need a special hat for this song, this is a low jam."

I also learned all about his inspiration for the album, here is a video of it if you are interested:

Overall, I think Sufjan's newest work (both "Age of Adz" and "All Delighted People") are genius. Yes, they can take some getting used to, but if give it a change you won't be disappointed. I agree with the review it got on {Stereogum}, which points out how in his latest work he moved from nostalgia and the past to writing songs that are all in the present. I think that is an important paradigm shift to note as you are listening.

I should have written this sooner, when it was fresh on my mind. I've been to a lot of concerts of bands I love and enjoy seeing, but afterwards if they go on tour again I often don't get too upset if I can't go because I've seen them already. Sufjan is different, each one of his tours is an experience like a performance art piece--and if I can help it I am going to see him every time he goes on tour from now on. I am hoping that some of the videos that appeared at the concert surface as music videos so you can see them!