(photo not from the richmond show // just sayin')
I realize this blog hasn't done a show review in far to long of a time. I apologize for that, I have no real good excuse for that beside just sheer laziness. However I plan to get back on the ball with that, and I cant see a better time than to talk about that HOT anticipated Sufjan Stevnes show that went down in Richmond last night, a show that has been on my mind for all of today and now I will spew out my thoughts and feelings on it.
Walked into the venue about halfway through DM Stith's set. Had listened to DM Stith's "Heavy Ghost" in anticipation of the show and was impressed with its stark take on modern folk music. His live show was a very solid striped back acoustic set with vocal loops and delays adding a nice textural sound to the whole affair. Was kind of a shame everyone around me during the set was chit chatting and didn't seem to be listing to his set, hopefully for other peoples places such an occurrence didn't happen. Even with that issue, it was still quite an enjoyable set, and i definitely would be interested in seeing him play in a more smaller more fitting atmosphere.
Shortly after his set Sufjan Stevens started the show with an amazing and raw performance of Seven Swans (off of all things "Seven Swans"). For the next 4 or 5 songs he played heavy hits of The Age Of Adz (u know Age Of Adz, Too Much, I Walked, etc) tunes that I felt like where the highlights of the new album in both musical sensibility and for blunt heartfelt lyricism. The majority of the night carried on in this lyrical blunt feel, but at times the feel of the show seemed to counter act with the lyrical direction of his music. Various costume changes added with the 20 minute "Impossible Soul" dance number felt like a sour thumb to the direction of the rest of the night . These things didn't necessarily make the show bad, but they felt distracting to me with the overall feel of the show , and something that just rubbed me the wrong way. After the dragging "Impossible Soul" it was nice to hear some great staples off the much loved "Illinois" record, which was a good way to bring the show to a closure.
Overall definitely a good show, not necessarily as ground breaking as people are going to make it out to be, but it was still a fun night and I'm definitely interested with the direction Sufjan Stevens is taking his music.
Photo Courtsy Of: musicforants
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