Events
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Three Cheers for Sufjan
August 23, 2005, Bowery Ballroom, New York City
By Marie V.
Cheerleaders, balloons, live music and the crowning of the king
and queen- there’s nothing like a homecoming dance. Bowery
Ballroom was turned into a Lower East Side high school gym for the
last installment of Sufjan Stevens sold out five night run in New
York City. Each evening had a theme that included pirate night,
backwards day, and fake tattoo and facial hair.
As much as I’m a fan of Mr. Stevens’ recordings, I
have never been partial to his past live performances. Not to say
they were awful by any means, just that it was lacking a little
“oomph.” Assuming one night would suffice; I was in
attendance for the last hoorah and witnessed an indie rock prom
spectacular. In celebration of his new release “Illinois,”
Sufjan showed American pride decked out in a stars and stripes jumpsuit,
while his backing ensemble featured cheer uniforms decorated with
an “I.”
With the power of his band behind him, Steven’s arrangements
flourished with trumpet, drums, grand piano and sometimes a bit
of overpowering backing vocals. With Sufjan’s breathy and
endearing style, it’s no wonder he has become an indie rock
superstar.
His “Illinois” anthems were intertwined with special
cheers for cities like Peoria and Decatur that filled me with prairie
pride. Waving their “spirit fingers” in the air, Sufjan
and his Illinoisemakers were simply magical, leaving me wishing
I had sported a corsage of my own.
As an encore, Sufjan crowned two audience members with their royal
crowns and urged everyone to couple up and dance to his rendition
of “Fools Rush In.” Sufjan and company’s homecoming
had almost every ingredient for a great dance; if only there were
floats! Watching Sufjan’s evolved concert mastery presents
itself to even more critical praise; but this time the hype is well-earned.
Hip, hip, hooray.
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