Sufjan Stevens, The National, Richmond, Virginia

A box on the bucket list gets checked next to the indie folk singer-songwriter

There aren’t too many acts that I would drive down to Richmond for on a Tuesday night to see, but indie folk singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens is one of them, as he currently sat towards the top of my bucket list. Despite the drive, The National in Richmond is a great venue, a little smaller than the 930 Club and with a slightly inclined floor so that there really isn’t a bad view in the entire place. Despite being a big Sufjan fan, I wasn’t completely sure how excited I should be about the show. I love his music but wasn’t sure how it would translate to the stage. I also noticed in the setlists from his recent shows that he was playing songs almost exclusively from his new album and EP, which I enjoy, but am not nearly as familiar with as his older works.

Sufjan took the stage with an extensive backing band, such that at one point a dozen players were on stage at once including 2 full-drum kits, a pair of trombones, bass, electric guitar, 3 female backup singers/dancers, a keyboard, and Sufjan’s own work on the guitar, banjo, and/or synthesizer. Opening act DM Stith also joined for a number or two. He started off the show with the title track from 2004’s Seven Swans, which I thought was an odd choice. The rest of the main set was exclusively songs from 2010, including his new album The Age of Adz and the All Delighted People EP. Despite not being that familiar with these songs, he put together some impressive live versions. Despite his quiet demeanor, Sufjan also has quite the stage presence, with elaborate costumes (e.g. wings, space pants, reflective tape makeup, etc), video displays, choreographed dance moves, beach balls, and confetti. In between songs, the evening was punctuated by Sufjan’s explanation his songs and feelings, which were often strings of unnecessarily complex rambling. He’s certainly an interesting, if weird, guy.

While much of the show was pretty low key, without much cause to get one’s feet moving, the show picked up towards the end during one of the final songs of his main set, the self-described magnum opus of the evening, the 25 minute “Impossible Soul,” which while meandering at times, was not only well constructed but fun. After finishing it, he switched over to playing songs from 2005’s Illinois for the end of the main set and the encore, getting the crowd’s feet moving and vocal chords out of dormancy. In the end, though a little odd, the show was worth the trip.

Setlist:

Seven Swans

Age of Adz

Too Much

Heirloom

I Walked

Futile Devices

Vesuvius

Now That I'm Older

Get Real Get Right

Enchanting Ghost

Impossible Soul               

Chicago

Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois

Casimir Pulaski  Day

Jacksonville

John Wayne Gacy, Jr.