December 20, 2010

  • Sufjan Stevens @ The Wiltern – Saturday, October 23, 2010 

    Sufjan Stevens @ Wiltern VGA 001

    Failing on pairs, I scored only a single ticket.  Center pit, will call only, 4th row seat for the Sufjan Stevens show (only the pit seats were will call restricted)!  Get this… $47, including service fees (pit tickets worth about $250 a piece on Stubhub).  Even found free street parking 30 minutes before the show started.  

    Opener was bandmate DM Stith. 

    DM Stith @ Wiltern VGA 002

    View from my seat… heavenly!  Even though it was in the 4th row, there were no seats set up in front of me. 

    Sufjan Stevens @ Wiltern VGA 004

    Sufjan Stevens @ Wiltern VGA 015

    Sufjan Stevens @ Wiltern VGA 018 Sufjan Stevens @ Wiltern VGA 019

    Sufjan Stevens @ Wiltern VGA 025

    Sufjan Stevens @ Wiltern VGA 059 Sufjan Stevens @ Wiltern VGA 128

    Sufjan Stevens @ Wiltern VGA 030

    Sufjan Stevens @ Wiltern VGA 029

    Sufjan Stevens @ Wiltern VGA 157

    Sufjan Stevens @ Wiltern VGA 197

    Sufjan Stevens @ Wiltern VGA 215 Sufjan Stevens @ Wiltern VGA 198

    Main Set Setlist:

    1. Seven Swans
    2. Too Much 
    3. Age of Adz
    4. Heirloom
    5. I Walked
    6. Futile Devices 
    7. Vesuvius 
    8. Now That I’m Older 
    9. Get Real Get Right 
    10. Enchanting Ghost 
    11. Impossible Soul
    12. Chicago

    The main set was top heavy, space age/tribal/Aztecan screen graphics featured many drawings by the former electic, recluse artist Royal Robertson (from whom Sufjan got most of his inspiration from for this album).  I was warned by other reviews that there would be a 25 minute song… “Impossible Soul.”  I braced myself for the worst since I hadn’t yet heard his new album “Age of Adz”.   Nothing can be worse than a slow moving 30 minute Franz Schubert classical romantic piece can it? 

    Impossible Soul.  WOW.  That song was the bomb.  25 minutes felt like five, as the development of many mini tales led to one big picture masterpiece.   When it was over, we (everyone around me) looked at each other and we all had that look, “Did you witness what I just witnessed?  Holy Sh*t!!!”  Dancing, keyboards, rapping, auto tune, guitar…  WOW.  Totally blown away.  I felt the magic in the air, that magic I only feel once or twice a year, when I’m at a really special performance. 

    Encore:

    1. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois 
    2. Casimir Pulaski Day
    3. The Dress Looks Nice On You 
    4. John Wayne Gacy, Jr. 

    For his previous shows on this tour he pulled out three finishing songs, but for LA (because he loves us so!), he did the four.  If you know his music, those three songs from Illinois are duly heralded masterpieces. ”The Dress Looks Nice On You” had the man next to me, heavily tattoed and wearing a vintage Mickey Mouse shirt, crying.  To close with “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.”… so killer.  If you’ve never heard it before, if you’re like me, you’ll think it was one of the most serene songs ever written, until you realize… it’s about a mass murder. 

    Sufjan Stevens, awe inspiring, musical genius.  Hands down, best indie/rock concert that I’ve seen all year. 

    Sufjan Stevens @ Wiltern VGA 068

Post a Comment

Leave a Reply