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Sufjan Stevens
Shepherds Bush Empire
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Article
written by Matt P
Oct 18, 2005.
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When you go to see Sufjan Stevens live, you receive not just a rendition of his music, but a genuine performance from the man and his band, the tenuously dubbed "Illinoisemakers." The amphitheatre-like nature of Shepherd's Bush Empire certainly lends itself to more theatrical performances (and oddly, I did see a monocle...), so the band had to be careful to let their music take centre stage. Yet if it were ever doubted, Sufjan and his band of troubadours proved tonight that they are all highly talented musicians.
The band are garbed in some tasteful orange trousers; which, together with various adorning headbands, gives a nice Hare Krishna street chic. The setlist was mainly derived from the recent album "Illinois",but a couple of older friends made an appearance. Sufjan regularly interacts with the crowd, and gives a lot of insight into many of the songs from "Illinois." We learn that the town of Decatur is famous for Caterpillar construction, a travelling fast food outlet dubbed the "chickenmobile", and some bloke called Lincoln. A theme throughout is the performance of many "cheers"; where Sufjan leads the band in a short sequence, replete with several pom poms. "You don't really do cheerleading here," Sufjan laments; nevertheless they did their utmost to promote the discipline, getting the audience involved in an impromptu chant of "Jacksonville."
The music is still the undoubted highlight though, and it is as rich and layered as the album suggests. The brooding minimalism of "John Wayne Gacy" works brilliantly, and proves the strength of Sufjan's falsetto tones. The banjo, trumpet and trombone all make regular appearances, combining especially well on "Casimir Pulaski Day," whilst "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades" is hauntingly beautiful. Towards the end of their set, the band pause to make a slightly bizarre "human pyramid", and after a protracted absence for a clothes change, re-emerge for an encore of swirling epic "Chicago."
All in all, the performance was good enough to make me forget the protracted nightmare of the train journey home. But that's another story...
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