Hey ya'll! I went to this awesome concert with Sufjan Stevens a few weeks back, I thought I would post my review here for you to read first! It's not yet published at Pop-Damage.com but it should be soon. This is something that I get to do pretty regularly, and I haven't shared this part of my life here very much. But I'm thinking about doing it a on a semi-regular basis, let me know what you think! Here are four of my favorite shots, and the review. Happy reading!
Sufjan Stevens – 400 Bar Minneapolis
I approached the club on the first of many drizzly and cold fall days in Minneapolis. From the outside it looked like the typical dive bar you would find on the edges of a busy city. As we approached the door we saw two friendly looking fans wearing butterfly wings, holding a box with a cake inside, shivering eagerly at the front of the quickly forming line. They came ready to thank their favorite musician for a night they wanted to remember. This place must have something truly special about it to attract an act like Sufjan Stevens, I thought. I was wrong. It was exactly what it looked like on the outside. A small, dingy dive bar with peeling paint on the ceiling, odd decorations adorning the walls, and insufficient space for the excited people waiting in the cold. My friend, Emily Barrera, and I repeatedly asked each other, “Why here?” After the opening band Cryptasize left the stage we got our answer.
Sufjan had something a little more special planned for this night than he would typically deliver to his concert goers. He and his band were testing out some new material. As he took the stage he poked fun at his often-mispronounced name saying, “Hello, I am Suff-jan Stevens.” Most laughed, some just stared back in acknowledgment of a truth they have known for a long time. Emily and I had the chance to hear not only some of his new material, but also take in performances of older classics like, “Chicago”, “Jacksonville”, “Casimir Pulaski Day”, as well as “Happy Birthday” from his 2000 release “A Sun Came” sung for and dedicated to Nedelle Torrisi of Cryptacize.
A few songs into the set Sufjan’s drummer asked the sound guy to fix a crackling in his monitor. After a few moments of tinkering, he concluded in a British accent, “I think that’s just the sound it makes.” It was refreshing to know that even the staff at 400 Bar knew that this place wasn’t anything special. As fans chuckled through the tension, I thought to myself, “Why here, Sufjan?” In that moment I found the answer to my question. They knew this wouldn’t be the easiest show. Maybe he wanted it to be a trial by fire. If the new material could play well here, they could play it well anywhere.
In the days of mobile facebook, and twitter, there is a huge temptation to let everyone know about anything new as soon as it happens. With the coming of Google Wave, we will no longer have the amount of time it takes to compose our 140 character message to consider its impact. Our thoughts will be published at virtually the exact moment our fingers type them. How many of us can say that what we have to offer is worth saying without first testing it? I certainly can’t. My writing needs editing. My photos need coaxing to bring out the vision I have for them as I capture moments. And my life must be refined by fire regularly in order to be changed into something good. Was the performance perfect? Not totally, but it was necessary. The new songs Sufjan has to offer will be better as a result of this “practice session” and I am thankful to have been there to experience it. It also taught me a lesson. When I know I’ve got something good I want to let everyone know. Perhaps it is best to take it for a test drive before I settle in and tell the world.
Despite the difficulties of playing new music at such an awkward venue, Sufjan and friends warmed the crowd with their genial stage presence and wonderful musicianship. They closed the night with a 10 minute epic called “All Delighted People Raise Your Hands.” I couldn’t help but follow their instruction. I was delighted in so many ways. Thanks Sufjan for putting on a great, yet challenging show.
Cheers,
tom
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