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| Sufjan Stevens The Majestic, Detroit, MI September 11, 2005 Live in Detroit! One Nite Only! Sufjan Stevens Invites you to: "Come on feel the Illinoise!" Call it an unusual, patriotic salute to the U.S. of A on the anniversary of September 11. Sufjan Stevens, playing his homecoming show at the Majestic in downtown Detroit, graced the stage in an American flag jumpsuit that could have possibly come from "Red, White and Blaine," the faux musical from Waiting for Guffman. The former Michigan Militia turned Illinoisemakers came too, marching out in matching Illini orange and navy cheerleading outfits, pompoms and instruments in hand. "It's part of the act, the fifty states," they sang in unison "Pack up your bags, it's never too late." It set the stage for an evening that came across as part Broadway musical, part folk concert, part high school pep rally, but as a whole an entirely enjoyable experience. The evening's music was comprised mostly of material from Illinois, part two in a reportedly planned 50 album project dedicated to each of the United States that began with his home state, Michigan. Illinois is a heartfelt, and occasionally heartbreaking ode, managing to mention everyone and everything from serial killer John Wayne Gacy, Jr. to the elaborate cornfield maze known as the Great Godfrey. Bridging the gaps between musical numbers were outrageous chants that name-checked everyone from George Papadopoulos to Balki Bartokamous. If all of this sounds absurd, twee, or gimmicky, yes, yes it was. But it was also fashioned as a joke, possibly so as to not take such a lofty project so seriously, not to mention for sheer entertainment value. "It's disarming, I think, to put on sweat pants and a cheerleading shirt. And, you know, wave pompoms," Stevens recently told the Pitch. Not only that, but it managed to provide a whimsical backdrop for the lavish and lush arrangements that were as big as many of their titles. Playing musical chairs, the Illinoisemakers switched a variety of instruments at the drop of a dime while singing not unlike that small group of eager lads that attended your high school. You know, the group that was too good to be in the normal choir. The bouncy, bore from the bijou ditty "DECATUR, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!," showcased the softer, more folk-ridden side of Mr. Stevens' repertoire, which somehow manages to come across as a poignant apology for hating his stepmother as a child while fitting in the lines to rhyme the song's shorthand title with "operator," "alligator," "aviator," and "Abraham Lincoln was the great emancipator." On the other side of the coin, listening to the enriched, arrangements of "The Man of METROPOLIS Steals Our Hearts" and "Chicago" on the album is one thing, but hearing and witnessing the complexity live is an entirely different and rewarding experience. On the latter, the upbeat melodramatics were the highlight of the evening, and brought the song, the idea of leaving old places, and problems behind in search of a new beginning, to life. The evening drew to a close with selections from Michigan, which happens to be Sufjan's place of origin. As he plucked his way through "Romulus," the sad tale of his childhood longing to be near his mother (and eventually being ashamed of her as an adult), it became evident that his albums are only part gimmick. Sufjan is a master storyteller, and like a novelist, manages to create beautiful stories in places he may or may not have ever been to, with characters he may have never met. And as long as the outcome of his work is as good as it has been, it will hopefully last as long as he hopes it does.
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—Luke Hackney October 2005 |
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