Photo: WENN
It's well documented that 2015's Carrie & Lowell was the result of a creative spark triggered by the death of Sufjan Stevens’ mother Carrie. With an inspiration as intimate as this, and a creative process as isolated as the space in which the songs were crafted (the walls of his home in Brooklyn) - it must be tempting for Stevens to block out the packed-in crowd.
Instead, he encloses you in his mind as he goes through the stages of grief, 10 long rectangular shapes bare down on the wall behind the band, depicting anything from rolling waves to somersaulting graphics - it allows you to look to the real world, as well as the abstract worlds of his previous releases through the slots; which conjures the sense that you are somewhere else completely. Somewhere human.
The whole Carrie & Lowell LP gets an airing this evening. Sufjan kicks off with the gorgeous finger-plucked ‘Death With Dignity’. You can't help but feel emotionally stirred as lyrics such as “I forgive you, Mother, I can hear you / And I long to near you / But every road leads to an end” are cast in front of home video footage from the Stevens' family library. The emotion is stretched throughout the main set - 'Eugene' is a delicate creature whilst 'All Of Me Wants All Of You' adds rhythmic texture to the proceedings.
There is no in-between song banter in the main set - Stevens allows the music to do the talking. You get the sense that it is rehearsed to the finest detail, like a play would be. The atmosphere is equally as cutting as the audience sit quietly in ear-pricked attention, only to go wild when the song wraps up.
The main set ends with an epic version of the album closer ‘Blue Bucket of Gold’, its extended ten-minute running time allows the band to step into ambient territory. The sparse instrumentation acts as a fitting full-stop to the Carrie & Lowell section, it comes to a slow close as two disco balls sparkle like stars behind the band; representing the album’s protagonists.
After the prominent presence of the new LP in the first half, a sprinkling of the hits are dashed on top in the second, where the band loosen up. The likes of 'To Be Alone With You' and the sweet ‘That Dress Looks Nice On You’ are aired alongside closer 'Chicago', where he pauses for a rare exchange with the audience: "Thanks so much for having me - this song is about being courteous, which the English are very good at." The closing numbers add a lift to the intensity of the first half, and offers a sense of optimism to the sad subject matter.
Tonight, we get the impression that we are watching the ‘human’ or ‘real’ Sufjan, reaching soaring emotional and musical heights in jeans and a black T-shirt rather than the neon and psychedelic outfits of previous tours.
All the allure has been tossed aside to make way for a breathtaking, straight-forward and brave insight into his mind - which is as captivating as its ever been.
