Felt The Illinoise
29 September 2005 |
Sufjan Stevens is a veritable god. He’s not scene really, he’s not a hipster, he’s just above everything. He might be post-indie, he’s that good. Anyway Sufjan and his crew of minstrels rolled into DC’s 9:30 Club on Tuesday, and Zack, Adrian, Everett, Jia and I were there to witness the glory. Unfortunately Sufjan’s band was two Illinoisemakers short, as Chera (spelling?) had recently sustained a broken ankle, and the absence of Katrina (hottest xylophonist ever) went unexplained. This resulted in a more stripped down version of the Illinoise, but it also made the show one of the most intimate concerts I’ve ever been to. Sufjan played through all of Illinois‘ chart-toppers (”Chicago”, “Casimir Pulaski”, “John Wayne Gacy”, “Metropolis”, “Predatory Wasp”) and a couple tour staples (”The 50 States Song”, a haunting rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner”), before changing clothes, sending the rest of the Illinoisemakers to their dressing rooms and returning to the stage for an encore consisting of three songs from Illinois‘ sparse and intimate acoustic predecessor, Seven Swans. Highlights of the evening were the stripped down versions of “Chicago” and “Casimir Pulaski Day”, Sufjan’s dramatic piano version of “The Star Spangled Banner”, and the final song of the evening, “To Be Alone With You”. Also awesome were the gimmicky (note: I love gimmicks) pre-song cheers the Illinoisemakers performed before a selection of the songs. Suffice it to say, I felt the Illinoise. Definitely in my prestigious Top Seven Shows of All-Time (in the five to seven range) group. Below download a selection of Sufjan MP3s, including the incredible acoustic version of “Chicago” that Sufjan performed. I also hosted MC DJ’s remix of “Jacksonville”, titled “Jacksontown”, from his Illinois remix album of, Illin’ Noise. Read more about Illin’ Noise and download the whole thing (via torrent) at The Confabulators.
MP3s:
“To Be Alone With You” - Sufjan Stevens
“Chicago” (Acoustic) - Sufjan Stevens (via Welcome To The Midwest)
“The Star Spangled Banner” (Live) - Sufjan Stevens (fast-forward to 2 min 20 sec mark in order to skip introduction)
“Jacksontown” - MC DJ













