As everyone jostled for space by the barricade and on the floor, I was entranced by the gear setup on the stage. There was hardly room to move with all the instruments. When the opening act, Tim Hart, came out, this was very evident. He stood out the front of everything, just a man with a microphone and an acoustic guitar.
He was good. He's part of the band Boy and Bear, but last night, I liked his solo folk music much better than his band. He had excellent finger picking guitar skills and such a great folk voice that even most of the hipster crowd stopped talking and listened. He told us a bit about the songs and the stories behind them, but he was just gushing in enthusiasm for the fact he was opening for Sufjan. I mean, what local folk artist wouldn't?
If you were also there and you liked Tim, you can download one of his tracks for free, right here.
After Tim left the stage, there wasn't much waiting time as all of the instruments were already set up. The lights dimmed, it got dark and a plethora of people invaded the stage, all self-illuminating with bright colours from lights on their clothes and black lights. Right from that point you knew that Sufjan didn't just bring his music on tour, he brought an experience for us all.
Straight away he launched into an explosively long and all-encompassing cacophonous version of the Age of Adz. Everyone just stood there in awe. He was surrounded by 10 other musicians, he had a light show, he had a video loops playing along with the music, he had so many layers of sounds that I felt like a kid with ADD, unable to focus on anything for more than a few seconds at a time.
And it was in this state that over 2 hours of music went by with me hardly even noticing. I want to note here that although I liked his new album Age of Adz, I didn't think it was amazing. Sure, it was different for him and rather complex, but I just thought it was a mediocre experimental electronic/folk crossover album.
But then I saw it live.
This is how the Age of Adz should be listened to. It's not an album as much as an experience. Sufjan took the time to apologise to all the kids "standing in the crowd wearing Illinois shirts and wondering what the hell is going on", referencing his folk past. He told us that today was dedicated purely to playing his new album and EP. When he wasn't crafting each song out to almost Mars Volta-esque lengths and jams he was explaining everything to us. The motivation to the songs, to the album. Why he did it this way. Where the art work came from. Every thing. Although he didn't look at ease talking to a crowd plainly falling head over heels in love with him (lots of fidgeting while talking and looking down) his conversation with the crowd added an even deeper dimension to the music. Deeper than the 10 extra musicians added.
And then it got even better.
With about 40 minutes left in his set the music swelled up, the balloons fell from the sky and he ripped into the song Impossible Soul.
I have no idea how long this song lasted, I'd wager half an hour though. But with the balloons bouncing in the air, everyone dancing, the musicians having fun, the crowd singing along... it was an ethereal experience. I never wanted it to end.
But unfortunately it did. But then he came out on stage, having lost all of the bright colours and the over the top get up of the show. It was just him and his guitar. He played two songs off Illinois (I think, I wasn't quite sure, I was still in some post-gig euphoria). John Wayne Gacy Jr (maybe) and Chicago (definitely). We weren't expecting him to come out and go folk at the end, but it was a brilliant end to the show, giving a little back to those that probably came just for the amazingness that was the Illinois album.
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