Review: Sufjan Stevens - The Civic, March 2016.

[All photos by: Gate Photography]

For an artist whose music is filled with lyrics about death and dying, Sufjan Stevens ironically brought everyone at The Civic last night in Auckland to life, playing the beautiful venue as part of the Auckland Arts Festival. He was the perfect fit for the Arts Festival really, as after seeing him live, I could only describe him as a true artist.

His 2015 release, 'Carrie & Lowell', was the main treat on display for the night - a release heralded for its honesty, with many of the songs inspired by the death of his mother in 2012. It must be hard, night after night, for Stevens to relive these songs on stage, but he managed to bring a unique sense of emotion to each song. He played the album nearly track-for-track, a rare feat for artists who so often rely on singles to carry them in live shows - however, this just highlighted Stevens' ability to write a great album.

Accompanied on stage with four other incredibly talented multi-instrumentalists - who played the likes of trombone, piano, drums, and an array of guitars - Stevens also alternated between instruments throughout the show, between multiple guitars, piano, keyboard, all the while using his laptop at the same time.

Stevens' lyrics are stories of his life, and the stories came alive in a live setting - you really believe every word that comes out of his mouth. From the chanting of “we're all gonna die,” in 'Fourth Of July', Stevens drew everyone into his world by sharing these relatable yet sometimes dark stories, and sharing his life with everyone inside The Civic.

His background stage set-up was understated yet beautiful at the same time - orbs that resembled an organ shone images of sunsets, beaches, as well as home footage of Stevens' childhood, inviting you even further into Stevens' deeply spiritual world.

'Blue Bucket Of Gold' was the show's highlight, the final song in the set - starting out just as the recorded version is, but closing with an avalanche of sound, matched by the crazy lighting thanks to two lit disco balls that transformed the frenzy of sound into a full-blown visual and aural spectacular.

He returned to the stage following a standing ovation from everyone in the venue, appearing in a much more casual attire - with a bright orange t-shirt and green cap. He noted, “This is another song about death unfortunately,” realising the irony in all of his songs about death, before heading into the beautiful 'For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti' - just him and his back-up singer/guitarist.

It's one of the longest encores I've ever seen at a show - yet it was also one of the most well-received encores. The rest of the encore was intimate and 'unplugged', with just the five musicians standing around one microphone, playing songs from Stevens back-catalogue, which clearly the audience was more than happy to stay for.

Closing the encore with an acoustic version of 'Chicago', Stevens won over the entire sold-out venue - whether they were long-time fans, casual fans, or even just people who were attending the Arts Festival and decided to go. I know that all the attendees will be awaiting Stevens' return (it took him 5 years since his last visit), whenever that may be.

Set-List:
Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou)
Death With Dignity
Should Have Known Better
All Of Me Wants All of You
Drawn To The Blood
The Only Thing
Owl & Tanager
Eugene
Fourth Of July
No Shade In The Shadow Of The Cross
Carrie & Lowell
Vesuvius
Futile Devices
Blue Bucket Of Gold

Encore:
For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti
Devil's Territory
A Good Man
Dress Looks Nive
To Be Alone With You
Birthday
John Wayne Gacy
Casimir Pulaski Day
Chicago

To find out what else is happening in the Auckland Arts Festival, click HERE.