Toronto – Here is a review of the concert, in point form, since it’s friday and I have a right to be lazy.
– 3 Block lineup to get in
– two “name on the list” checks
– completely packed house
– about 40 degrees inside Lees Palace
– Cryptacize’s smooth pop sounds to open the show, lead singer eerily similar to Feist
– New material – more funk, a lot longer, more electric guitar
– Multi instrumentalist dude has got some skills
– Sing a long to “To Be Alone With You”
– “I think every girl in here would leave their significant others for this guy”, then the girl in front of me turns around and says “I told my boyfriend I’d leave him for Sufjan”
– Acoustic “Chicago” to end off the first set
– “John Wayne Gacy Jr” to start off encore
– TWO HOUR SET
Often during a concert, people are always talking in the back near the bar area, but from the minute Sufjan opened his mouth, it was pure silence from the audience and that was an indication of how much the crowd appreciated this show. Nedelle Torrisi (from Cryptacize) did a great job providing female vocals and rest of the band did a great job as well (there were some mixups here and there, but it added to the charm). The newer material, which was the reason for the mini tour, was as Sufjan put it “takes on a longer form” and channels Miles Davis and Prince. All in all, it was just a great show. The thing is, Sufjan comes off as this perfectly normal dude, he could even come off as a 905 douchebag in another context, with his tilted hat and toque on top of the hat look. Throughout the whole concert it just seemed like he was chilling with his peeps on stage, it was a very relaxed low key show and I guess it further added to the cozy experience. It’s a wonder that he would play Lees Palace when he could easily fill Massey Hall and for that I, and all 350 or 400 people there on Thursday night, will be forever grateful.