Sufjan Stevens Proves He's Still A Master Storyteller At The Chicago Theatre

By Gina Provenzano in Add category on Apr 28, 2015 3:00PM

Closing out their set Friday night, show opener Little Scream's front woman Laurel Sprengelmeyer quietly confessed that on their current tour together she had yet to make it through watching Sufjan Stevens' set without crying. Many in the audience found out why as they watched the prolific singer-songwriter move through a heartbreakingly beautiful set. Sufjan Stevens has always had a playful side to his music, but on his latest album Carrie & Lowell, his music strays into darker territory.

The album, which chronicles the life of Stevens' mother and step-father, maps out an obviously complicated family relationship. Stevens lost his mother to stomach cancer in 2012 and it's clear that loss has greatly impacted the singer and as he confessed later in the set to the audience, that he's recently been meditating on death and losing those close to him. Obviously this grief is something the songwriter is still working through as he moved through much of his new album with songs like "Should Have Known Better," "Death with Dignity" and "Fourth of July."

To further tell his story the show was accompanied by a light panel show displaying old home movies from Stevens' and his parents' childhoods in Michigan, bringing even more poignancy to each song. Throughout the evening Stevens alternated between quiet acoustic solo performances to full band-backed expansive tracks.

Once into his encore Stevens visited older material off of his earlier albums like "That Dress Looks Nice on You" and "To Be Alone with You" off of Seven Swans. He also, as expected, played many songs off of his fan-favorite Illinois, confessing that his first love was the city of Chicago before appropriately closing the show on possibly the lightest song of the, night named after our city. The audience remained seated but obviously captivated by the entire evening. From songs of personal confessions to odes dedicated to the Midwest, Sufjan Stevens delivered a touching evening of memorable music and left very few dry eyes in the house.