Well, that was quick! The news that Sufjan Stevens is playing at the Barbican on 3 November has been around since the start of the week, but the tickets only went on sale on Thursday afternoon (probably just after I was told that I could get them 'later in the week'). By the time I got round to calling on Friday lunchtime, there were only balcony tickets left (that's waay up). And by the time everyone I know had got their tickets bought there were 5 left!
Selling out a 2000-capacity venue so quickly obviously means rising stardom for Sufjan in the UK, but it means binoculars for us if we're to see much. Still, it's the Barbican so the sound will be good. According to Pitchfork, he'll be accompanied by '"a small string ensemble (ranging from four to eight members in different cities) and brass section" in order to perform his songs "in a new symphonic context", which sounds a bit like what he did at the King's College show last year. Here's hoping it's not just the same concert, at a greater distance. The promise of new songs is tantilising.
So, I'll console myself with The Avalanche, which I got the other day. For an album of so-called offcuts, it's pretty damn fine. Obviously not as good as Illinoise, but not many albums from the past decade are, so that's hardly a criticism. Here's some of my current favourites from Sufjans 'shameless compilation' (his words, not mine).
Download: Sufjan Stevens - The Mistress Witch From McClure (or, The Mind That Knows Itself)
Download: Sufjan Stevens - Pittsfield
Download: Sufjan Stevens - Adlai Stevenson
Buy The Avalanche from Amazon
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