Folk rock titan Sufjan Stevens will emerge from his creative cocoon this fall for his latest tour of the U.S. and Canada. The multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter will focus his touring efforts primarily along the East Coast, with a few ventures further into the Midwest also planned.
The 16-date tour officially opens with a two-night stand on September 21-22 at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia, PA. The brief outing ends after only two weeks with a four-show run in the metropolitan New York area, October 4-5 at Bowery Ballroom in New York City and October 6-7 at the Music Hall at Williamsburg in Brooklyn.
Other stops include September 24 at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, OH; September 28 at The Majestic in Madison, WI; and October 2 at Lee’s Palace in Toronto, ON. The tour will feature opening support from Cryptacize.
Strict ticketing procedures will be in place for the tour due to the small size of the booked venues and anticipated high demand for tickets. “We wanted to avoid ticket scalpers and ensure that as many fans as possible could attend these shows,” explained Stevens’ record label, Asthmatic Kitty, in a statement.
Public ticket sales begin August 15, but all tickets will be non-transferrable and available only for Will Call pick-up on the night of the show. Buyers will be limited to two tickets each and must present a government-issued photo ID to claim their tickets.
Stevens is currently awaiting the October 20 release of his latest creative project, a duel CD-DVD celebrating the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, aptly titled “The BQE.” The 30-minute composition was originally performed by Stevens and a backing symphony over three consecutive nights in November 2007 at the BAM Opera House. The performances sold out the 2,109-seat venue every night without any prior advertising and relying solely on word of mouth, according to the online cultural digest ArtsJournal.
Prior to releasing his cinematic musical, Stevens will also release a revised version of his earlier, largely electronic album “Enjoy Your Rabbit.” The record’s songs have been rearranged for strings and will be performed by the Osso String Quartet. That effort, titled “Run Rabbit Run,” will hit stores on October 6.
Stevens’ 2009 concert schedule opens with a September 12 performance at All Tomorrow’s Parties in Monticello, NY. He is one of the headline artists at the music festival, which is curated this year by the Flaming Lips.
Sufjan Stevens itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)
| September 12 | Monticello, NY | ATP |
| September 21 – 22 | Philadelphia, PA | Johnny Brenda’s |
| September 23 | Ithaca, NY | Castaways |
| September 24 | Cleveland, OH | Beachland Ballroom |
| September 25 | Pontiac, MI | The Pike Room Crofoot Ballroom |
| September 26 | Champaign, IL | The High Dive |
| September 27 | Minneapolis, MN | 400 Bar |
| September 28 | Madison, WI | The Majestic |
| September 29 | Bloomington, IN | Buskirk Chumley |
| October 1 | Toronto, ON | Lee’s Place |
| October 2 | Montreal, QC | Cabaret |
| October 3 | Portland, ME | Port City Music Hall |
| October 4 – 5 | New York, NY | Bowery Ballroom |
| October 6 – 7 | Brooklyn, NY | Music Hall of Williamsburg |
