This isn't a historic gig in the sense that it happened a long time ago - it's historic in the sense that I will never forget it!
Mid May the founder members of the Bakewell Vinyl Club went to the Manchester Apollo to see Sufjan Stevens. I had seen him a few years ago at Green Man. I had a quick look at youtube to catch up with what he's doing now, and was looking forward to seeing him, but not entirely sure what to expect.
One of the drawbacks of age and experience, and having been to lots of concerts, is that you can't help analysing performer's influences, and actually you just have to accept that they are doing it in the here and now for their fans and their generation.
Funkadelic, psychedelic,Rufus Wainwright's angel wings,Gang Gang Dance and Darwin Deez dance moves - and especially Flaming Lips stage show as seen at Green Man last summer. As I tried to interpret what was going on on stage, I was completely overwhelmed by the spectacle and energy of the performance, the music, the colours, the costumes and movement. And then he would suddenly change pace, come to the front of the stage and pick up a guitar to sing something calmer, quieter and familiar.
He gave a presentation about an artist who had influenced him with his folk art depictions of aliens and other worlds. He talked about the power of sound and movement. The audience were with him all the way through the shifts of mood and energy.
He talked about Space and galaxies. He took us on a journey through the Universe. There were moments when I found it uncomfortable, a complete sensory overload, especially within the confines of a building. Flaming Lips' show was diffused by being an outdoor performance. This was energy bouncing back off the walls and ceiling. There was a point when I thought I wouldn't be able to stand up when the time came to leave - was I having some kind of drug related flash back from my misspent youth? It was intense and it was brilliant, over two and half hours of performance, with a 25 minute song towards the end, Impossible Soul - check it out on youtube - it takes up three videos!
So we talked about it in the car all the way home to Bakewell, and the next day I was still trying to make sense of it when I spoke to my daughter on the phone. Some of her friends had been there. One of her friends had been to a Steiner school, as had she when she was younger. Sufjan Stevens had also been Steiner educated and suddenly all became clear. Rudolf Steiner's Planetary Spheres and their influence - the stars are us, we are starlight. I'd moved heaven and earth ( well, house and home) so my children could go to a Steiner school and was devastated when it closed its doors. Anthroposophy was a big part of my life for some years, and I had heard Sufjan mention eurythmy and theosophy during his performance and hadn't made the connection.
A concert I won't forget.
