Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stevens has always done exactly what he wants, no matter how eccentric and potentially career-ending. So far his talent has let him do it with aplomb. Early in his career, the Detroit-born, Brooklyn-dwelling indie darling recorded a song cycle of electronic compositions based on the Chinese zodiac. His breakout record, Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State, was to be the first in a presumably 50-part series of concept albums about each state, but after one follow-up, Stevens unapologetically dropped the idea. And a few years back, he composed a 40-minute orchestral work (and shot an accompanying film) inspired by, of all things, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
Even by his artistically uncompromising standards, though, Stevens’s newest tour sounds bonkers. Promoting the musician’s new Christmas CD box set,
Silver & Gold, the show is titled
The Sirfjam Stephanapolous Christmas Sing-A-Long Seasonal Affective Disorder Spectacular Music Pageant Variety Show Disaster and
promises everything from sing-along hymns to blow-up unicorns. Yet, Stevens’s work has often dealt gracefully with spirituality, so don’t doubt that, along with inflatable mythical creatures and makeshift costumes, the evening will offer beauty and wisdom for the season.
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