Sufjan Stevens Makes First Live Appearance in Over Eight Years

Last month, Sufjan Stevens made a surprise onstage appearance during Meg Lui’s show at Tempo in Kingston, New York. Stevens accompanied the singer-songwriter on piano and backing vocals for her song “Elvis Queen,” taken from her new album Instant Validation, which Stevens produced. It marked his first public musical performance in over eight years. Back in 2023, Stevens revealed he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome—a rare auto-immune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves—and was working to relearn how to walk and use his hands. Watch a clip from the performance below.

This September 25 concert was Lui’s record release event for Instant Validation, which came out that same day via Asthmatic Kitty Records. Although it’s technically her debut album, the Hudson Valley-based singer-songwriter has written music before and worked with Stevens in the past; she contributed background vocals to his most recent album, 2023’s Javelin. The two met through mutual friends in the Catskills and recorded Instant Validation at Stevens’ home studio. “With Sufjan there was so much more out-of-the-box thinking, and we ended up adding layers upon layers that created an unrestrained soundscape for the record,” Lui previously said of the experience.

Last year, Stevens said he was doing “okay” in an interview with Vulture’s Craig Jenkins. “I’ve had some pretty difficult things happen to me, so I’m in a state of repair and survival,” Stevens elaborated. “I’m not really in any state of mind or any position to go on tour yet. But I’m starting to see the light. I’m starting to feel a sense of direction toward something meaningful and substantial. I’ve been focusing on the moment and on things that feel very silly and Zen: serenity and acceptance and duty and stewardship.”

In the years following his diagnosis, Stevens reissued a 20th anniversary edition of Seven Swans and a 10th anniversary version of Carrie & Lowell, he produced a children’s album for John Legend, and the musical Illinoise—which was based off his 2005 album Illinois—won a Tony Award. Stevens has also hopped on new songs by Mina Tindle and Mouse on Mars’ Jan St. Werner. These days, he’s busy taking a more hands-on approach at his label Asthmatic Kitty and in his backyard garden at home.

Read about Javelin at No. 6 in The 50 Best Albums of 2023.

Nina Corcoran joined Pitchfork as an Associate Staff Writer in 2021 after contributing to the website since 2015. She’s written for Rolling Stone, Wired, NPR, Stereogum, and elsewhere, and was previously the music editor of alt-weekly newspaper DigBoston. She’s based in Chicago. ... Read More