Pitchfork

From cub scouts to swan-angels to cheerleaders to...butterflies? Sufjan Steven's most ambitious tour to date set up shop at Austin, Texas' Paramount Theater this weekend for the second of two packed shows. While Stevens donned wings of a different sort, his sizable backing ensemble sported adorable, matching butterfly wings for the duration of the main set.

Sufjan dubbed his band the "Chinese Butterfly Brigade" (the wings symbolize "transcendence and elevation," see), and together they fluttered through tunes from Michigan, Illinois, Seven Swans, and this year's The Avalanche-- even "Dear Mr Supercomputer". Stevens and Co. also treated Sufjanatics to a promising, string-laden brand new tune titled "Majesty Snowbird". Lighter on the marching band and community choir vibes of much of Sufjan's repertoire, it hinted at a slightly more mature treatment future U.S. states might be getting.

For the encore, Sufjan shed the wings, appearing in a sleeveless black t-shirt to perform a fine rendition of crowd-pleaser "Chicago". My Brightest Diamond, featuring Butterfly Brigadier Shara Worden, opened. The Sufjan/Diamond butterfly tour continues through next month; dates and more photos ahead.

Dates:

09-19 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues *
09-20 Atlanta, GA - Fox Theater (PASTE Rock n Reel Fest) *
09-21 Chapel Hill, NC - Memorial Hall *
09-23 Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Theater *
09-24 St. Louis, MO - Pageant *
09-25 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater *
09-26 Chicago, IL - Riviera *
09-28 Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre *
09-29 New York, NY - Town Hall *
09-30 New York, NY - Town Hall *
10-01 New York, NY - Town Hall *
10-09 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern *
10-10 Berkeley, CA - Zellerbach Hall *
10-11 Berkeley, CA - Zellerbach Hall *
10-13 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom *
10-14 Vancouver, British Columbia - St. Andrew's Cathedral *
10-15 Seattle, WA - Paramount *
11-01 Dublin, Ireland - Olympia
11-02 Manchester, England - Academy 2
11-03 London, England - Barbican
11-05 Ghent, Belgium - Voorhuit
11-07 Barcelona, Spain - Casino L'Allanca
11-09 Paris, France - Le Bataclan
11-10 Cologne, Germany - Gloria
11-11 Amsterdam, Holland - Paradiso
11-12 Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
11-14 Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene
11-15 Stockholm, Sweden - Berns
11-17 Reykjavik, Iceland - Frikirkjan Church
11-18 Reykjavik, Iceland - Frikirkjan Church

* with My Brightest Diamond