So Sufjan Stevens came to Austin this past weekend, and I was fortunate enough to be able to see him twice. I saw his show Saturday evening at the Paramount Theatre, which is a great place to see a live music event. It's got such a wonderful vibe and the acoustics are fantastic. Opening up for Sufjan was My Brightest Diamond, also from the Asthmatic Kitty label. The band is basically Shara Worden, with a cast of various musicians. She was using some of the members of Sufjan's band for her live show. She had drums/percussion, bass, and a small string section, while she played guitar and Rhodes. I thought she was great. Kind of reminded me of a cross between Kate Bush, Bjork, and Fiona Apple, but with her own unique style. She also became a part of Sufjan's band when he came on stage. They did shows at the Paramount on Friday and Saturday night and both sold out. I think it's very rare that he even tours. This particular run that he was on consisted of only 4 shows, or at least that's what it sounded like. The show was, in my opinion, breathtaking. It was almost too overwhelming, too much musical information. It was so beautiful that it didn't seem real, if that makes any sense. The entire band came out wearing wings on their back, which was already quite a spectacular scene. Sufjan, also in wings, switched back and forth between acoustic guitar, banjo, and piano throughout the night. The entire band was amazing. The drummer stood out to me in particular as being an integral part of the entire sound. Everything that he played sounded like it was in that perfect spot, like nothing was out of place. Very tasty player! Of course the horn section and strings added so much to the sound. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that some or all of the Tosca girls were on stage with him in the string section.On Sunday, we were some of the lucky ones that got tickets to the Austin City Limits taping with Sufjan Stevens and The Raconteurs. Sufjan went first and, once again, blew everyone away. Even moreso than the Paramount, that studio was such a small, and intimate space, that really any seat was awesome! Sufjan seemed a little more talkative at the taping than the theatre. He does seem a little shy, though, and I think the cameras everywhere made him a little nervous. He's so unassuming, but so captivating at the same time. It's really neat to watch. He really watches and communicates with the band. The arrangements of the songs are really beautiful. I haven't done it yet, but I want to go back and look at the albums to see if he had a big part in the arrangements.Having the Raconteurs go after Sufjan was sort of an interesting pairing. They were definitely much louder! For the first time, the staff actually passed out earplugs to the audience. I had seen them at Lollapalooza, but it was nice to see them up close and personal. At the suggesstion of Jack White, they started about 3 songs over, since it was a taping. I think he was getting a little frustrated in the end because some of the songs weren't coming off as good as he wanted. It's interesting to be able to see that side of it. You rarely get to see bands "mess-up" and try again. The audience was very responsive, though.I really hope that Sufjan decides to tour again, although I don't know that it's his style.