Beautiful backdrop! Real windows to expose real sky and sea... unbeatable. Oh, and great video/audio...especially because high quality live content is rare. Thanks!
+Lando Cartel Those are actually panels hanging behind him that have a video playing. I saw him live last year and he used the same backdrop. it was incredible!
Light struck from the lemon tree What if I'd never seen hysterical light from Eugene? Lemon yogurt, remember I pulled at your shirt I dropped the ashtray on the floor I just wanted to be near you Emerald Park, wonders never cease The man who taught me to swim, he couldn't quite say my first name Like a Father he led community water on my head And he called me "Subaru" And now I want to be near you Since I was old enough to speak I've said it with alarm Some part of me was lost in your sleeve Where you hid your cigarettes No I'll never forget I just want to be near you Still I pray to what I cannot see In the sprinkler I mark the evidence known from the start From the bed near your death, and all the machines that made a mess Far away the falcon flew Now I want to be near you What's left is only bittersweet For the rest of my life, admitting the best is behind me Now I'm drunk and afraid, wishing the world would go away What's the point of singing songs If they'll never even hear you?
Is the sound coming out of the console? How is it so crisp and how can he sound so clear when he withdraws so much from the microphone while whispering?
+Alan Valdovinos The mic's just turned up high so it picks up quiet sounds at a distance. (Who knows it may be a diaphram mic which is designed to just that, though it doesn't look like one to me.) It's quite common to do that when recording in studio; rarer live. Suf knows what he's doing.
+Alan Valdovinos He's using a dynamic microphone with a low gate and high compression. Sufjan doesn't like to have a lot of dynamics on his vocals generally, which most people find to take away from the depth of vocals. But it's become almost a trademark of his.
It could be a condenser microphone, judging from how far away he is from the mic and how it still picks up lots of details. But they're rarely used on stage because they tend to also pick up lots of unwanted noise, even from the audience side.
Lyrics: Light struck from the lemon tree What if I'd never seen hysterical light from Eugene? Lemon yogurt, remember I pulled at your shirt I dropped the ashtray on the floor I just wanted to be near you Emerald Park, wonders never cease The man who taught me to swim, he couldn't quite say my first name Like a Father he led community water on my head And he called me "Subaru" And now I want to be near you Since I was old enough to speak I've said it with alarm Some part of me was lost in your sleeve Where you hid your cigarettes No I'll never forget I just want to be near you Still I pray to what I cannot see In the sprinkler I mark the evidence known from the start From the bed near your death, and all the machines that made a mess Far away the falcon flew Now I want to be near you What's left is only bittersweet For the rest of my life, admitting the best is behind me Now I'm drunk and afraid, wishing the world would go away What's the point of singing songs If they'll never even hear you?
The gain on his mic is always set high, so he can whisper with no need to focus on being heard or singing loud. Hope this comment helps you revisit this song 4 years later! Always a nice video to come back to
