Photo courtesy: Columbia Records

He was, without doubt, one of the greatest artists of all time. Songs, such as “Hallelujah,” “Suzanne” and, more recently, “You Want it Darker,” became a part of popular culture and established him as a genius. And as of Nov. 7, his light was extinguished.

Leonard Cohen will probably be best known for his poetry and songwriting, most notably the song “Hallelujah,” which he penned in 1984, and has been covered by numerous artists including Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright, who infamously sang it for the soundtrack of the hit 2001 film, “Shrek.”

“The word ‘hallelujah,’ of course, is so rich. It’s so abundant in resonances,” Cohen stated during a 1985 concert in Warsaw, “it is a wonderful word to sing and people have been singing that word for thousands of years. It seems to call down some kind of beneficial energy just when you declare in the face of the kind of catastrophes that are manifesting everywhere.”

I remember the first time I had ever heard of Leonard Cohen. I was about 15 years old and, like most teenagers, I was looking to expand my taste in music.

Modern-day artists such as Rihanna, Macklemore and Bastille were not my cup of tea at the time, but were adored and revered by all my peers. I had thought that I would never find music that was truly written from the heart, just one song that would inspire me to fully understand and appreciate the art of music. And then, while doing homework one night, I heard Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

I had heard it many times before over my lifetime, but this time, I felt that gravitas and power that Leonard Cohen must have felt when writing the song in 1984. You could tell from the quivering and wavering in his iconic gravely voice that he truly felt and meant every word that he sang. The investment in the performance was absolute, and thus, it was the perfect song to captivate me. I followed his career from that moment on, listening to his hits and being hit by that same raw emotional power.

Leonard Cohen’s last interview was with The New Yorker Editor David Remnick, promoting what would become his final album, “You Want it Darker.”

During the interview, he had touched upon many religious experiences that had come out of his music, as well as honoring his recently deceased muse, Marianne Ihlen. What had stood out to me were the final words he would ever speak to a reporter, regarding how seriously he took his music.

“You hear this other deep reality singing to you all the time, and much of the time you can’t decipher it,” Cohen said. “Even when I was healthy, I was sensitive to the process. At this stage of the game, I hear it saying, ‘Leonard, just get on with the things you have to do.’ It’s very compassionate at this stage. More than at any time of my life, I no longer have that voice that says, ‘You’re fucking up.’ That’s a tremendous blessing, really.”

I am more than glad he got to share that blessing with us. Rest in peace, Leonard Cohen.

Photo: David Hagelgans, The Triangle

For an event with the name “Meadows,” the color green was scarce in New York parking lot where the festival took place. In fact, there was little to be seen for scenery in front of Citi Field at all compared to other festivals. That didn’t matter much though, as the weekend’s performers gave festival goers plenty of entertainment.

Saturday’s lineup was admittedly weaker than Sunday’s action-packed grouping but had some incredible highlights.

Sylvan Esso, an indie pop duo known for their hit song “Coffee,” put on a great show on the Queens Blvd stage, mixing electronic beats with stunning vocals and practically forcing the crowd to vibe along with the music.

Post Malone was among the first to grace the main stage and he did not disappoint, mixing in more upbeat songs with his usual crooning, druggy R&B. I spent the majority of the day at the main stage and whether it was due to it still being early in the day or a genuine love for his music, the audience blessed Post Malone with one of the most lively crowd atmospheres of the day.

From that point in the day on, it was clear that the crowd at the main stage was waiting for J. Cole to appear, as the huddled masses showed less than inspiring enthusiasm towards other acts. Chromeo, following Post Malone, received some love but despite the Daft Punk-esque dancy nature of their music, the crowd never really got going for them. Their set was fun and they had an impressive set design with all chrome instruments that reflected light towards the audience; they probably deserved better.

The audience became more indifferent for my personal favorite act of the day, Grimes. Grimes’ set was loud, invasive and scary at times. I loved it with all of my heart. Grimes performed with tons of energy and Earth-shattering bass lines in front of a packed crowd at a music festival. Seems like the perfect scenario for a really fun crowd experience, but alas the crowd was disinterested, with some people even turning away from the stage. It was a bummer to see people not enjoying such a fun show, but Grimes does have a very different style than J. Cole so it’s not surprising that fans of one would not necessarily love the other.

1. Cole wrapped up the festival with his “last show for a very long time,” and he did what he always does: delivers. As the only rap artist to ever go double platinum with no features, he’s used to performing all alone and he absolutely killed it. Fans and casual festival goers alike loved the set and it was a satisfying end to day one.

Day two was the real highlight. I made the decision to be front row for the entire day at main stage, missing acts I would have enjoyed like Mac Miller, BORNS and Pusha T to be front row for the Sunday headliner, Kanye West. Sometimes, tough decisions must be made and that was definitely a tough one. Reports from friends at the festival that attended those sets said they were fun, especially Pusha T, who apparently put on a great show on the Shea stage.

At main stage, the day started with an artist I didn’t know before, but is certainly on my radar now. Zella Day and her backing band absolutely rocked. They brought catchy rock heavy music and refused to let anyone sit during the show, even pausing to tell people sitting down in the crowd that they had to stand up or the show wouldn’t continue.

Following Zella Day was The Temper Trap, maybe best known for the song “Sweet Disposition” which was used in the movie “500 Days of Summer.” Unique vocalization and a great stage presence as well as the lead singer’s willingness to enter the crowd really got the packed audience jumping for the entire set. Specific highlights were “Love Lost” and, of course, “Sweet Disposition.”

Bryson Tiller was third on the schedule for the day, and his sad, rappy R&B album “Trapsoul” matched the weather of the day well with his studio-perfect voice. The crowd knew his music well and they let him know; sing alongs were nearly constant throughout the set.

Opening for Kanye West was fellow Chicagoan Chance the Rapper, who smashed into rap superstardom this year following the release of his third mixtape, “Coloring Book.” I saw him just a month ago at Philadelphia’s Made in America Festival. His set was great there, but it wasn’t anything compared to his Meadows set. Meadows was part of the “Magnificent Coloring World Tour” and it followed a narrative structure and featured confetti. At the end of the set, he brought out Francis and the Lights to perform “Friends” and they both danced the goofy dance from the music video together as the crowd was showered in confetti. It was incredible, and if not for videos I’ve seen from the set online, I still wouldn’t believe it actually happened. That disbelief was typical for the rest of the night.

Kanye West. Front row. Fifty thousand people packed shoulder to shoulder forcing me against a metal gate in a parking lot in front of a baseball stadium in Queens. Ten hours of waiting, cramped and unable to move; it was completely worth it.

For over an hour, Kanye ran through his hits. Everyone in the crowd knew every word and was screaming as hard as possible. Early in the set, Kanye ventured into the crowd to perform parts of a few songs and the entire place went absolutely crazy. His light show was one of a kind, much like the man himself, and created a beautiful and epic atmosphere, enveloping him in light and giving him a godly appearance. Go figure. After about an hour, Kanye received the news that his wife, Kim Kardashian, had been robbed at gunpoint and understandably left to attend to that scary situation. It was disappointing but understandable, and though some people were angry his set was cut short, I was mostly happy to have been able to experience such a great show for however brief it might have lasted.

Year one of the Meadows impressed. If they can keep the quality of lineup and attendee experience up, the festival will be a mainstay on the east coast for a very long time.

Photo: David Hagelgans, The Triangle

This year on the east coast, the most hyped music festival was Governor’s Ball Music Festival on Randall’s Island in New York City. With headliners like The Strokes, The Killers and Kanye West, it seemed like an easy decision for music fans with the means of attending in the ‘Big Apple. Well, you know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men. Thunderstorms rolled into the city causing the cancellation of the final day of the festival, leaving thousands devastated as they were unable to see some incredible acts like Vince Staples, Courtney Barnett and the headliner, Kanye West.

Those same fans likely rejoiced, however, upon the announcement of a new music festival to fill the empty space in their hearts left by that disappointment. Shortly after Governor’s Ball, the organizers of the festival, Founders Entertainment, announced the inaugural Meadows Music and Arts Festival in Flushing Meadows Corona Park to take place Oct. 1 and 2 in Queens. The announcement was followed by significant fanfare, as lineup is impressive from top to bottom, particularly the headliners which feature Kanye West, The Weeknd and Chance the Rapper.

Saturday’s lineup initially starred The Weeknd, fresh off of his massive hit record “Beauty Behind The Madness,” as the main attraction of the night. However, fans of The Weeknd had a bit of a scare on Sept. 22 when the festival announced that due to scheduling conflicts with his performance on Saturday Night Live, The Weeknd would be unable to perform at the festival. Taking his place would be J. Cole, the first rapper to release a platinum album with no features. That’s a great replacement, but The Weeknd’s silky voice and dark beats are a treat to see live and missing that opportunity would have been a real disappointment for festival goers. That disappointment didn’t last long, as the festival was able to work with The Weeknd giving him an earlier set time on Saturday to avoid the conflict with SNL. Now instead of one main headliner on Saturday, fans are rewarded with two phenomenal performers Saturday night.

Besides the headliners, a litany of smaller acts are must-see performers. Scottish indie band Frightened Rabbit are touring their new album “Painting of a Panic Attack,” which has a grander sound than their previous records and should be a great live show.

Also performing Saturday is Post Malone, known best for his hit “White Iverson,” a rapper with a bit of a lean-influenced feel from Texas who recently released his full length debut mixtape “August 26th” in May. Though a lot of his music is low-key, he’ll show out for the fans at Meadows, as it’ll likely be one of the biggest crowds he’s played for.

The non-headlining artist I’m most excited for is Grimes. Coming off her truly weird and beautiful 2015 album “Art Angels,” Grimes is set to put on a real show. In the past, her set and costume design has been eccentric and interesting, a great companion to her music. “Art Angels” is like the album Carly Rae Jepsen would have made if she grew up on K-pop instead of Britney Spears and I mean that as the highest compliment possible. It’ll be a great show and I can’t wait.

Sunday is action packed and will likely come with some unfortunate overlaps between great artists. Though the set times haven’t been announced yet, it’ll be tough to make a lineup that doesn’t have any conflicts.

A particular artist of interest is rap mogul Pusha T, currently president of Kanye West-founded GOOD Music and former member of the now disbanded rap duo Clipse in the early 2000s. Since the end of Clipse, Pusha T has put together an exceptional solo career as the “last cocaine superhero.” His lyrics are hardcore and clever and he flows with an effortless toughness that makes his music eminently likeable and will almost certainly please fans and casual festival goers alike during his set.

Mac Miller, coming off his new album “The Divine Feminine,” will perform later in the day and his recent music has been jazz inspired and groovy and will absolutely impress live.

Other acts, including R&B star Bryson Tiller, British alternative rockers The 1975 and EDM hit-makers Kygo will round out the day for non-headliners. I’m particularly excited for The 1975, as they just released a great pop-rock album and will likely own whatever stage they end up on.

Closing out the night are Chance The Rapper and Kanye West. Having seen Chance at the Made In America Festival in Philadelphia, you cannot miss his act. Inspirational, beautiful and fun are the first three words that come to mind. He mixes in some songs from his second mixtape “Acid Rap” and a heavy dose from his recent release “Coloring Book” and it’s just a treat overall. Also, he might end up bringing out Kanye (or vice versa) to perform their hit “Ultralight Beam” from Kanye’s 2016 album “The Life of Pablo” and that’ll absolutely be a must see musical experience. There’s not enough that can be said about seeing Kanye West live, he has so many hits that he could play for days without repeating and has unparalleled stage presence. He’s an absolute must-see.

The weekend is set to be a killer one. Let’s just hope the weather cooperates this time.

At the end of the 2009 season, LeBron James left his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat. In the final year of his first stint in Cleveland, the Cavaliers won 61 games. The year after he left, the Cavaliers struggled mightily, missing the best player from the previous year. This will likely also be the case for the Drexel Dragons golf team, as they face a tough road overcoming the graduation of Chris Crawford.

That being said, the team is not in the same lowly position as the 2010 Cavaliers were, as they have a strong crop of young, rising players as well as a good group of seniors to lead the way into the future.

The golf team kicked off their new season in Annapolis, Maryland for the Navy Fall Classic, looking to get off to a strong start.

In the sixteen-team tournament, the Dragons were led by junior Aaron Fricke from Denver, Pennsylvania who shot a one-under for the day on the first day of the tournament. At one-under, Fricke was the highest-scoring Dragon, sitting tied for third overall in the tournament. Two freshmen, Connor Schmidt and Brendaen Bacskai, were the next highest for Drexel, tied for 25th in the tournament. They shot 74 on the day, finishing three over par halfway through the competition. Yoseph Dance was close behind, shooting a 75 in the first round.

Overall, the team finished the first day tied with the University of Delaware and the United States Naval Academy for fourth place with a cumulative nine over-par. Sitting only three strokes back of third, they looked poised for the possibility of a strong second day pulling them into top-three position.

That is, until mother nature stepped in. Bad weather swept in and the tournament was cancelled after just one round, giving the Dragons a fourth place finish in their first tournament play this season. That’s a solid result for the team, especially considering the strong contributions they received from young players.

The Dragons will look to continue that successful start Sept. 25 at the Laurel Golf Club in Lorton, Virginia, at the Patriot Intercollegiate tournament.

The Philadelphia 76ers are set to spend next season trying to balance having two players with a very similar skill set: power forwards with unique court vision and ball handling ability for their size. To me that, in the words of Marlo Stanfield from HBO’s “The Wire,” “sounds like one of them good problems.”

Dario Saric and Ben Simmons play the same position. They have the same fundamental strengths and weaknesses. They’re both going to demand minutes for a young Sixers team with too many big men already on the roster. And that’s fine. Having two outrageously talented and unique players of the same vein isn’t a problem, it’s a blessing.

Simmons is obviously a generational talent with the potential to turn the tide of the franchise for years to come, superior to Saric in almost every way. And while Simmons will obviously take precedent in terms of minutes and play style, Saric has earned respect throughout the Olympic basketball tournament for the Croatian national team.

Over four games, Saric has not only held his own but impressed against high caliber talent on the biggest stage of his young career. Most impressive so far has been his court vision and composure with the ball. While the numbers haven’t been outstanding (he has a 1.2:1 assist to turnover ratio), watching the games has inspired Sixers fans. Saric continually makes difficult passes look easy and consistently looks to make the right play in traffic or running the floor. He’s smart with the ball and his handle is tight enough at this point in his career to allow him to take most defenders off the dribble.

His rebounding has also been outstanding. He’s fierce contesting for the ball and almost always boxes out his man. He’s averaging 7.2 rebounds per game, leading Croatia as a power forward.

At times, his defense has left a lot to be desired, and much of that is due to his lacking athleticism and speed. He hustles hard nearly every play and always makes the right rotations, putting himself in good situations defensively even if he’s not developed enough to make the play. More than anything, Saric is a real “gamer,” always ready to face an important moment and step up. Against Spain, with less than 5 seconds remaining, Pau Gasol attempted a turn-around jump hook to tie the game but Saric rotated from the weak side and swatted the shot to seal an upset victory for his team.

Unfortunately, the jump shot that was such a major part of his improvement playing for Anadolu Efes in Turkey has yet to show itself fully. He’s shooting a respectable percentage from 2-point range, but he has struggled to find his stroke from deep, shooting 5/19 so far in the tournament. He’s created some good looks and been close to finding the range, but has fallen short of expectations in terms of shooting.

Of course, in a four game sample Steph Curry could shoot poorly from deep, so it’s important to take his play for Croatia with a grain of salt. It’s important with young players like Saric to look for indicators of success rather than pure statistical success, and he’s shown flashes of brilliance against high caliber talent, which should ease Sixers fans’ fears about his fit with Simmons and on the team as a whole.

Shortly after he heard his name called on the night of the 2014 NBA Draft, new Philadelphia draft choice Dario Saric sat down with NBA TV’s Jared Greenberg for a short interview. Greenberg got directly to the point before their talk came to an end.   

“NBA fans don’t want to wait any longer — two years, you promise you’ll be here?”

Saric was similarly to the point with his response.

“Yeah, I promise. For sure, I’ll be here.”

To Saric, that promise meant everything. He never stopped saying he’d come to America to play in the NBA in two years, even as the Sixers faced near constant criticism over that time and an organizational shakeup that saw the man who had drafted him ousted from the team.

Saric, a Croatian power forward, signed his rookie contract and will officially be a member of the Sixers next season. He will join a backcourt logjam that has players like Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor all fighting for time.

Besides obvious concerns about playing time, Saric’s decision potentially presents pivotal long-term financial implications for his career. Signing his contract this season, Saric is locked in to the rookie scale deal that would have applied to him if he had signed in 2014 (with salary figures adjusted for the rising cap). If he had delayed his NBA career just one more year, he would have been open to signing a more lucrative deal outside of the rookie scale. A conservative estimate says that this will cost Saric at least ten million dollars over the next four years.

But luckily for the Sixers, Saric’s word is his bond. Despite the obvious reasons to delay joining the team, he’s here, and he’s ready to make an impact on the court.

Standing six feet, 10 inches tall, Saric possesses a unique passing and playmaking ability that is rare among players of his size. His highlight reels are filled with eye-popping passes and impressive off-the-dribble moves that are dazzling. He’s not the quickest defender and occasionally gets caught ball watching, but has a high motor and consistently gives his all on both ends of the floor.

Most importantly, Saric is developing a jump shot, which could both allow him to make a huge leap as a player and fit in with the unique players the Sixers will look to build around. Last season, Saric shot around 30 percent from three point range with his Turkish club Anadolu Efes, which raised red flags about his fit on the team and ability to make a real impact against higher level competition. This season however, he’s taking more threes and hitting over 40 percent of them. The European three-point line is shorter than NBA, but that’s still significant and important.

How should Philadelphia feel about him? Well, his name is Dario. He’s nicknamed “The Homie.” He speaks with an accent. He has a goofy moustache.

During the same NBA TV where he made the promise he felt so obligated to keep, Greenberg also asked him about the effort he gives during games.

“I always give 100 percent because basketball is love and you must do it 100 percent.”

Philadelphia is going to love him.

The post Dario Saric follows through on promise to Sixers, signs for 2016-17 season appeared first on The Triangle.

LeBron James celebrates following the Cleveland Cavaliers’ game four win over the Atlanta Hawks May 26. James and the Cavaliers swept the Hawks in four games. (Photo courtesy Cleveland Cavaliers)

In his 2010 song, “Power,” Kanye West famously postulated that “no one man should have all that power.”

One has to wonder how Kanye feels about LeBron James.

As the figurehead member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, James is the most powerful player in the NBA.

Virtually unstoppable on offense and still a defensive menace, he’s one of the only players that truly cannot be game-planned for.

Just ask the Atlanta Hawks, who in game three of the Eastern Conference finals actually looked to have a chance at stopping him one quarter into the game.

James finished the first frame going zero for 10 from the field and looking uncharacteristically lost. The Cavs were still in the game because of some stellar play from Cleveland’s supporting cast, but it looked like the Hawks might actually be able to steal the game if James didn’t recover.

But James did recover, and in a big way.

He shot over 50 percent in the final three quarters and overtime, shooting 14 of 27, and had a triple-double with a handful of minutes remaining in the third quarter. He finished the game with 37 points, 18 rebounds, 13 assists and three steals.

It’s gotten to the point in James’ career where the outrageousness of that stat line is ignored due to viewer fatigue. We see James put up incredible stats every single night. For a wide range of basketball fans, James’ talent has become — for lack of a better word — boring.

It’s absolutely time for that attitude to change before it’s too late.

Let’s put game three in context. The Hawks, winners of 60 games in the regular season, have had a rough postseason. They limped through their first-round matchup with a terrible Brooklyn Nets team in the first round and then proceeded to struggle to get past the Washington Wizards in the second round.

Yet even with their struggles, the Hawks are a great basketball team. They can shoot the lights out, they move the ball well and they can play lockdown defense.

In game three, they were missing sharpshooter extraordinaire Kyle Korver, as well as forward Al Horford, who was ejected in the second quarter after elbowing Cleveland’s Matthew Dellavedova. Those players are two huge pieces of the Hawks’ puzzle, which does not function well at less-than-full strength.

On the other hand, the Cavaliers are missing two of their three best players: Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. Love is out for the entire postseason, but Irving is day-to-day and will likely be ready to play for the NBA finals. Obviously, teams usually don’t succeed when missing two of their best players.

This isn’t a usual situation and the Cavs aren’t a normal team. They have the ultimate trump card on their side in James.

It’s tough to understate what James has done this postseason. He’s taking a team of castaway role players to the NBA Finals.

Two of Cleveland’s major impact players this postseason, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, were traded away from the hapless New York Knicks. Smith was basically included so the Knicks didn’t have to pay his contract.

Matthew Dellavedova, a point guard from St. Mary’s University, was undrafted and was only arguably the best player on his college team.

Those three players are integral parts of the team that will be facing off against the Golden State Warriors in the Finals. James hasn’t been this responsible for a team’s success since his first stint in Cleveland, which ended without championships.

But this is a different James. He’s a better, more honed player, and after his time in Miami, he knows how to win at any cost.

The Cavs aren’t stacked with talent, but it doesn’t really matter. They have James, and they’ll go as far as he can carry them. It remains unseen as to how far that is, but James has shown a proclivity towards taking over games and bending the outcome to his will, so it’s tough to go against that.

Golden State, of course, is an absolutely dominant team and I think they’re going to win the championship, but I hesitate to hand the Warriors the Larry O’Brien trophy outright.

How many times can James defeat high-level competition on his own? Will Kyrie Irving be healthy and able to share the load? How long can James’ body handle this work load?

The last question is particularly important. At the end of the overtime of his aforementioned roller coaster of a game, after hitting two huge shots in overtime and willing his team to victory, James collapsed to the floor out of an assumed mixture of exhaustion and relief. He’s carried his team so far, but the hardest challenge still lies ahead.

Can he do it? I don’t think so. Not against this Warriors team. Not without Kevin Love. Not at age 30.

I hope he proves me wrong. I’d love to see another James championship, but it just seems unlikely. The Warriors are too deep and talented and strong defensively to lose at this point.

However, if James wins this one, he launches himself into the legitimate conversation for the greatest basketball player of all time — at least in the eyes of this basketball fanatic.

The post Appreciate LeBron James before his time has passed appeared first on The Triangle.

Sufjan Stevens was a man of few words during his set at the Academy of Music April 10. He spoke to the crowd about an hour into the performance and his message was clear.

“Death is manifested in as many ways as life in the world.”

Apt, considering his newest record is a triumphant and haunting example of that exact manifestation. Written following his estranged mother’s passing, the album is deep, depressing and Sufjan Stevens at his best. Where his previous albums — masterpieces of their own — often swayed between blossoming conceptual pieces and powerful introspection, “Carrie & Lowell” is a canvas for self-exploration and grieving.

At times a harrowing unique glimpse into the prominence of death in life, at others, a sentimental adventure into Stevens’ past, “Carrie & Lowell” curates an incredible intimacy as Stevens whisper-sings the songs. He’s broken on this album, filled with intense regret for missing out on knowing his bipolar mother and filled with a depression that has followed him since she left him as a young child.

The album can be taken as the therapeutic release of grief by one of the most talented musicians in the industry, but it functions as much more than that. It’s an investigation of the way that death leaves its mark on a family and the ways people try to escape the suffocating notion that life isn’t fleeting.

In “Carrie & Lowell,” Stevens beautifully captures and expresses feelings that are often difficult to capture following a tragedy.

The most successful song on the entire album was “The Only Thing.” Stevens addresses his suicidal tendencies following his mother’s death in the form of a desire to drive his car into a canyon or to cut his wrists in a Holiday Inn. Both instances are followed by Stevens asking himself, “Do I care if I survive this?”

The most powerful line on the entire album comes shortly after this, when he’s speaking directly to the spirit of his mother and asks, “Should I tear my arms out now, I want to feel your touch.”

It appears that Sufjan wanted to put the audience in the dark place he curated on “Carrie,” as he didn’t speak to the crowd until he had finished playing almost the entire album.

He came out onto a dark stage and played “Redford (For Yia-Yia and Pappou)” from his 2003 album “Michigan,” a simple instrumental piano song, to set the mood. Then he broke into the first track from the new record, “Death With Dignity.” As the title suggests, the song is about Stevens accepting the death of his mother and their lack of communication during her life.

Behind Stevens, on a video screen backdrop of sorts, videos from his childhood played throughout the songs and would be recurrent during any songs that referred to his childhood or introduced new family members.

“Death With Dignity” stuck very closely to the source material, but from that point on, Stevens began to deviate from the studio versions more and more.

On the album, sparse instrumentation — often just one or two guitars — punctuates a soft whispery delivery from Stevens, but the live version gave the album new life.

His next song, “Should Have Known Better,” was a techno-infused, bass-heavy version of its original self, and it was incredible. He followed that with a completely stripped down version of “Eugene” and more videos from his childhood. Stevens firmly placed the crowd in his happiest memories from his childhood, when his family was together in Eugene, Oregon.

He continued through the track list of the new album, playing inspired versions of “John the Beloved” and “The Only Thing.”

His next song, somewhat out of order, was “Fourth of July.” Framed as a conversation between himself and his mother while she’s on her deathbed as she asked him, “Why do you cry?” and Stevens struggled to force himself to accept the death his mother has clearly accepted. Stevens introduced sweeping background crescendos and nature sounds and electric elements as the sounds slowly built towards a climax no one in the audience expected.

The song ends with the line, “We’re all gonna die,” and as this sums up the point of the album, it appeared Stevens refused to leave it at that. When he first bellowed the line, the noise was moderate and the background was a little busy, but that was only a preface for what was to come. What followed was a multiple-minute explosion of sorts by Stevens on stage. The noise grew more and more chaotic, his voice escalated until he was screaming “We’re all gonna die,” and enveloped the crowd and forced them to face the harrowing realization, like it or not.

He followed that by slowing it down again, playing some highlights from his earlier albums, including a dream-like rendition of “The Owl and the Tanager” and an inspired duet of “The Dress Looks Nice on You.”

His “final” song was the concluding track on “Carrie,” “Blue Bucket of Gold.” It followed a similar path as “Fourth of July,” except rather than repeating vocals, instrumentals built and built until it suddenly cut off and Stevens left the stage.

The crowd rose to their feet and willed him to come back out and Stevens didn’t disappoint. The encore consisted of spirited renditions of Stevens’ major hits, including “Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois” and “Chicago” from 2005’s “Illinois.”

The Academy of Music is a beautiful venue, a relic of a distant past, and I couldn’t think of a more appropriate venue for the show. The Academy is a beautiful expression of a distant history and a somewhat difficult reminder that time conquers all, as was Sufjan Stevens’ entire performance.

The post Sufjan Stevens enthralls Academy of Music crowd appeared first on The Triangle.

Ryan Belka runs through the snow during an early season matchup for the men’s lacrosse team. This week, Belka was a big part of a winning effort for the team, scoring 4 goals and 2 assists as the Dragons defeated Bryant University 11-8. (Photo Courtesy – Drexeldragons.com)

It appears things may be looking up for the young Drexel University men’s lacrosse team. After dropping their first four games of the season, the Dragons have roared back, capturing two straight wins, over Saint Joseph’s University and Bryant University.

Riding the high from the first win of the season over St. Joe’s, the Dragons hosted Bryant and were finally able to put it all together.

Bryant started out strong, pulling out to a 3-1 lead at the end of the first and extending their lead to 4-1 in the beginning of the second period. The Dragons didn’t back down in the face of early adversity and instead reeled off four straight goals to take the lead. A late Bryant goal left the game knotted at five at the end of the half.

In the second half, the Dragons found their stride, as Ryan Belka made his presence known, scoring three goals in the half and assisting one. He ended the game with four goals and two assists and earned himself Colonial Athletic Association player of the week honors with his performance.

The Dragons outscored Bryant 6-3 in the second half of the contest and managed to earn their second win on the season by a score of 11-8.

Yes, the Dragons’ offense against Bryant was good. Not stellar, but good. The key in this victory was the defense.

To start, goalie play has been huge in the last two games for the Dragons. In the four losses to start the season, the Dragons allowed an average of 13.75 goals per game. In their recent wins, they’ve averaged 7.5 goals allowed per game.

Head coach Brian Voelker noted that the Dragons are trying to grow together and that the growth wouldn’t be quick and it would also require some coaching experimentation with lineups, trying to find the best fit.

It appears he may have found just that, as the defense looks by far the best it has looked all year and maybe even better than last season’s defense.

Possibly on the outside looking in? Will Gabrielsen and Cal Winkelman.

As a transfer from Loyola University of Maryland, sophomore goalie Jimmy Joe Granito sat out last season after his transfer, but he’s eligible and ready to make an impact for the Dragons.

He’s held down the goal in both of the Dragons’ victories and might have earned himself the position for the time being.

Now this isn’t fully his doing, as his job has most likely been made easier by the defensive improvements of the team as a whole, but his impact in goal can’t simply be overlooked.

This team has shown that it can score in bunches, but its success this season is going to be based on the other side of the field. If the last two games are any indication, this team may be headed for more success this season.

The Dragons will take on St. John’s University Saturday, March 14 at 1 p.m.

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Let me preface this review by saying I’m a sucker for two things — sitting down and strummed violins.

Basically, the Kishi Bashi String Quartet performance at Union Transfer Feb. 18 was the perfect concert for me.

Union Transfer is a famous Philadelphia concert venue, and many bands make it their home when touring in Philadelphia. Typically, however, the performances are standing room only, allowing for a packed house and a rowdy atmosphere. That isn’t quite how the Kishi Bashi show was.

When I arrived at the venue half an hour before the start, it looked less like a paid, professional concert and more like a middle school band concert.

Arranged in orderly rows in front of the stage extending to the bar in the back were hundreds of plastic folding chairs where typically the space would be open.

I took a seat (which felt weird), and waited patiently for the opening act, Busman’s Holiday. Coming in I knew nothing of the two-man group of brothers, Lewis Rogers and Addison Rogers.

Because I didn’t know any of their music, I’m not sure exactly what song they started with, but I will say that it was a real treat. Lewis is the main vocalist and plays the guitar, while Addison primarily functions as a percussionist and back-up vocalist.

Busman’s Holiday has a creative interpretation of on-stage percussion, using limited instrumentation to create a unique variety of sounds throughout their performance, including using a literal suitcase as a bass drum and Addison beating his chest to create a beat in lieu of actual drums.

As Busman’s Holiday wrapped up to a soulful duet rendition of “The Last Waltz,” the final song from their first album, “Old Friends,” the excitement within the crowd began to build for the headliner.

Kaoru Ishibashi, better known by the moniker Kishi Bashi, is touring to promote his late 2014 orchestral pop album, “Lighght” which is pronounced “light.”

The album itself is a wonderful mixture of soaring vocals and diverse violin instrumentation covering imaginative topics, including vampires on “In Fantasia” and a reimagining of the generation of the Earth on “Bittersweet Genesis for Him AND Her.”

After about 30 minutes of anticipation, the string quartet began to take their place and the lights dimmed. Kishi Bashi finally emerged and walked on to stage with little introduction and began to conduct his string section. As the strings set the backdrop, he took the stage and began a passionate performance of arguably his most well-known song, “Manchester.”

As his performance went on, the decision to perform to a seated audience made total sense.

Similar to a middle school band concert, it fostered a quaint, friendly atmosphere, Kishi Bashi embracing the audience like old friends there to see what he’s been up to.

Going forward, Kishi Bashi reeled off the hits from “Lighght” with skill and imaginative energy.

A particular highlight was his performance of “I Am the Antichrist to You,” which featured the first experience of just vocals, as the string quartet was silent. With low lights and just vocals, the song shone through as a singularly quiet experience in the night.

During “Atticus, In the Desert,” there was a certain transformation in the headliner. Where the first half of the performance was filled with light string sets with swooping vocals and a sense of lightness, the second half alternated to as close to rock-and-roll as Kishi Bashi can get.

At one point, he bent his head back and strummed his violin in a classic rockstar pose, and it seemed oddly appropriate. During the set and in all of his music, Kishi Bashi substitutes a more classical, nuanced sound where most performers utilize more traditional instrumentation.

At the beginning of “Carry on Phenomenon,” Kishi Bashi requested that the crowd stand up for the first time in the set, and what followed was as energetic as the whole show would get. He danced throughout the stage and the crowd joined in, clapping and singing along.

From that point on, he performed more upbeat songs from “Lighght” and then thanked the crowd for coming out. After he left the stage, absolutely no one in the crowd thought the performance was over. It was a little after 11 p.m., but Kishi Bashi had neglected to perform one of his biggest hits, “Bright Whites.”

When he inevitably came back out, he brought out the string quartet and treated the crowd to his first acoustic set of the night, requesting that the crowd come closer to the stage and listen to the beauty of the instruments.

It was an incredible end to a spectacular show, one of the most unique I’ve ever been to.

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