The brief yet harsh cloudburst Wednesday night did nothing to deter the crowd of eager ticketholders at Castaways door from their goal: one of the most amazing shows in one of the smallest venues that Sufjan Stevens has played in years. Buzzing with anticipation, the crowds came early and eagerly to claim their front row spots for this uniquely amazing show.

Kicking off the show was Cryptacize, a band that's been personally nurtured from the beginning by Sufjan himself. Signed to his label Asthmatic Kittie, they've been accompanying him on this recent tour, and complimenting his music style perfectly. Playing a sunny and charmingly off-kilter pop rock, Cryptacize and lead singer Nedelle Torrisi set the tone perfectly for the evening. Highlights for me were a beautiful Beach Boys cover ("Because we're from California" Nedelle chimes in) and "Constant Sing-Along," their disarmingly charming set-closer.

Coming onstage to set up his impressive array of pedals, Sufjan took a minute to chat with the almost frighteningly enthusiastic fans in the front row before launching into a set front-loaded with brand new songs. Sporting a slightly electronic edge, Sufjan's new songs were alternately beautifully soothing and shockingly epic (the epicness mainly due to his horn player, one of the best I've seen lately) and though they weren't his most well-known songs by any stretch, proved just as enjoyable in a "You never know what kooky awesome hi-jinks Sufjan will get up to next" kind of way.

While these new songs were thoroughly entrancing, as Sufjan and his band launched into his best loved material the energy in the room definitely kicked up a notch.  "Casimir Pulaski Day," "The Dress Looks Nice On You," and "To Be Alone With You" were met with nothing short of a rapturous response from the audience, as Sufjan showed definitively the sunning strength that somehow comes through the fragility of his music. No one though, was prepared for the awesome that was "Chicago." Played in the worn wooden room of Castaways, the warmth of the song was amazing, and it truly seemed as if we were hearing it in a way that was very rarely heard, but was really the way it should be. Remarkable. Finishing off the night with two separate encores, The first new and the second "John Wayne Gacy Jr.," Sufjan left Ithaca dazed by his unique brand of amazing.