Sufjan Stevens Makes First Live Appearance in Over Eight Years

Sufjan Stevens made a surprise appearance during Meg Lui’s show at Tempo in Kingston, New York on September 25, accompanying the singer-songwriter on piano and backing vocals for her Instant Validation track “Elvis Queen.” It marked his first public musical performance in over eight years. In 2023, Stevens revealed he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome—a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves—and was relearning how to walk and use his hands. Watch a clip from the performance here. Two weeks later, Stevens joined Lui on stage again, at Kingston’s O+ Festival.

The September 25 concert was Lui’s record release event for the Stevens-produced Instant Validation. The Hudson Valley-based artist had worked with Stevens prior to her debut, contributing background vocals to his most recent album, 2023’s Javelin. The two met through mutual friends in the Catskills and recorded Validation at Stevens’ home studio. “With Sufjan there was so much more out-of-the-box thinking, and we ended up adding layers upon layers that created an unrestrained soundscape for the record,” Lui previously said of the experience.

In a 2025 interview with Vulture’s Craig Jenkins, Stevens updated fans on how he was doing: “I’ve had some pretty difficult things happen to me, so I’m in a state of repair and survival,” he said. “I’m not really in any state of mind or any position to go on tour yet. But I’m starting to see the light. I’m starting to feel a sense of direction toward something meaningful and substantial. I’ve been focusing on the moment and on things that feel very silly and Zen: serenity and acceptance and duty and stewardship.”

In the years following his diagnosis, Stevens reissued a 20th anniversary edition of Seven Swans and a 10th anniversary version of Carrie & Lowell, produced a children’s album for John Legend, and hopped on new songs by Mina Tindle and Mouse on Mars’ Jan St. Werner.

Read about Javelin at No. 6 in The 50 Best Albums of 2023.

Nina Corcoran joined Pitchfork as an Associate Staff Writer in 2021 after contributing to the website since 2015. She’s written for Rolling Stone, Wired, NPR, Stereogum, and elsewhere, and was previously the music editor of alt-weekly newspaper DigBoston. She’s based in Chicago. ... Read More