That "encore" was a major letdown and really left a sour taste in my mouth. Suf came out first with a solo song off Michigan. Nice enough, I guess. This was followed by the band appearing in formal wear and the crowning of the King and Queen, during which Sufjan and the drummer played the second and last song of the encore: "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You." THE END - of a five night stand - at 12:50 a.m.
If you ask me, that HALF HOUR would have been somewhat better served with Suf playing, oh, I don't know, SOME MORE OF HIS SONGS. I was really hoping for some of the stuff that brought be back after seeing Friday night's show: Casimir Pulaski Day, Wayne Gacy or Feel the Illinoise. Total waste of an encore.
I was also put off by the second song of the night; a tedious rendition of "Star Spangled Banner". I'm cool with Suf's religion, but the nationalistic anthem worried me. He would have had me if he'd covered "America the Beautiful", which is actually a nice love song for America without the flag-waving war glorification. (Although I think they added a lyric or two which I couldn't decipher; this may have changed the context.)

Tickets for the later show are on sale now.

Thanks BrooklynVegan for the heads up. You truly are my savior. And you've totally redeemed yourself for not telling us about MIA, but now all is good.

Max,
I was at that show too, and also let down by the encore, although I like the idea, in the abstract. I was waiting/hoping for "Come on Feel the Illinoise." Alack, alas. But you're dead wrong about the "Star-Spangled Banner." The arrangement itself changes the whole tone of the piece. It's morose, melancholy, and he does add lyrics of his own, which include: "And the rockets red glare, and the bombs in the air, gave us proof through the night that our flag was still there. And the flag marked with blood, with the blood of our hands. And our hands marked with death, with the blood of the man. And the man on the cross, and the cross on our hearts. Has it done nothing more than to drive us apart? And the rockets red glare, and the bombs in the air, gave us proof through the night that our flag was still there. And the flag marked with blood..."

At least that's how I hear it. In the context of the ongoing war in Iraq, and seen in line with Sufjan's other self-described "protest songs," I think it's clear that this is anything but triumphalistic.

And "America the Beautiful" is treacle crap, by the way. Thank God he didn't play that.

Sufjan played the Star Spangled Banner last summer at South Street Seaport. I have the MP3 audio and a picture in this old post:
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2005/01/best_shows_of_2_1.html

Like I said, I couldn't decipher the additional lyrics. I'm glad they are what I hoped they were. Changed my whole perspective on sh*t.