Lucy Dacus covered Sufjan Stevens’ ‘Chicago’ during this year’s All Things Go in New York – the song the festival was named after.
The singer-songwriter played her set at the Forest Hills Stadium on Friday night (September 26), and paid tribute to the festival’s history by playing the 2005 song from Stevens’ album ‘Illinois’.
Festival promoter Stephen Vallimarescu told Forbes in 2023 that the event was named in honour of the recurring refrain from the song. All Things Go was first held in Washington DC in 2014, with the New York branch of the festival launching in 2024.
The set also saw Dacus bring out Zohran Mamdani, the left-wing Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City. “This is what our city should feel like,” he told the crowd. “It should be a city where trans New Yorkers are cherished, a city where our queer neighbors are celebrated, and a city where each and every New Yorker can be the fullest version of themselves. And it has to be a city that all of us can afford.”
Watch ‘Chicago’ and Mamdani’s appearance here:
Dacus also used the All Things Go set to officially marry volunteer couples from the crowd, something she has been doing throughout her recent North American tour dates after acquiring official ordained status.
She released her fourth studio album ‘Forever Is A Feeling’ in March this year, which included singles such as ‘Best Guess’, ‘Ankles’ and the Hozier-featuring ‘Bullseye’. She has since followed it up with two surprise new tracks, ‘Bus Back To Richmond’ and ‘More Than Friends’.
The Boygenius star also joined The Killers at Osheaga Festival in Montreal in August for a rendition of ‘Read My Mind’.
In a four-star review of ‘Forever Is A Feeling’, NME wrote: “Though it exudes plenty of joy along the way, ‘Forever Is A Feeling’ doesn’t shy away from the more daunting aspects of being totally obsessed with somebody; “This is bliss, this is hell,” Dacus sings on the title track. “Forever is a feeling, and I know it well.” Though longing and mortality have long been recurring themes in Dacus’ music, the stakes feel even higher – and even more gripping – when there’s so much to lose.”
It was later named as one of NME’s best albums of 2025 so far.