Long time fans of Rufus Wainwright are in for an interesting experience this weekend. When he takes the Jubilee Auditorium stage on Saturday Night in Edmonton and Sunday Night in Calgary, the show will be presented in two halves.

"It is just me and my piano. The first half is All Days Are Nights songs. It is very visual. I have a very dramatic outfit - a 17 foot long black gown with feathers. I request no applause for that section - it is more of a meditation or mass, an interior song cycle. I get a little artsy," Wainwright recently told GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine over the phone.

The concept has recieved mixed reviews. His current album All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu is a powerful record dealing with a difficult time in Wainwright's life - the loss of his mother Kate McGarrigle. Many artists are choosing to do full albums in concert, which can be a positive and a negative.

Playing such an emotional album so dramatically, with no applause, is a drastic difference from the chatty, amiable Rufus that concertgoers have grown to love since his 1998 debut album. After that, Rufus returns to the stage to perform songs like Beauty Mark, Grey Gardens, Pretty Things, Matinee Idol, Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk, Poses, and Going to A Town.

"The second half I come out in bright garb and make jokes and sing the old favorites. It is sort of a ying and yang."

Wainwright's friend Teddy Thompson opens the show. Tickets are available for both nights at Ticketmaster.

Read our full interview with Rufus Wainwright in the December issue of GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine.