Sigur Ros live

[Jim Clark]

Not too long ago they released a live album, Inni. Last night I realized how inadequate that album is. First off I'm grateful that Sigur Ros even came to KC. As expected the outdoor venue was only 1/2 full. We might know BBQ but the hayseeds around here wouldn't know a great band if they were hit over the head with a bowed guitar. So yeah, Icelandic art rock composed in a made up language sung by a guy who sings like a girl doesn't really fly around these parts : ) Fleetwood Mac on the other hand will perform in a soldout Sprint Center. *sigh*

Acoustically excellent even for an outdoor show. Visually stunning throughout. Sigur Ros opened the show behind and enclosed screen. This allowed them to fill the space with the fog machine and present cavernous holographic images that were simply mind blowing. After the second track the screen was dropped and replaced by a stage wide panoramic wall of stark and imaginative imagery that blended perfectly with the majestic sound. Almost like a screen saver on HGH.

The only thing that I didn't just love was that about 25% of the set was songs from the upcoming June release. This necessitated the exclusion of several songs I was hoping to hear. On the other hand, this really isn't a band that you can sing along with anyway. The exception was “Brennisteinn” from the recent EP of the same name. This track is making the rounds on XM U and was a heart pounding show stopper. If my preview of the new album last night holds consistent with the songs played, the new Sigur Ros will be devastatingly dark.

The opening act was some dude with a laptop trying his hand with the indietronica thing without success. The worst opener I've ever seen.

Setlist (graciously supplied by the review in the KC Star): Yfirborð (new song); Ný Batterí; Vaka; Hrafntinna (new song); Sæglópur; Fljótavík; E-bow; Varúð; Hoppípolla ->Með Blóðnasir; Kveikur (new song); Olsen Olsen; Festival; Brennisteinn (new song). Encore: Glósóli ; Popplagið.

[jonnyhambone]

One "word" - Popplogiô. That was an amazing finale song! I saw them on Wed. night and it was stunning all around...the visuals - projected films, lights, glowing lamps, silhouetted figures, all amazing and made the already incredible performance literally chilling at times. I really liked the new songs - like you said Jim C, devastatingly dark, and quite a bit more aggressive than most of their previous stuff. Jonsi forgot the lyrics half way thru one song, stopped everything laughing, and they just started it over as the lights and projection raced to catch-up. One of the better shows I can remember seeing (and it was even at a kind of crappy venue).

[Jim Clark]

Thanks for your reply - mainly since I've been wondering if there was lipsyncing going on. The vocals seemed way too perfect given how impossibly hard it must be to sound like that night after night. Guess I shouldn't have wondered!

[Mr MidFi]

I saw them last year at an outdoor fest in San Francisco. I caught about 20-30 minutes of that evening's headliner, Metallica, before deciding I'd had enough of the sonic fascism and ventured into the misty night toward the forest-ringed second stage. The contrast between the two could not have been greater. It was an ethereal, otherworldly set... more akin to a performance-art piece than a rock show. And with the heavy fog and mist enshrouding Golden Gate Park, no 'fog machine' special effects were necessary. Cool show... literally and figuratively.