Last night Sigur Rós, the Icelandic ambient-post rock band from Reykjavik, continued their World Tour in style with a nearly sold out performance at Boston University’s Agganis Arena. Known for their ethereal sound and frontman Jonsi Birgisson’s falsetto vocals and bowed guitar, the band blends classical and minimalist elements into their performance seamlessly. Jonsi was joined on stage by fellow band mates Georg Holm (bass) and Orri Páll Dýrason (drummer), along with a three piece horn section, a three piece string section, a keyboardist and a guitar player.
This was not your typical concert, this was a stunning sonic and visual masterpiece. Check out a complete recap and some great videos from last night!
The show began with the stage surrounded by a scrim (a piece of cloth that appears opaque) upon which images were projected and the band members were backlit to create eerie-otherworldly visuals. Several songs into the set, when the scrim was finally lowered the crowd erupted as the band came into full view. The stage was covered with minimalist lighting (think lamps with bulbs and no shades) and behind the band was a large imax style screen. The screen provided a visual story for each song, with mesmerizing images matching the heavenly sounds created by the band below.
This was an extremely dynamic performance which evoked a wide range of emotions. I saw some audience members visibly weeping and wiping tears from their eyes and moments later smiling uncontrollably. The power of this performance was breathtaking. Unlike other bands that simply play music, Sigur Rós makes you feel their music and that’s a powerful and lasting thing.
If you are a music lover, I highly recommend that you catch this band on their World Tour. You will not be disappointed.
Setlist from 3/26/2013:
Yfirborð
Ný Batterí
Vaka
Hrafntinna
Sæglópur
Fljótavík
E-bow
Varúð
Hoppípolla
Með Blóðnasir
Olsen Olsen
Kveikur
Festival
Brennisteinn
Encore:
Glósóli
Popplagið
(via Setlist.fm)
Thanks to Parker Harrington for the screen cap and videos.
