setlist
untitled 10 / vaka
the nothing song / njósnavelin
ný batterí
e-bow
álafoss
olsen olsen
untitled 3 / fyrsta
untitled 8 / samskipti
svefn-g-englar
dauðalagið
popplagið
wake zine
please note a couple of things before seeing sigur ros live: be patient because their
music is a slow crawl that develops over time, think of it as a dramatic catharsis.
get adequate rest (i was suffering from lack of sleep but it didn't ruin my experience)
and sit back and let the music take over. with that being said let me begin my review
of the band.
sigur ros are an amazing live band. those were my thoughts after seeing their two hour plus set at the warfield in san francisco. this was probably one of the most anticipated shows of the year. sigur ros are by far the best live band i've seen next to radiohead. even though my day had been rough, i'd been running late for everything due to transportation problems, we arrived a little bit after the album leaf's set ended and while sigur ros were setting up. it was definitely well worth all of the trouble though.
finally, the lights dimmed and the four members that make up iceland's sigur ros took the stage and launched into their first song of the evening. without a word being said between the audience and the band, sigur ros immediately launched into their set with untitled 10/vaka. most of the evening focused on new material and only a handful had been picked from their stunning american debut ágætis byrjun. nevertheless, the patient crowd watched as jon thor [jonsi] birgisson (vocalist/guitarist), georg holm (bass), kjartan sveinsson (keyboards), and orri pall dyrason (drums), carefully played their material. it wasn't until the nothing song/njosnavelin that birgisson picked up his cello bow and started to play his guitar with it. needless to say, it was absolutely beautiful.
the crowd was mesmerized throughout the set until an enthusiastic cheer came from
the crowd upon hearing the opening notes to ny batteri off of aegetis byrjun. birgisson's
voice works like an instrument itself and what a powerful voice it is. two thirds
into svefn-g-engler birgisson picked up his guitar and literally poured his heart
and soul into it. olsen olsen came in the middle of the set much to the delight of
the crowd. the undeniable guitar chords along with the steady drum beat amused the
crowd to no end. the new songs were great and as the show came to a close with a simple
bow i couldn't help but wonder..in a perfect world, sigur ros would be everyone's
favorite band. luckily for me, the world isn't perfect and i was able to enjoy the
band in a rather intimate setting. hurry back boys
(amy rawks)
