If one were to ever ask me what the first concert I ever
went to was, I’d have to say it was a Phil Collins show sometime during the summer
of 1990. However, if you were to allow
me to count a show I was at in utero, then my answer would change to Jackson
Browne in early September, 1977. Now
doctors may say that a fetus in the womb cannot hear until about 18 weeks into
pregnancy meaning I most likely did not hear anything during this show since I
was about two months away from being developed enough to detect any sort of
sound waves that may have made their way to my premature ears. I still think it’s kinda cool to say that was
my first show, but in all actuality, there was probably no part of my being
that could detect anything that was going on that night. I highly doubt that was the case for the
baby-in-waiting that my friends Taylor and Clark are expecting in the next few weeks during last night’s blisteringly beautiful live performance
put on by Iceland’s own Sigur Ros. And lucky for her, she was treated to a phenomenal show.
I have known of Sigur Ros for about 13 years now and have
been a fan since the get go. I was first
introduced to them by my friend Pat sometime around my senior year of college. Most of the
band’s songs are sung in either their native Icelandic language or a made up
language called “Hopelandic” which supposedly is a combination of Icelandic and
English. However you want to look at it,
their lyrics and song titles are pretty much indecipherable and singing along
with the band is near impossible. You
basically just have to focus on making the same vowel sounds as lead singer,
Jonsi does and you may come up with something similar.
Along with the unfamiliar languages they sing in, what sets
them apart from most other bands includes the hauntingly crisp, beautiful, and
flawless falsetto in which Jonsi sings and the consistent use of a bow he uses
on his electric guitar that produces either a delicate and sustained background noise or a boisterous and all-encompassing wall of sound that feels like it’s
going to bring the walls of your house down if he doesn’t let up on it. In today’s wide range of bands, musicians,
and artists, I’ve still yet to hear anyone who sounds like these guys. They’re one of the most unique acts I’ve ever
heard.
The band does not tour a whole lot and when they do they
only hit select cities throughout the world.
As a result, I had only seen them once before and that was only because
they played Bonnaroo in 2008. So when I
saw they were coming to the D.C. area, I was all about getting tickets. I asked around and not many people were interested
in joining me, though when I broached the subject with Taylor Clark, they
pretty much bought in right away. But Taylor
was (and still is) pregnant and her due date was just a few weeks after the
show was to go down. I have no idea what
it’s like to be pregnant, but I’ve been told it can be quite the taxing
undertaking and can wreak havoc on one’s body and emotional state. So I was a little concerned for Taylor
and wondered if she would be in the right state (physically and emotionally) to
go to such a concert. Much to all of our
delight, she is doing just fine and was just as or even more excited than Clark
or I was to see them.
We arrived at the Patriot
Center in Fairfax,
Virginia around 7:45 and as we entered the arena, we could hear some
ambient sounds coming from the stage.
Our initial thought was that the band had already started, but by the
time we got to our seats it was clear they were not out there. However, the arena was dark and there was
blue lighting on the stage along with a large white/opaque sheet that hung over
the front of the stage. There was also
some sort of music coming from the stage.
Honestly, I did not think it was an opening act until the music stopped
and the lights came up. I later looked
it up and found out it was a musician by the name of Tim Hecker. There was not much melody in his music and
seemed to be just long sustaining notes played by some sort of
synthesizer. It sounded fine and all, but maybe I would have paid more attention had I realized it was an actual
opening act and not just a roadie doing a sound check like I thought.
The band finally came out around 8:30 and that big opaque sheet was still hanging in front
of them. There were a number of lights
projecting from behind them that were cast on the sheet which made for a very aesthetically
pleasing stage the first song and a half.
They opened with a new song which concluded with Jonsi powerfully bowing
away at his guitar to create an overwhelming sound. What made it even cooler was that they cast a
bright light behind him which was angled at such that the shadow it cast on the
sheet was about twenty feet tall. It
looked like a gigantic monster going ape shit on a guitar and was all kinds of
bad ass. Their second song, “Ny batteri”
which is one of my favorites from their first album, is a perfect example of
what they do so well. It’s a song that
starts off very minimally and softly that eventually rises to a cacophonous and
raucous full band entrance. When it
finally kicked in fortissimo, the sheet dropped and there was now nothing that
separated the band from the audience. It
was great.
The show lasted around and hour and 45 minutes and they did
a great job of mixing their material up.
They played mostly songs from their first three albums (which I really
enjoyed because those are my favorites) and their new upcoming album to be
released in June which also sounded great.
They also did an excellent job of mixing up their sound going from one
soft, melodic, and beautiful song to another that built up to a full crescendo
and rocked the place out. The band not
only consists of the three main members, but with a number of other
multi-instrumentalists and what amounts to nothing short of a small orchestra
behind them complete with string, brass, and woodwind sections. If there ever was a true meeting of classical
music and rock music, you’d be hard pressed to find a better representation.
I was also amazed at how quite and attentive the crowd
was. There are a number of times
throughout their songs where the music is softer and slowed down and it would
totally ruin it if you had people talking or making noise around you. That was hardly ever the case and the crowd
was quite amenable to giving their full attention at all times, even when the
music was so soft it was nearly impossible to hear. Midway through the show between songs and after the
applause died down, some dude yelled out “THAT WAS GREAT!!!” and it was
literally the only thing anyone heard in that moment. Though the dude was seeking some cheap and
easy attention, he was not wrong at all, and it garnered a chuckle throughout
the crowd.
Though our seats were towards the back and it was hard to
see the band close up, it was great to see the drummer positioned where he was;
up front and to the right of the stage.
He was facing the left side of the stage so we were able to see his drumming
clearly from his profile which was great because he would go absolutely crazy on those drums
throughout the evening. It was also cool
to see the lighting spectacle from afar as the lighting changes were plentiful
and at times frantic as they complimented the music. Many of the lights came from behind the band
and were cast out into the crowd which at times blinded and confused you. If you easily get headaches or are prone to
seizures, this is not the show for you.
At one point the lighting was so chaotic that I thought there should be
some sort of warning for people like they do at amusement parks for expectant
mothers and people with heart conditions.
The band came out for an encore and they started playing the
final track off their second major album which is my favorite of theirs. They did not play it at Bonnaroo when I first
saw them much to my disappointment then.
No song better encapsulates both the soft melodic beauty as well as the
all out emphatic and raucous crescendo they are capable of. It does an amazing job of building and
keeps you hanging on each part for a number of minutes before it kicks into the
next level. At nearly 12 minutes in the
album form and 14 in
the live form it’s one of their longer tracks and there are several times when
you think they’re going to kick it in to the next part, but they don’t. They just hang there a little longer blowing
you away with their ferocity and refusal to let you go. The lights flash all over the place and end
up confusing the bejesus out of you. When
they finally do come to the finale of the song you wonder how they got there
from someplace so much different than where you ended up. To see them perform it live is nothing less
than mesmerizing. When it finished, Taylor turned to me and said she was sweating just from listening. I knew exactly how she felt. If you have 15 minutes
to kill, this is as good as it gets to seeing it live.
With that, the band and their fellow musicians left the
stage to a standing ovation. They came
back out for a final curtain call which was pretty cool to see. Though I’d still call them a relatively
unknown band, it was great to see them play a larger venue like this to a near
sold out crowd. They seemed like they
really appreciated everyone being there just as much as we appreciated them
coming to our area.
Taylor and Clark had pretty much the same reactions I did
and I was happy to share this experience with them. This is probably the last concert they will
ever go to before parenthood hits them. Taylor
made the comment that several times throughout the show, she could feel her
soon-to-be daughter kicking and reacting to the sounds that consumed the
arena. I’ve heard that your taste in
music in some part is formed while you are in your mother’s womb taking in the
sounds that are around you and her. I
hope that’s the case for Taylor and Clark’s daughter
because if a performance like this ends up being one of her barometers and
baselines for all other music to come, she is going to be one hip chick. I like to think I have really good taste in
music and if my barometer is Jackson Browne which eventually led me to a band like Sigur Ros, just imagine where
Sigur Ros will lead her. Clearly, the
sky is the limit.
-M
