setlist
untitled 10 / vaka
the nothing song / njósnavelin
ný batterí
e-bow
untitled 2 / álafoss
untitled 3 / fyrsta
untitled 8 / samskipti
svefn-g-englar
dauðalagið
popplagið
sean owen
last night was my first sigur ros show. it took place in a 70 year old church in downtown
vancouver. we got there early and managed to get great seats in the 4th row/pew. i
had a great view of the show all night. as the band took the stage just after 8:30
(no opening act, i think the album leaf have problems with the canadian/us border)
the audience responded by remaining seated and applauding loudly. the band settled
in and started with vaka. this was the first time i had heard this song. the drummer
(orri) played keyboards on this song along with kjartan. the song was a nice way to
start the show, then the band played njosnavelin, which was one of the highlights
for me.
ny batteri followed which was introduced with jonsi really scraping his guitar with the bow. ebow came next, which surprised me, because i didn't think they played that one anymore (but they have been the last few shows). it sounded amazing with both jonsi and georg using ebows! álafoss came next, with the birds on the wire screened behind them. when the band hit the climax of the song, all the birds flew away. it was absolutely beautiful. then the familiar bassline of olsen olsen filled the church and the crowd responded with applause. i was worried that the song would lack the power without the string section but i barely even noticed. kjarten played the flute really well (not that i know how to play a flute).
jonsi's voice throughout the night astounded me. it travels from frail and beautiful to harsh and beautiful with ease. anyways, fyrsta and samskipiti came next. there were minor equipment problems during the beginning if samskipiti which were quickly remedied by a roadie. orri, kjartan played keyboards while georg played xylophone and jonsi sat on the floor with his back to the audience playing his gibson. then kjartan hit the familiar boop that hails the entrance of svefn-g-englar. the crowd again applauded as it began, but quickly quieted down to listen to the beautiful song. when it ended, the crowd reponded with enormous cheers and applause. jonsi had to start dauðalagio to quiet us down.
dauðalagio was really loud and rough, with orri really pounding the drums.
when it ended the band began the last song of teh night, poooooooooooooppppppppppppp.
thats how it is written on the setlist (which i managed to get a copy of from a sound
guy). this song was the absolute perfect ending for the show. when it begins with
a simple guitar phrase you don't realize the intense finale that heralded the end
of the show. when they finished the song, the band left the stage and the crowd gave
them a well-deserved standing ovation. the band returned for two bows before the lights
came on. an absolutely amazing show. this review has been pretty basic because my
own responses to the show are too intense to put into writing. absolutely beautiful.
(sean owen)
