manuel c m
i gotta admit friday october 5th, 2001, ranks amongthe best days of my life. the day
started off atwork(ughh) but it was a laidback day and everyone wassinging and dancing
in the aisles. i couldn't workbecause i had my mind set for the evening. that nighti,
along with speedy, had front row seats for sigurros at the wilshire. we arrived early
and were amongthe first people there. as we entered we checked outthe sigur ros merchandise,
unfortunately there wasreally nothing to show for, just a few shirts(i washoping to
get a sigur ros beanie). we got to our seatsand were in awe of how close we were.
the opening act, damien furado, was ok. he played anacoustic guitar and sung well. he was accompanied byan electric guitarist and the duo mellowed the crowdduring their 30 min set. speedy was not impressed, gofigure. after a 20 minute intermission, sigur rosentered the stage. they started the set with a somberpiece(sorry if i don't know the titles of the newmaterial). itimmediately sent a chill throughout crowdof which many had no idea what to expect. of all thel.a. shows i've been to, i've never seen an entirecrowd that was so respectful. only after a piece wasfinish did the audience applaud.
the third song was "new batteries" a favorite of mine, was done harder and louder than the album version. but when the drumshit, a photographer who had been taking picturesthough out the song, had her booty in my face. ithought that was rude but fortunately after that songshe disappeared. next, i recall, "olsen olsen" what anamazing song. in the backdrop, they had a visual of arising sun. the lead singer put his heart andsoul into the vocal and being so close to him,i couldhave sworn i saw a teardrop. the piano ending to itwas different and better than the album version.
lastly, was the amazing closer "pop song"(correct me if i'm wrong). it started
with a melodic guitar lineplayed by the keyboardist. it built up higher andhigher
and ended out rocking the whole place out. ihope for next album, they close it with
this piece.they came out twice for a unison bow and then thehouse lights came on.
as i glanced at my soft spokenfriend, i grinned and she had a smile, knowing that
wehad just seen something special. for two hours, i wasaway from reality and the drama
that goes along withit. the show was a relief in these surreal times ofuncertainty
around the world. my only regret was thatwhen we first entered, we were not searched.
i couldhave taken a recorder or a camera, but all thatremains is a memory that will
surely last a lifetime.thank you sigur ros, for performing in los angeles.
(manuel c m)
