photos by jeff dolecek

setlist

vaka
fyrsta
samskeyti
salka
ný batterí
njósnavélin
svefn-g-englar
mílanó
hafssól
von
popplagið

alan fishman
(is it just me or do the girls and boys of amina and sigur rós try to pull each others pants down when bowing to madly cheering crowds? well, i tell ya, they came mighty close at the riviera theater in chicago. anyone standing between orri and kjarri need to watch it. and wear a good belt. (random note: only 3 out of the 4 string players came back on stage with the band and siggi for the bow. i hope the 4th gal wasnt feeling ill. i sure wasnt.) but let's backtrack.)

chicago is a lovely city full of art and culture and young people. and the riviera theater is an old place with hundred foot ceilings and plenty of airy space for music to gestate. the beauty that the band and the venue's accoustics were able to produce that night is still a bit incomprehensible to me. it was the third time i've had the pleasure of hearing sigur rós live and 'twas certainly the charm.

vaka, fyrsta, and samskeyti were all quite nice. salka was ridiculously gorgeous. ný batterí was nice. and that njósnavélin, i will remember as the best sounding fuck-up in music history. the amina gal who plays the slowed keyboard melody right before that last climax forgot to start playing. and jónsi "ended" the song with a kilborn-esque stylized sigh. then jónsi and karri shared looks and giggled and kjarri started clapping. some people started cheering, some laughed. and the gal played her melody and everyone joined for the last gorgeous swoon. except kjarri. he was too busy laughing and pointing at the silly amina gal. hahaha... svefn-g-englar was nice. mílanó was near perfect. the accoustics at the riv just made it soar. hafssól was very nice. and then they played (hope beyond hope) von. live. just for me. (heehee!!!) woohoo! von! gosh, my face still kinda hurts from smiling so much. no one really seemed to notice how special this was (or maybe they were and were in trances). but i knew what i was getting. and i will rememeber that fluttering melodiously joyful experience for a long long time. then they played popsong and it totally rocked. all in all, sigur rós at the riviera theater in chicago illinois on sunday november the 10th of 2002 was the most beautiful sounding concert i have ever experienced. and that was just one of the many lovely memories i have from my trip to chicago. what a lovely city, chicago is. ps-hi mom!
(alan fishman)

chicago metromix
imagine a glacier slowly making its way across a snow-capped continent. now imagine the preternatural sound that glacier makes over the course of its centuries-long creep, the harmonic hum amplified and fused with the near-silent hiss of frigid vapor that the sun and wind peels from the glacier's frozen surface. that's the sense of wonder, grandeur and mystery that iceland's sigur rós aims for in its music, and the band takes that mystery very seriously.

in point of fact, sigur rós' third album boasts no name, band photos, credits, song titles or, for all intents and purposes, lyrics. as with the group's previous output, singer jon thor birgisson intones in an invented language he calls "hopelandish," a vague conflation of icelandic and gibberish that usually sounds more like baby talk or whale sounds instead of an infectious chorus. incorporated into sigur rós' amorphous cloud of ambient keyboard textures, dramatic drums and jagged guitars that shimmer like ice crystals, the result is often downright elemental.

sigur rós takes its connection to nature seriously, too, drawing inspiration from the unique if sometimes bleak landscapes of iceland. listening to the group live can be like being on the receiving end of an avalanche, with long stretches of peaceful drift punctuated by a roar. at the riviera theatre on sunday, the band wrapped the crowd in a cloak of sound that glided from gentle beauty to volcanic explosions.

the most striking moments of serenity came courtesy of amina, sigur rós' string quartet accompaniment, which lent the evening an air of grace (or additional pretension, depending on your penchant for epic neo-classical soundscapes). the corporeal strings proved a strong counterpart to the generally ethereal instrumentation. even drummer orri pall dyrason's patient pulse was often limited to the barest of backbeats as birgisson played his guitar with a violin bow and howled in his unique falsetto, resulting in a vortex of sound at times akin to "shoegazer" bands like my bloody valentine and at other times completely otherworldly.

music drawn from sigur rós' third album seemed slightly more serene than the band's past work, with perhaps more of an emphasis on keyboards and less on oceanic waves of guitar. but the reason songs such as "svefn-g-englar" and "ný batterí," both from 1999's breakthrough "ágætis byrjun" don't come across as new age dreck is that they're played simply yet menacingly. but if there's a downside to sigur rós, it's that the band presents its music strictly as the most austere and solemn of composition, atypical for what most would still consider a rock show.

thus energetic applause arrived as awkwardly as it would in the middle of a gorecki symphony, though the band seemed to understand the show's resemblance to a recital. in lieu of an encore the group took an actual curtain call in front of a large slide reading takk, "thanks" in icelandic. other than that sigur rós didn't even acknowledge the rapt audience, choosing instead to let its music speak for itself in whatever language the band saw fit.
(joshua klein)

tyler lewis
i arrived shortly into siggi's set, only to find that there was no seating available. they were all taken, which is quite a funny matter. there was a reserved balcony portion of the upperfloor, which wasn't reserved at all - the guards would just choose random people and ask them if they needed a seat. i didn't get picked, so i decided to head to the floor. 10 feet from jónsi, and directly in front of the speakers, i watched the whole concert. as for siggi's performance, well; it's best described by some people standing behind me, describing his set prior to sigur rós taking the stage. a member of their party had come late and missed the siggi set, and they said "it was an icelander, trying to sing in english, playing his acoustic guitar." the friend said something to the equivalent of "uhh..." and they replied "yeah, you didn't miss much." which, in my opinion, is slightly true, but siggi makes a good contrast to sigur rós much louder sound.

during siggi's set, the crowd was very rude and talkative, and i was worried that this would carry into sigur rós' set, but it didn't. there was a delay before their start, some problem with the keyboard, it looked like, but i couldn't be sure. notable was the lighting of several incense candles, presumably for the band. after about 10 more minutes, the problem was apparently resolved, and the lights began flicking off, one by one, slowly. the theatre was old, but i found it somehow appropriate for a band like sigur rós. the concert started with samples of svefn-g-englar and stár álfur, more specifically, the drums at the end of svefn-g-englar that lead into stár álfur, and the strings that make up the beautiful climax of stár álfur. this was all played under massive amounts of distortion and static, while kjartan entered the stage and began keying the first notes of untitled 1 (aka vaka). the rest of sigur rós took stage, including anima, and went right into vaka. the rendition was amazing, but it didn't look like there was any projections to go along with it. i might be wrong, because a portion of the screen was blocked by the speaker tower in front of me. jónsi's voice at the end of vaka was incredible, emphasizing the new vocals on the album, rather than the old vocals of pre-( ) vaka. untitled 2 (aka fyrsta) followed vaka, and the transition was almost exactly like on the album, with the bursts of distortion. it was confusing enough for the crowd that they didn't applaud vaka, which i enjoyed, because i didn't want to lose any time listening to sigur rós while listening to other people clap. fyrsta, for me, was kind of unenjoyable, because i personally don't think the song goes anywhere. the projections looked like a child outdoors, although it was shadowy and in negative, so it looked awkward but remained entertaining. it was a pretty solid rendition from the album version, the only notable thing being that jónsi showed all of us that he didn't need be anywhere near his microphone for it to pick up his voice - there was some massive amplification at work. untitled 3 (samskeyti) followed fyrsta, and was intense. the projections featured the use of disco balls, giving a starry image(...). the second half featured the starry image along with slowly falling snowflakes, gathering in their illuminated and projected image. the first half featured jónsi whispering some new vocals into the song, barely audible, then, he spent the second half laying in the fetal position, in the middle of the stage, playing his guitar. he remained like this all the way through the song into salka, the new song. salka has the potential to be a great studio track, if this live version is anything to judge. during the song, jónsi began singing into his guitar's pick-ups, but i didn't really notice a difference between that and his normal mic singing, other that the comical value in watching what looks like a man making out with his guitar. which i suppose has a value of art associated with it - but really, can't i have a quick laugh? i still love sigur rós. jónsi's vocals, with orri's drumming, make the climaxes in the song just - well, unreal. on an off note, the hopelandic in salka also featured the sound of the english "f"; and if içm not mistaken, hasn't been used in jónsiçs hopelandic yet. after salka came ný batterí which was the first song jónsi used his bow for. he began with a short 2 minute bow solo, which was really him just attacking his guitar with the bow, creating some spectacular ethereal guitar reverb throughout the theatre, to the point that his bow was completely stripped. he grabbed another bow to continue into the song. if you ever saw the iceland documentary pó í reykjavík in which sigur rós is featured; the intensity of ný batterí was equivalent of this, especially in regards to orri's drumming. it was intense enough, that at the end of the song, when jónsi was trying to put his guitar down, he dropped it, and rushed off stage. this wouldn't be the first time he went off stage. following ný batterí was untitled 4 (aka njósnavélin, the nothing song, spy machine, etc.) i assumed it was a crowd favorite due to the cheering that followed the opening notes. the projections featured children's faces, very warm orange lighting, one of the only songs to feature orange. then, there's the end of the song, featuring the duet of keyboard/xylophone (bells?) for the bridge (i guess you'd call it that) ... and, well, kjartan just didn't play it. jónsi stopped singing, and gave him a really funny "what the hell are you doing?" look, as did georg and orri. the crowd began clapping, i don't know, maybe they had all only heard the song on vanilla sky and the craig kilborn show? but there was more to it, and i found this all rather hilarious, and kjartan just started it up again like it was a dramatic pause, and they finished out untitled 4. after jónsi putdown guitar, it fell off the stand, much like during ný batterí. svefn-g-englar was next, and was even stranger than untitled 4. the crowd's cheers after the opening notes were very loud, and it was pretty clear this was the crowd favorite. jónsi switched bows several times, adjusting volume and reverb and just couldn't seem satisfied. he began singing, and getting through a whole two words - he stopped, put down his guitar (it fell off, and he went and put it back up...again.) and he proceeded to leave stage. the entire band kept playing like nothing was wrong at all, and i once again was quite confused but light-hearted to it all, and jónsi returned to the stage about a minute later to finish out the song.

following svefn-g-englar, the band left the stage, of which i assumed was an equivalent of an intermission, or a setting up for an encore. anima remained, and played for about 7 minutes, of which i did not recognize, but later found out this was the opening for the newly revamped mílanó. i really liked the new mílanó, if you get the chance to hear it, look out for georg's excellent bass work. the song was like untitled 7 (dauðalagið) in it's build up, climax, outro, build up, climax, outro type structure, but the vocals were less spooky like, more used as additives rather than features. the next song, hafssól, featured georg playing his bass with a drum stick, as i'm sure many people have heard about. this song, unlike von, sounds nothing like it does on the album (although von is quite different). the song climaxes into something almost comparable to untitled 8, with the sound and the lights blinding, and i hope they record this song soon. following this song, there was an obvious gap in playing, and no one cheered. no one spoke. everyone remained completly focused on stage. i heard a few whispered "wow" 's around me, but otherwise, it was really dead silent. jónsi put down his guitar, and it fell down, again. i think the stand was defective or something, but i almost laughed again and everyone was being very serious. the band picked it back up again for the newly revamped von, i'm guessing they put the three songs together for a reason. they played a beautiful rendition of an old favorite, of which i'm not sure many people have heard before. the evening was closed with untitled 8 (popplagið). there's nothing that can really prepare you for the intensity of this song. right before the orri/jónsi part kicks in, the hopelandic sounds like an english "hold on." which is very appropriate. i mentioned that i stood right next to the tower speakers, right? may i suggest, for future attendees of the concert, that you don't do what i did. my body shook with the vibrations of the song, and i stood transfixed on the projection, which was an indescribable flash of images spanning the whole length of the 12 minutes of unbelievable music. the album does no justice.

the band left the stage, returned once for a bow (with siggi and anima). they left, and returned a second time for another bow. i'm assuming this is their trademark ending of the show. jónsi went and retrieved his shoes, which i hadn't noticed were taken off, and the lights went on. avalon samples were played in the background while everyone exited.

all i can say is, see this once before you die.
(tyler lewis)

jeff dolecek
the lights dimmed, the crowd gasped inaudibly and simultaneously, then immediately began applauding. the opener, siggi armann made his way onto stage. he humbly adjusted his ‚britchesç and then perched himself what seemed like awkwardly on his chair. he is a large man, the kind of man youçd expect to cut down trees and eat ten pancakes in one sitting. but coupled with his stature was his unmistakable gentleness. he nurtured his guitar in the classical style.his songs were simple with a uniquely somber tone. even though the crowd was rather talkative after each song they would applaud for him and siggiçs face would light up, as if he didnçt expect it and every time it was wholly appreciated. i couldnçt help but feel for him at the end of his set. the entire time he was on stage at least one other person was with him, playing the drums, or playing a keyboard. before his last three songs siggi said, èi am alone up here, for the last three songs, thatçs ok too.î i could see it, i could feel it. he was so nervous. his fingers werençt so sure where they were going and his voice didnçt have quite the same strength. i wished i could say something, to set him at ease, but his set ended and the crowd applauded and siggi left.

the lights came back up and stage hands prepared for sigur rós. they set up mics and guitars and brought out candles and incense. after maybe 10 more minutes the lights dimmed back down, my crowd without hesitation applauded and cheered as the esoteric sounds of the intro from ágætis byrjun pumped through the speakers. it was time. the band and the members of the accompanying string quartet entered the stage from all sides. they walked directly to their instruments. the music started so quickly.

vaka was bathed in red crimson light. and on the screen behind the stage the innocent wisdom of a youthful face watched the crowd. the song swirled and peaked and writhed with emotion. vaka is always on the edge. i stared in awe and full of feelings i did not understand or have names forŸand as the song peaked, in the background a crystalline tear slide down the infantile cheek.

fyrsta seethed out of the amps and oscillated the room with a low tense murmur. in and out the tones and strangely reverberating echoes rolled atop the audience. my face most likely glazed over and i began to stare from here on.

the royalty of color, purple, flooded and soothed. two disco balls hung from both sides of the stage and several white lights were aimed at them. stars. stars everywhere, filled the room and sped so quickly. samskeyti started soft with a churning organ and deep strings. it grew, building more and more to a joyful climax, echoing with bells and a perfect piano that subsided slowly.

royal purple completely filled my vision. and in the background of the salka there were children. they hung there, like foreigners, their first presence on the stage looking out from a window of a spaceship trapped in a screen. salka was new for me; i had only heard a few recordings of it. it is a heavier song that has a powerful pulse to it. it is so much more rock compared to the first atmospheric three.

ný batterí was marked by the frenzied fierce bowing of jónsi. he pumped and pumped his arm, his mouth and lips tightened up and it almost seemed as though it was painful to play like that. on his back was a gentle green light, but his strength was fueled by the red in front of him that cast dark upward shadows on his face. ný batterí was so strong. on the screen in the background it almost looked as if there were veinsŸveins that were pumping out the sound.

njósnavélinçs sweet charm lightened up the heaviness. bright bands of citrus light were pinstriped with green. a break in the music, a forgotten line of keyboard notes startled me. but that mishap was not without its merit because it brought a rarely seen grin to jónsiçs face.

the first ‚pingç of svefn-g-englar triggered the audience into an applause of recognition. the song was murky and puddle with a sweet rumble. high above, yellows and oranges mixed and swirled with the thick notes. each and every ‚pingç i could feel. it didnçt seem as though jónsi was pleased with his sound, he kept walking on and off stage and looked visibly upset. some of the bow work didnçt sound all that powerful. always a magnificent song though.

the next song was mílanó and by this time i stopped taking notes of what i saw and just listened. all i remembered was straining; jónsi beautifully straining and pushing his voice into the song. it was perfect.

repetitive thumping of a drum stick on a bass repeated over and over in my ear. hafssól marched its way up and up with strings fluttering over and over. it built up more and more until i thought it would burst and then faded out leaving only silence on stage and in the audience.

the confusing strings of the beginning of von stretched back and fourth and weaved in and out with no sensible time signature or chord structure. and then with no warning the chords and meter suddenly click in, almost as if the song itself had some sort of foresight of its own melody. behind the touching music, on the screen, something of a hybrid of fireflies and snow gently fell.

as long as i live i will never forgot the opening line of notes that belong to popplagið. the excitement began then. it wasnçt like i didnçt know they were going to close with it, but nothing is comparable to that song live. it pulled me in, the hypnotic sounds that replace lyrics. and that moment when the song turns from simply eerie down to dark and ominous. i could feel the chills start to gather at the base of my spine. the drums made my head rock back and forth. then the voice soared out above it all, a siren calling out to whatever was at the back of my mind. it continued to build and build and build. the chills, one by one, shot up my back into my brain and burst into microscopic fireworks of serotonin. then the explosion! the music broke free from the stage and for a moment, for a split second was part of meŸinseparable. i couldnçt think and in the background images flashed and shot across the screen with no discernable form. it was all too powerful, but then ended.

the audience applauded for all we could. the band came out for two bows. and then everyone was quickly herded out by security.
(jeff dolecek)

 

 

 

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