Photographs by Rick Clifford.
For transparency’s sake I have to put it out there that I’ve seen Sigur Rós several times and have never left one of their gigs anything but stunned. They are probably one of three bands that are must-sees for me when they are in town.
Last night the Icelandic band, now slimmed down to a trio, returned to Massey Hall unveiling a new live presentation between albums to a sold out crowd. The prospect of the band performing live as a three piece made me a wee bit nervous. Would they be able to reach those glacial peaks they hit during their performance? How much racket can a three piece make, especially with music as intricate as this?
Billed as An Evening With, there was no opening band resulting in some mad lines outside of the fabled downtown venue. To ensure everyone was in the band started shortly after their scheduled 8:30 time to some polite applause.
Opening with a new track, the band (Jonsi, Goggi and Orri) divided their two hour set into two parts. The first set was the more “serene” of the two. The three were situated in a row towards the front of the stage and multitasking was the word for the night with every member involving themselves in multiple instruments. Any questions regarding the noise three people can make was quickly scuttled once the final climatic explosion of guitar on “Glosoli” kicked in.
For the second set, the first couple of songs were done towards the back of the stage behind a screen before moving back to the front of the stage to close out “Saeglopur”. While the evening would touch on almost all of their albums minus their debut, it was their third album ( ) that got the healthiest airing, including their perennial set closer, the final track on that album which live is a devastating apocalyptic mix of guitar fury with retina burning visuals making it a set closer I’ve never seen matched by anyone else in all my years of gig going.
The combination of Massey Hall and Sigur Rós has always been one made in heaven. The sound was its usual pristine self, with every note heard during the quiet moments while the more bombastic moments were never overwhelming the sound-system. The visuals have been something that obviously this band has paid a lot of attention to over the years. Last night’s visuals were made for an arena but were absolutely perfect in Massey Hall. This really was the perfect combination of sound and vision as I’ve experienced in many years. Aside from a quick “thank you” before their set closer, there was no stage banter.
For the uninitiated, it is hard to explain a Sigur Rós concert experience. They are consistently unlike any other gig experience I’ve had. The band just shock a crowd into a silent awe and last night was no exception. You couldn’t hear a whisper during the night’s quieter moments – probably the most respectful audiences I’ve been part of. Nor could you see a head nod, even during the narcotic rush of their finale, but don’t mistake that for a detached crowd. The immense amount of love between band and audience is shown in the absolute quiet that the crowd showers on the band while they are playing only to erupt off their feet in abandoned applause when the night was done. The band would return to the stage, not to continue but also to applaud the very happy house.
As I’ve said to anyone in my circle, if gig-going is your thing and you haven’t seen this band, put them immediately on the top of your bucket list. I dare you to be disappointed.
