Sigur Ros Played The Greek

The encore alone was worth the price of the admission. Rain was forecast for the night, and by some seeming stroke of insane luck, held right until the band returned to the stage for the encore. Combine that with two final songs that really pushed the boundaries of the bands' musical pedigree, and the result was a group of fans that went away happy, soaking wet, and wanting more.

But let's start at the beginning. We had long heard that Sigur Ros was a live experience to behold. To be frank, we kind of sorted it away in the stoner "experience to behold" file. That is to say: this band that is so musically abstract and inspirational on its records could only be a live experience that drifted through waves of sound, and brought the listener a sort of peace and exhilaration at the grand majesty of it all. We couldn't have been more wrong.

Make no mistake: Sigur Ros can recreate their album sounds perfectly live. It's all there. The droney synth lines, the bass played with a bow, the eerie falsetto vocals. In fact, at times when the show was emulating the record, you might have made the mistake that is was the record. But what really defined the band's live experience (as with all great live bands) were the aspects of the live show that are not on the record.

The first (and most obvious) place to start is with the band's live sound: it departs drastically from the records in many different ways, all for the better. The live drums are more intense and driving than those on the records, the guitars are bigger and more distorted, and most dominantly the bow-played bass provides a crashing wave of distortion and feedback that simply outdoes the records on all fronts. Put differently, this band that can be so fragile and seemingly ambient at times is also unrepentantly rock and roll.


The band's live sound is firmly cemented by a fantastic stage show. The lights are dynamic and appealing throughout the performance, loads of confetti fired into the crowd twice during show, and the video backdrops borrow a stage multi-view page from Radiohead's book. Make no mistake, Sigur Ros are showmen in every sense of the word.

We went into this show not knowing what to expect, but told it would be greatness. And, always leaning towards skepticism, we were not thinking greatness would appear. But, at the end of the night, there it was: a band that makes fantastic records, and then takes them in a completely different direction in the live setting. If there is any question in your mind, let us assure you: it is truly not to be missed.

Many more pics available at the HAD Archive

What's Going On This Weekend

Photo courtesy of Sutanto

Hrm. You're looking for something to do? Well, there's a lot...so, take your pick!

• If you can deal with maybe getting wet, Sigur Ros is at the Greek Theater in Berkeley tonight...rain or shine.
• If you can stand vast amounts of people, lots of families, and picnic blankets, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival is all weekend in Golden Gate park.
• If nighttime bluegrass is more your thing, there's a Hardly Strictly afterparty at The Plough and Stars on Saturday night.
• If you're looking for something a tad more avante garde, Deerhoof is at GAMH on Saturday night.
• If you want something more on the "scene", New Wave City is having a Bowie dance party at DNA Lounge on Saturday night.
• The Dandy Warhols are on their first tour since leaving a major label, and are at The Warfield Saturday night.
• And finally, you can wrap up your weekend on Sunday night by seeing Iron and Wine play a benefit at Bimbo's; San Francisco's Sholi are opening.

With all that, if you can't find something to suit your fancy, well, we pity you! Stay dry kids!

Sigur Ros Presale Begins At 10

Sigur Ros will be playing in Berkeley at the tail end of the Greek's summer season, and tickets go on sale via a presale starting this morning at 10. The band's records range from fantastically epic ambient works, to intense studies in rhythm. By all accounts, the live show leaves the records in the dust, which is saying a lot. We'll be sure to check it out, and we suggest you do as well. Tickets can be had here, the password is "naked". The stream below is the band's lastest album.

Stream: Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust