Sigur Ros
6 May 2001 -- Park West, Chicago
setlist:
ny batteri, nyja lagid, dauda lagid, vidrar vel til loftarasa, untitled with steindor anderson, untitled with steindor anderson, untitled, svanhvit, olsen olsen, hafssol

Sigur Ros live at the Park West 6 May 2001.

What a fine night of Icelandic vibrations.

It started off funny enough: after parking the car near the Park West, my friend and I decided to walk over to the venue first to see what was going on. When we rounded the corner, I saw a woman with a violin case and a few other people standing outside the venue, having just gotten out of a blue van. Then more piled out, and I recognized Jonsi's protruding front hair strand. We were about one building down from the doors, and I am still kicking myself for not calling out something to the band.

We began the wait outside with about 45 minutes until the doors were to be opened, and after the rain commenced, they let us wait inside in the little lobby between doorways. From here, we could hear the band soundchecking Olsen Olsen. I felt like I was spoiling the show, hearing Jonsi's Hopelandic cry pulsing through the walls of the building. The continued soundchecking various other instruments until just a few minutes before we entered the Park West.

What a fine venue it was. A very clubbish atmosphere -- they even had long rows of skinny tables and chairs on the floor. Being first in line, I got a prime spot just to Jonsi's right in the front row.

They started at around 8:00, with Ny Batteri. This was my first show being so incredibly close to the band, and it was great watching all of their expressions and subtle looks and movements.

Following Ny Batteri, they went on to play a few more new songs until Steindor Andersen came out. Steindor looked tense and nervous in his fine tuxedo, standing straight with his arms at his sides while singing the anachronistic Icelandic verses. I enjoyed his two songs immensely, especially a moment where a hunched Jonsi sang the last part of the song away from the microphone, only for those in the front to hear.

The next song I recognized was Vidrar vel til loftárása, which was incredible. I loved watching Jonsi pull the strings on his bow faster and more quickly as the volume increases -- I was so close I could hear the un-amplified squeaks of his strings. One of the new songs featured Jonsi sitting with his back to the audience playing with what sounded like an e-bow, and orri brining his drum seat over to join Kjartan on the keyboards. Georg played the little bells.

Throughout the show I was never uninterested or anxious; it was just a calming feeling of relaxation and wonder throughout. This is the first concert that had this sort of affect on me.

Olsen Olsen and Haffsol finished the show, Olsen sounding more beautiful than on record, and Haffsol's build up and conclusion leaving me wondering exactly where I was. The band left the stage to wild applause which did not stop until the whole group of musicians came back for a bow. Jonsi said something which was drowned out by the applause, but I heard "so, we're finished" at the end, and then he smiled and joined the group for another bow, and the whole group left the stage as the lights came on.

I was wondering where the Pop Song was, and I saw that it was indeed included on the setlist which my friend grabbed and GAVE TO SOMEONE ELSE. There were also several titles I recognized from the website, and the Steindor Andersen tracks were marked "Steindor A" and "Steindor G."



Completely satisfied with a tremendous show, my friend and I just hung around the front of the stage for a while, taking one of the many candles that lined the front. We started talking to the woman who does the on-stage mixing, and we asked what happened at the end. She said that Jonsi has been going on one guitar only since Europe, and that it broke again at the end of Haffsol, so they couldn't continue and do Pop Song as an encore. I also asked her about the absence of Svefn-g-genglar, and she said that the old organ they use was also broken, making it impossible to reproduce the "submarine" sounds. She joked that they have been having all sorts of equipment problems, and that Jonsi was probably backstage crying, as he was quite fond of that guitar.

Even though equipment troubles kept them from playing one of the masterpieces of the past 25 years, the show was still a pure two hours of beauty.


(random recollections: everyone but georg being barefoot at some point; hearing the un-amplified string plucks before any sound was made through the PA due to the fantastic delay on Jonsi's guitar; Kjartan squeaking his seat along with Jonsi's bow squeaks at the beginning of Olsen Olsen; crates of "Iceland Springs" bottled water which everyone in the band drank -- coincidence?)




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