Sigur Ros - Greek Theater, Berkeley
Tuesday, October 7th, 2008I have to start by saying that until this past Friday, I was not a huge fan of Sigur Ros, a music outfit from Iceland. My fiance’ is really into them and first took me to a show a couple years ago at the Marin Civic Center in San Rafael, CA. (The Marin Civic Center was designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.) I was impressed by the sonic qualities at that show, but didn’t really feel connected to the music. I think the highlight for me was the opening act playing and bowing a very musical saw.
Fast forward to Friday, October 3rd, 2008, at UC Berkeley’s Greek Amphitheater. The show was epic. One of those times where you really had to just be there. The music ran the gamut of life… and the visuals were not cheap, either. I seemed to think someone was actually playing the lights and video to the music in lieu of being pre-programmed. I really enjoyed some of the theatrical elements as well, including the musicians outfits, and of course the confetti that was blown over the audience, dancing with the wind and sparkling in the colored lights of the stage. To top an already amazing show- rain started to pour down during the encore; almost as if it was scripted. The last moments of the performance felt so primal, ritualistic, and inexpressibly beautiful.
I found some photos, video, and a few blog comments floating around the web. Here they are below:
