Sigur Rós @ Orpheum Theatre -- May 09, 2022
Since the first time I heard them, nearly 20 years ago, I've considered Sigur Rós among my top favourite bands. It's been about 9 years since I last saw them live, and with hiatuses, solo & side projects, and other news, I wasn't all that optimistic abut more new music from the Icelandic band, let alone a new tour. So imagine my surprise (and excitement) when they announced a new world tour, with one of the first dates right here in Vancouver, at the gorgeous Orpheum Theatre.
With no opening act, the lights dimmed and a low rumble filled the room shortly after 8pm, before a familiar piano note rang out, accompanied by lights twinkling across the stage, as the band kicked off with “Svefn-g-englar”.
Jónsi and Georg Holm were joined by Kjartan Sveinsson -- who had recently returned to the band after leaving 9 years ago -- as well as their touring drummer, for a set that ebbed and flowed, much like the individual post-rock songs. They went from the haunting “Vaka”, to the absolutely gorgeous “Samskeyti”, to “Ný batterí”, with a bass drum that thumped into your very core, to sometimes everything within in the same song; “Rafmagnið búið” started off sparse and then erupted into a huge, distortion-filled finale, Jónsi’s guitar screaming as he sawed at the strings with with signature bow.
After about an hour, the band took a brief intermission, before getting right back into it with the epic and swirling “Glósóli” to kick off the second half of the evening. Which not only spanned their back catalogue, but also featured a pair of new ones, with “Gold 2” and “Gold 4”, very beautiful and (comparatively) light songs that had me looking forward to their next studio album.
Throughout the night, the band didn't talk much, just letting the songs speak for them. The most banter came from a slight hold up with a broken delay pedal, at which point they decided to just play the delay on the gorgeous “Sæglópur”, which for the most part worked out, before the song grew into its intense climax.
But the crowd only needed the music, as they hung on every note; just about the entire room was silent during each song, waiting for the last remnants to trail off before bursting into applause, with the prime example being during “Festival”: the song drops out just before the eruption, and the crowd was dead quiet. Not a clap or cheer or cough, only a faint hum came from the stage as the entire sold out Orpheum was hushed -- and I think the band may have milked that silence just a little before the rhythm section bursts forth to build the song back up.
After the apocalyptically intense “Kveikur”, they drew the set to a finish in the same way they've done every time I've seen them live -- and I wouldn't have it any other way -- with one of my all-time favourite songs, “Popplagið”. The 10+ minute track with a slow-burn of intensity before bursting into a cacophony of guitars and drums, leaving the audience emotionally spent, and giving the band a standing ovation as they came out for the last bow and to say takk to us for coming.
One of the things Sigur Rós does best, and I’m sure the reason why they resonate with a lot of people, is the amount of sheer emotion they are able to convey in their songs. Even though I (and I assume most others there that evening) don’t speak Icelandic, much less Vonlenska — the gibberish dialect invented by the band, translated to “Hopelandic” — their songs can still make you feel heartbreak (“Fljótavík”), utter joy (“Festival”), hope (“Samskeyti”), and everything in-between. Combined with a gorgeous light show and presentation synced to the music, this was a night that’s not soon to be forgotten.
setlist
Svefn-g-englar
Vaka
Fyrsta
Samskeyti
Rafmagnið búið
Ný batterí
Gold 2
Fljótavík
Dauðalagið
Smáskifa
[intermission]
Glósóli
E-Bow
Ekki múkk
Sæglópur
Gold 4
Festival
Kveikur
Popplagið
