We ventured to Brooklyn last night to check out the Sigur Ros/Bjork show. First off, I am a dead sucker for anything in Coney Island as I spent a lot of good times there as a kid. Of course we had to get us some Nathan's Hot Dogs. I hadn't been to the Coney since I beat the poo out of John Darryl Sparks on the beach during the recording of ALTAMONT, so that's quite a ways back. For the record, I'm not a violent man, but Sparky provoked said beating and Former Aggression Vocalist Turned Important Screenwriter cheered me on approvingly (and HE later smacked around John Darryl Sparks for worse than I ever did. Again, provoked)
So we got to the baseball field just in time to watch Sugar Rolls. I don't think it's any secret that I am not the biggest fan of this band, but I am loyal to Iceland so I decided to give it my full attention. Over the years, there have been several cases in which a band I didn't like on record totally won me over live. Fortunately, I am happy to say that this was the case with Super Ross. I totally understood after the first song why people liked them. First off, their musicianship is stunning. The arrangements are bizarre and the approach to performance is unique. Anything goes with these guys, and they have an amazing string quartet to that adds tons of emotions to the songs. And that's just what this band is, pure emotion. The singer is a beast who is able to bring these songs over the top. The songs build and build, oftentimes to a beautiful climax. Anyway, really good stuff. I was very very impressed and happy to be proven wrong.
For some reason, I have never been able to connect with Bjork. I have always appreciated her and her work, but I never went out of my way to get her albums, nor have I ever seen her live (I think I saw the Sugarcubes once), so I welcomed this opportunity to see her in action. Again, like her opening act Salmon Roe, I was really impressed, especially with the set up that included a string section, a harpist and guys with laptops (I think, it was hard to see from where we were). I cannot believe that voice comes out of that midget. Again, the emotion of the songs was intense and the occasional pyro and firework helped punctuate some of the big moments (wonder what Ash thought of those!). The bulk of the set consiseted of very dramatic songs focusing on the strings with broken beats (am i right, Ash?) Towards then end, they broke out the dance beats and really got the crowd really hopping. I would like to have seen a more diverse set, combining the dance and the dramatic songs throughout, but honestly, it's a minor complaint. Time flew quick and now I can understand why Bjork is such a phenom (as we say in wresting). My only other complaint are the hipster morons who were at this gig. I would not be surprised if Ash killed someone, cause I was that close. Hipsters need to GO, despite my girlfriends enjoyment of making fun of them (I can't blame her).
This show honestly should have been like in Carnegie Hall or something, not a baseball field in Brooklyn. But Icelanders and Hot Dogs are a solid mix!
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