Concert experiences

topic posted Tue, January 24, 2006 - 8:28 PM by  zaim
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Has anyone been to see Bjork live? And what was it like?
posted by:
zaim
Canada
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  • Unsu...
     
    Yes, 5 times. Each time was really different.

    The first time was at the SF free tibet concert in '96, I think. It was a shortish set and she performed some hits from post and debut. She was magnetic with red hair, a little dress with a blue lightening stripe, and no shoes. But the music wasn't all that exciting. I don't remember who was doing it, but it was just one guy with a computer and it had a pre-recorded feel.

    The second time was on the homogenic tour in LA. Or maybe Hollywood. It was amazing. An octet of strings and Mark Bell. It was still just him and a computer (or 3) doing most of the music, but it had a more organic feel. He was playing off her energy and the mixing was on. Once again, she was magnetic running all around. The crowd was a bit of a downer. So many LA gay boys! Many were loud and talked through her set.

    The third time was at St. Chapelle in Paris. Just 200 people in the audience, and on stage it was her with Matmos (friends of mine), Zeena, and the greenland choir. It was so intimate. She sang "Unravel" without a mic. It was short (about an hour), but so personal and up close. Later, at the afterparty, I learned that Björk knows all the lyrics to "Get Your Freak On," and she likes to get drunk and fall over. I got to fall down with her and some other people on the dance floor. It was magical.

    The fourth time was also on the Vespertine a few months later at the Rex in Paris. This time it was more like the show that was released at the Royal Opera House, symphony and all. This tour was so choreographed and perfect. The sound was quite full, and I really enjoy what Matmos did with the beats of her earlier hits.

    The fifth time was in SF on the pier during her greatest hits tour. It was wonderful to see her outside rocking out. The moon rose behind her with fireworks and flaming trees. Once again, Matmos did great things with her beats, and there were some great personal moments with her and Zeena.
  • i was lucky to see her perform 3 times..

    the first time was the vespertine tour at radio city music hall in nyc. it was right after 9/11 and i cried through the whole concert. the ENTIRE thing. it was such a beautiful concert. she performed some stuff from selma songs (in fact she opened up with the theme to selma songs) and she had zeena, matmos and the orchestra with her. it was truly a beautiful experience.

    the second and third time i saw her at the coney island cyclones baseball stadium in brooklyn, ny for the greatest hits tour. it was really cool because the stadium is on the water. the first night she opened up with fireworks, which was such a gift! in ny you don't get to see many fireworks, and my husband and i love them. it was amazing! my favorite part was when she sang pluto and the fireworks were going off like crazy...what an electrifying and dazzling event!
    on the second night she didn't open with fireworks but the show was still insane. she did the fireworks with pluto also.

    i really can't wait for her next tour (whenever that'll be!).
  • Well, I have only seen her once. I saw her at Coachella a few years back. It was a great experience. I was very close to the stage. I was getting stepped on and crushed. My girlfriend at the time was getting claustrophobic. So we got out of there and watched from the back. She was great. Although, I do believe she was pregnant at the time. It was windy at time so her dress was going everywhere. It was great. I loved the show. I just wished I would have stayed close the entire time. Unfortunately I live in Phoenix, AZ and NOBODY like Radiohead or Bjork would come here. How often does she tour America anyway.
    • hey malcolm,
      she tours america whenever she has a major tour. unfortunately medulla didn't tour. that woulda been amazing.
      anyway, i haven't heard any news about upcoming tours (boohoo).
      • oh! you guys are lucky, lucky. I've heard that she is great live. I hope I can see her someday...

        a question in a similar vein:
        I have all of her studio albums plus a few remixes and other stuff, but I never did pick up any of those LIVE releases. Which one is the best? So hard to choose, but I'm broke.
        • Unsu...
           
          Vespertine live, followed closely by homogenic live. There are moments of post live that I enjoy, but the live strings on the homogenic and vespertine really gel the performances.
  • I saw her only once on the Vespertine tour at the Paramount Theater in Oakland. It was amazing. The first half was mostly Vespertine and more staged, but the second half was older stuff and she let loose a bit. We had great seats - 5th row or something. I was sick with a fever during the concert, but I wasn't going to miss it. Then afterwards I had hallucinatory Bjork dreams all night.
    • The one and only time I saw her was a few years ago at Coachella and it was an amazing outdoor sardine-can experience. The girl next to me was crying because she couldn't see the stage...

      but, it was a fantastic experience and she was beautiful!

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