Sigur Rós at the Garden with Kveikur

Sigur Rós have returned with a world tour and a new, darker and more aggressive sound, and I loved every moment of it. This having been my first time seeing them live, it was an amazing experience I don't think I'll forget.

Poster by Alan Hynes (x)

Madison Square Garden, March 25 2013
Noted by the band to be the biggest show of their career so far (in the U.S.), given to the very lucky audience who attended the sold out show. I've read a couple posts on the concert saying how their performance really made the garden feel like an intimate venue, and I have to say that really captures the atmosphere Sigur Rós created. Watching and listening to them perform, it didn't feel like you where in a massive 20,000 capacity venue, instead feeling like you where just close by. It really was an amazing experience, both musically and visually.

The opening act was Tim Hecker, who provided a nice ambient/drone sound from behind the curtain Sigur Rós had set up. This sort of opening act reminded me of when I saw Steven Wilson on his Grace for Drowning tour at the Best Buy Theater when he had Bass Communion playing beforehand, to give an idea of how it was. Personally I thought his music worked great to listen to before Sigur Rós went on.

Now if you had ordered tickets for this tour, you would have received a free download of the Brennisteinn EP which included the songs "Brennisteinn", "Hryggjarsúla", and "Ofbirta". This gives a little insight into some of the new sound they are going towards, and who doesn't just want more music from this lovely band?

Once Sigur Rós started, their entire set was beyond amazing. Between the music, the visuals, and the overall atmosphere in the venue that they created, it was such an amazing experience. They started of the show with a curtain up surrounding the stage, which everyone was behind, that they projected images on and used the lighting inside to create other visual effects. There would be points where they used the inside light to make Jónsi appear to grow to great heights, to then back to normal. The same for how the light was angled on the other musicians inside.

01. Yfirborð | 02. Ný Batterí | 03. Vaka | 04. Hrafntinna | 05. Sæglópur | 06. Fljótavík | 07. E-bow | 08. Varúð | 09. Hoppípolla | 10. Með Blóðnasir | 11. Olsen Olsen | 12. Kveikur | 13. Festival | 14. Brennisteinn | Encore: 15. Glósóli | 16. Popplagið

In addition to the main band of Jónsi, Georg, and Orri, there was also some string, brass players, and an additional percussionist along with them. From what I could see, there were the three string players, a trombonist, french horn, and trumpet, all of which also doubled on backing vocals when needed. Even in the size of the garden with the band, you could hear them so clearly, and it really added to the whole atmosphere they had going.

Every moment of the concert I was just in awe of the music that was being played, I can not get over how fantastic of a live experience they were. It is no surprise that they sold out the Garden.

Every song they performed was with so much emotion, and just listening to them where their set to me was just perfect. The videos they used with each song, either projected behind them or on the curtain in front of them before it dropped, was stunning and matched exactly.

They closed with one of my favorite songs, "Popplagið" which is just such an emotion experience on album, hearing it live is a whole different and amazing experience. If you ever get the chance to see them live, I would highly recommend it, as I really hope to see them live again one day.

Kveikur
This album overall for me is one of their releases that is more notable, and up there with some of my other favorites from them such as Takk.. and ( ). They have described it as being "more aggressive" than their previous releases, and it is but still maintaining their core distinctive sound. Already I am thinking how I would not be surprised at all if this ends up being one of my favorite albums this year.

The album opens with the powerful, memorable, and beautiful song, "Brennisteinn". This is followed by "Hrafntinna" which continues with the really interesting percussion and also now starting to have more presence of the brass with the lovely ending at the end.

"Ísjaki" was the second song released from the album, and is the song that has Sigur Rós' first lyric video. I think this song is really upbeat, and just really fun to listen and jam out to. "Yfirborð" follows that, which starts out with a sound more reminiscent of their previous work, It then picks up a bit and keeps alternating.
"Stormur" is follows that, and then the title track "Kveikur". This song is more similar to the aggressive aspects of the first track "Brennisteinn", with Jónsi's falsetto vocals over the distorted guitar, bass and percussion elements.

"Rafstraumur" is another really great song off the album that is just really enjoyable to listen to, which is then followed by "Bláþráður". The album closes with "Var", which again goes back to the earlier sounds of Sigur Rós' previous works, with a beautiful and ambient sound with some piano being played over.