Arts & Entertainment

Sigur Rós offered an evening of epic rock

By Jonathon Bruder
The Daily Cougar

When audience members entered the Verizon Wireless Theater on Monday, they were greeted by the video for track one of Sigur Rósi newest album ( ). The visual interpretation of the nameless song set the tone for the evening with images of children bundling up for recess.

The audience was in for a surprise. Recess required gas masks, and the children played the games of a nuclear winter, hurling balls of mud and building soot-men. If there is one thing Sigur Rós knows how to invoke, it must be pathos. The band offered a night of subdued contemplation and heart-tugging rock.

But first, the film ceased for Amina, Mondayis opening act. The mature use of electronic sound made this band a pleasure, if not a joy. Unfortunately, the band lacked stage presence. One had the impression that the band was too new; though technically astute, Amina has not yet developed a group charisma. Like Tortoise sans funk, the group mixed a variety of traditional and synthetic instruments to create a vast wall of sound. In fact, the music sounded so well produced that, had I not seen the setup, Iid have thought it was a recording.

While Amina deserves a second listen, the crowd gave only a mild response. This might be due to the relatively vacant theater, which, at the eveningis peak, was not halfway full. I would recommend Amina to anyone with a taste for ambient pop, slow rock or down-tempo electronic music, but enjoyment of all three best prepares the palate.

Soon after Amina left the stage, Sigur Rós mounted it to the cheers of an almost overwhelmingly familiar audience. This, combined with the spacious theater and close seating, provided an atmosphere cozier than that to be expected at most Verizon Wireless shows. With candles burning on stage and three-piece string support, the band might as well have played upstairs at No Tsu Oh during that legendary hauntis heyday.

The band played selections from ( ) and <I>Agaetis Byrjun, and almost every lead was met with claps and cheers. Most of these songs are epic in composition alone, but the live strings and the bandis unusual instrumentation brought the climbing tension to an unconquerable climax. Vocalist Jonsi Birgisson played his guitar with not one, but two bows, one of which he tore to shreds during numerous extended crescendos.

The other was reserved for moments of tranquility, during which bassist Goggi Holm might well have been playing his bass with a drumstick. As if the solemn -- and sometimes thrashy -- bowed guitar was not enough, during the first bowed performance Birgisson was bathed in bright green and red lights. Though it might sound like Christmas, the garish contrast emphasized the incredible intensity of the performance.

For an encore, the band played the eighth track from ( ), perhaps the most driven song it has ever written. The 11-minute masterwork had even the most reserved onlooker at seatis edge.

I would have seen this show for the film alone, but the music transcended expectations.

Sigur Rós

Verizon Wireless Theater

The verdict: See this band, regardless of circumstance.

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