Bjork's show at Radio City Music Hall was fantastic. Not that I expected anything less of her, but she certainly met, and perhaps exceeded my expectations. The show kicked off with Konono No 1, whose music grew on me considerably during the set. It reminded me in structure of both drone and dub, but in practice didn't really sound like either. It was very rhythmic and meditative, prominently feature an instrument called a likembe (briefly explained here) which I could stand to hear much more of.

When the curtain finally went up after the intermission, the first thing I saw was the brass choir hopping across the stage in colorful robes. Indeed, the whole stage design was colorful, sophisticated, and technological while feeling human. To put it another way, it was a lot like Bjork. This was one of if not the best stage designs I've ever seen (I liked it better than the Knife's I caught at CMJ last year). The musicians were arranged in a semi-circle, starting on the left the first electronics station (with a large electronic display in front of it), followed by an elevated drum platform with another electronic display; then a second electronic station elevated higher than everyone else with a smaller display next to it, then risers for the all female Icelandic brass choir. In front of these and close to the stage was a harpsichord (!) and a keyboard or two. Behind everything were assorted banners reminiscent of medieval courts in an interesting pattern of colors and shapes. The electronic screens showed some of the new electronic instruments used for the set, which allow real time electronic manipulation and improvisation of samples. This might sound dry, but the hardware looks like something from science fiction and is intriguing to gaze at. There was also occasionally a screen that would drop down to show multi-colored morphing geometric shapes and figures. The concert was a visual feast without even accounting for the music.

And the music was great. Opening up with heavy voice manipulation on Earth Intruders, Bjork strutted and danced in the middle of that semi-circle with the confidence and swagger that's normally reserved for classic rock assholes. She is a compelling figure to look at, and when she starts opening up with that voice the experience quickly becomes immersive, pulling you into the universe of sound, sight and emotion that Bjork so singularly creates. The first half of the set was heavy with new material, which I'm looking forward to spending time with when I get my hands on a proper copy of Volta. Even though I don't yet know the songs, Bjork has yet to put out something that I didn't eventually come around to thoroughly enjoying, though sometimes it takes a bit to get my head wrapped around it. Antony came out and joined Bjork for a song that sent indie bloggerdom into wild euphoria; he also showed that apart from his excellent voice, he can jump pretty high. Midway into the set she started playing tracks from her catalogue, all of which sounded great, particularly being that the arrangements were different to accommodate the Brass Choir instead of strings and samples. Joga in particular was extremely compelling this way. But, lest we forget that Bjork also controls an army of robots that can rock our faces off, she busted into Army of Me along with an intense laser show that was too perfect. The final song of the evening, Declare Independence was a fitting and enthusiastic way to end the show, I hope it retains that same fierce attitude on the album. I can't recommend Bjork's live show enough, check it out while you can. And yes, the eighty bucks I had to drop to see her was entirely worth it (and I will nearly never spend this much on a show).

Labels: Bjork, Concert Reviews