Gobbledigook with Sigur Ros at Benaroya Hall
Sigur Ros never fails to put on a good show. Unlike Jamie Lidell--whose gimmicky, disjointed full-band set at the Showbox on Friday left us longing for his solo days--Sunday night, the Icelandic quartet delivered a serious yet ethereal show, as always. Something that never fails to impress us is the graciousness of a Sigur Ros audience. There are always magically organic moments so quiet and weighty that no one breathes, lest they break the silence and ruin the moment. For those who saw the show at Benaroya, Jón þór Birgissin's effortless alien falsetto was well on display, as was the band's rock instrumentation, covering songs from their new album, as well as their previous releases.
From the slow-burn of ( )'s "Popplagid" to their only song in English ("All Alright"), Sigur Ros gave an expressive, passionate performance with a dense sonicscape via effects pedals and feedback galore. The use of multimedia backgrounds wasn't as over-the-top as it was in the past (though the video of the creepy doll baby heads was back with a vengeance), allowing the audience to better focus on the music taking form onstage. Birgissin attacked the guitar until his violin bow was shredded before the band closed their set proper with a clap-happy, crowd-on-its-feet, drummers-up-the-wazoo, confetti-in-the-air version of "Gobbledigook." An encore and group bow later, the nearly two-hour set was over and done with, though it felt like nothing more than a beautiful, hazy dream.
