Sigur Ros, before I forget...

*** This is a little something that I wrote to myself last year. Early October. It was something that I had to write about... I appreciate music and I appreciate live music even more. Just had to be done, I guess... Of note, this particular piece has been edited down because I always thought it was too long. And I felt that... Well, it's mine and who cares what I do with my concert reviews... It's for me. Moving forward, if you have ever heard of Sigur Ros, then reading something like this will not surprise you as many, many, many people write about the experience of seeing them in concert, so I figured I would join the crowd. So, before I forget, here is my take... ***

This was my third time to see this curious band from Iceland. Sigur Ros or "Victory Rose." I first experienced them on April 2nd, 2003 at the Granada on Greenville Avenue in Dallas as they toured behind their apocalyptic two-sided release, ( ). Yes, it is this band that could only name an album with parentheses signaling nothing... I then witnessed something incredibly intense on February 27th, 2006 as they wrapped up their North American jaunt, a mere 15 minutes from my beloved hometown of Benbrook, at the Bass Hall in Ft. Worth. This time, "Takk..." was the release that they toured behind. Two venues that could not have been further apart in look, sound and space. Even the crowds separated themselves from one another... I remember saying to myself, "Sigur Ros, velvet seats, marble floors, last show of tour, how appropriate." Two equally mesmerizing shows that would tattoo my world forever for different reasons I would only share with no more than 3, maybe 5 deserving people.

This time, it was "Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust" that they would tour behind. I love the translation... "with a buzz in our ears we play endlessly." Playful, yet honest. I love it. This should be a stocking stuffer for every person who uses their soul more than their heart this holiday season.

So on this windy, crisp Colorado night, I found myself in the red-dirt covered Northern Parking Lot on top of the very important amphitheater that I would soon enter for the first time. I have been enamored by this sacred (to me) venue ever since I saw Bono hold his white flag on the fuzzy "Sunday Bloody Sunday" video from "Under a Blood Red Sky" that MTV would rotate when MTV was worth watching... I think that the channel had something to do with music then... I was young. For many, many, many years, I would hope and pray that I would find myself at Red Rocks. On this one Saturday, my wish came true.

After spending an hour or so frolicking in the parking lot and enjoying good craft beers with friends and scoring a spicy chicken sandwich at the Red Rocks Grill inside the museum that I could have spent 2 hours in, we made our way to our seats. Stone-wooden-bleacher-like seats that kept me at a bird's eye view of the somewhat vacant stage. To my left and right were the spectacular sandstone monoliths, "Creation Rock" and "Ship Rock," both standing taller than Niagara Falls. A geologist's dream... I found it somewhat overwhelming that I was sitting inside of a structure that was popular during the Jurassic period.

The temperature was dropping and it probably bottomed out at 48 degrees with a slight wind that would only harm the ones with shorts on... I was just right. It was perfect. I was close to the stars and I even secretly reached up just to say that I reached up at the stars just to remind myself how small I really am... Downtown Denver was a few pea-sized lights away from my vantage point. Just awesome... Dale's Pale Ale would be my poison tonight. Hoppy. Yummy. Perfect.

Parachutes opened... A 45 minute set which was nice, but a bit sleepy for this antsy crowd... Definitely enjoyable. Soft and soothing, really. English speaking, too. The band consisted of no more than 8 members all playing their parts. The guy playing the horns was exceptional. The girl's voice was nice. It just made me that more anxious to see Sigur Ros. A nice appetizer, however.

The sheer beauty of being inside the nation's most gorgeous and natural amphitheater was amazing... When I saw them last, they had a 4 person strings section that helped them out with some of the depth that only violins and cellos can provide... On this special night, it was just the 4 band members and an assortment of instruments including the sweet penny whistle. As if they were telling the crowd that they didn't need 4 or 6 extras on stage with them to perform their music. It was them in the rawest state. Their CDs are layered with all sorts of atmospheric touches as horns and strings have been known to dominate some of their songs. It is all so hard to explain, but these guys cannot be compared to anything, but Explosions In The Sky comes to mind, but even that may be a stretch... Sigur Ros will make you see Heaven and they will make you feel like... If the world ended at any second, you'd be okay because you left the world listening to this band. The drummer is a heavyweight in the world of thunderstorms and the singer, Jonsi, does things people shouldn't be able to do with a violin bow which he uses as his guitar pick. The pianist is part alien and part Beethoven. The bassist is just cool, donning the bowtie and bowler/derby lid. He even played one song with a drumstick as his bass pick. Unstoppable, really.

The entire night was moving, uplifting and heartbreaking all at the same time. They weaved in and out of songs and even teased us with a full amphitheater sing-a-long during "Með Blóðnasir" that had me upright with watery eyes filled with joy and amazement chanting like a schoolboy singing his first Christmas carol. Incidentally, my classroom debut in Mrs. Breedlove's 3rd grade music class was "Can You Hear What I Hear." I played the triangle with Craig Carnley. As I type now, I have goose bumps running up and down my left arm just thinking about this special audience chant. I remember wiping a couple of salty tears from my eyes during this incredible moment. The first in a string of many...

I will never be able to do Sigur Ros justice because describing their music is almost impossible. It's like falling stars telling each other bedtime stories while watching God weep onto the Earth. It's the sound of angels being woken up for the first time to fly away and protect the unprotected... It's the sense of snow falling into a stream where only the birds can make out the designs in the water. I can't say enough and when I finish typing the last letter of this piece, I am certain that I will think of another way to capture their beauty.

A Sigur Ros show is worth remembering and cherishing... Like them or dislike them, they are impossible to forget... Like remembering your first kiss, good or bad. She wasted my time. I'll never forget that moment. On this chilly September night, Sigur Ros did not waste my time. I'll never forget that moment.

Honestly, I am just thankful that music like this exists... For the ones who care enough to explore new avenues in what music can create inside and outside of the mind. Thank you, Sigur Ros. Thank you for visiting...

Sigur Ros, September 27th, 2008 at Red Rocks Amphitheater near Morrison, CO

01 Heysátan
02 Fljótavík
03 All Alright
04 Njósnavélin (Untitled #4)
05 Ný Batterí
06 Við Spilum Endalaust
07 Hoppípolla
08 Með Blóðnasir
09 Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur
10 Festival
11 Dauðalagið
12 Sæglópur
13 Hafsól
14 Gobbledigook
-----------------------------------
15 Illgresi
16 Popplagið (Untitled #8)

bsm*