photos by karolina siniakowicz











photos by louis medellin

setlist

intro
glósóli
ný batterí
sæglópur
njósnavélin
gong
andvari
hoppípolla
með Blóðnasir
olsen olsen
viðrar vel til loftárása
svo hjótt
heysátan
popplagið


fan review
last night marks my 5th time seeing sigur rós, and good god do they never disappoint. the set seemed a tad bit shorter than usual, but I can’t verify that. the show started off in the usual sigur rós style, behind a curtain playing takk… and then glosoli. the unfortunate thing about playing behind the curtain is that it doesn’t always work well, it all depends on the venue. when i saw them last year at the opera house in boston, the curtain worked great. last night there just wasn’t enough room for the full effect of the lighting to take place.

the set list was pretty good, not great, but good. in the five times i’ve seen them they have not once played sven-g-englar, and yet all five times i’ve seen them they’ve played gong. just once i’ve love to hear sven-g-englar, or maybe von.

the band, actually just jónsi, had some technical issues with his guitar throughout the first part of the show. he walked off the stage twice; luckily he came back and didn’t pull a liam gallagher. i could see him fiddling with the knobs on his guitar during ny batterí, which was nice because it caused the song to be a bit longer than usual.

there were two major highlights for me. the first was vidrar vel til loftarasa, which is always a highlight to me. every time i hear the song live it just sends me into a frenzy. when the song is building to that amazing climax, i just feel like jumping out of my seat and throwing my hands to the heavens as if i were attending a baptistrevival in the bible belt. the song never lets me down. it was unfortunate that the silence was shorter than i’ve become accustomed too, but what was fortunate is that from where i was sitting i did not hear any talking or clapping during, or after the silence. of the five times i’ve seen them it was the second best vidrar silence, behind the first time i saw them (boston, ’03 at berkley). the second highlight for me was the performance of svo hljótt and heysátan at the end of the show, prior to the encore. this was the first time for me to see either of these songs performed live, and it was impressive. i really enjoyed the beginning of svo hljótt with georg hunched over the tiny organ. with the lighting he looked like some evil count straight out of the carpathian mountains. the best part of heysátan was when Kjartan screwed up the guitar part halfway through. he skipped a note and jumped ahead of the rest of the band, he quickly recovered but you could see him and jónsi exchanging laughs over it. other than those two highlights, untitled 8 or popplagid was amazing as usual. the build up to the climax with the drumming and bass parts seemed to go on for ever. i just wanted it to end, the was almost too much tension being built into that song.

there was only one major downside to the entire show, and that was how disrespectful sigur rós fans have become over the years. i remember 3 years ago people were afraid to clap after songs, now people have no problem talking during the show, or using their cell phones, or getting up to use the rest room, or buy beer, or eat. it’s a joke the way people treat a sigur rós concert like a cheep $5 matinee. overall i loved the show and can’t wait to see them again.
(lars o. edeen iii)

fan review
"...mission accomplished: expectations exceeded!!.." it was my second time in boston and what excuse to return than sigur ros! many of us met up at the west street grille again before showtime again which was delightful.

the anticipation was building up for all of us as it was just about time to head over to the orpheum just a few blocks away. as we arrived to the venue and walked through the doors it hit me... i'm here!

not to anyone's surprise, the show had been sold out for quite some time. i was happy to hear amina open again to play their 45 minute set. the girls seemed to be enjoying themselves as they played their instruments and enlightened the crowd. just as amina wrapped up their set, the white sheet dropped and we were just about to experience the "greatest show on earth!"

as the house lights turned off, i could feel the butterflies in the pit of my stomach full of excitement. and then... glósóli...need i say more? i would often look back and see the look on everyone's face as they were mesmerized by the lights and music... what an amazing sight! then the silence was broken with the infamous ný batterí as orri pounded on his drumkit like there was no tomorrow... perfection to say the least.

sæglópur, which was becoming a favorite of mine to hear live, seemed as if it wanted to tear down the walls of the orpheum so that the whole world could hear while it beg for mercy... the night was just beginning. njósnavélin literally brought tears to my eyes as it reminded me so much of the past.

the highlight of the night for me was of course svo hljótt and heysátan where the band came close together to play these two.. especially when kjartan came out of his "office" and joined the others... i felt as if i was in grade school and was sitting indian style in a small classroom listening to the most beautiful songs i had ever heard...

after the show, several of us waited outside in the freezing weather just to meet and thank the band for the show and take pictures with. i was extremely happy to see how wonderful the band was to us as they took the time to meet all of us and sign autographs, even after a long night at the "office". i thanked mr. holm for playing such beautiful music and he thanked me as well. what a night it was! as we walked away and everyone said their goodbyes, i said "see you guys in texas!"

even back home here in san antonio, texas i felt as if this night had never ended as i had an everlasting smile on my face even days after...

thank you so much sigur ros and to all of those who have given me memories to cherish for years to come! takk...
(louis medellin)

fan review
i attended the tuesday night, 02/07/2006 show at the orpheum in boston, ma. it was by far the most amazing show i have ever attended in my life. this is probably one of thousands of letters of praise that you receive from fans but i am compelled to share my opinion. i also feel as though it is impossible to truly verbalize the feelings and sensations i experienced during the show, but i will try nonetheless.

the opening song glosali, with its dramatic build up and peak sets the stage for the rest of the show. the band successfully takes the audience through peaks and troughs of emotion and it is my belief that everyone could and should have individual journey's that the show took them through. the band seems to play so well together that no matter how far "out there" they could go, they never lost their basic structure. not that i am a musical expert, but still i have never seen/heard anything like it. every song took me on an adventure and the visuals complimented the music in a perfectly synchronized manner. i left the concert still tingling from the energy/vibes i was able to take from the concert. there was a constant feeling of euphoria that i don't even know how to explain.

overall, i don't think this show could compare to any other band currently and i plan on attending many more of their shows.. the only way i can describe their sound, their music is in essence, beautiful. thank you for an amazing experience.
(mike savoy)

fan review
one more and its a six pack. this was the 5th time for me to see the icelandic band sigur ros. i was a little nervous about this one though, more because it was the furthest away i'd be sitting from them. they are such a visual band that i figured it was time to take it all in from that perspective.

settled in to our seats soon after anima had started. what struck me was the people carrying on conversations as the band was playing. its taboo with both these bands in my eyes but still by the end of their set people were very quiet.

sigur ros hit the stage soon after 8:30pm. the stage was set similar to the show back in september. the backdrop came down and the band did most of takk/glosoli behind the curtain with the long floor lights casting huge images of the members. jonsi seemed to have some technical difficulties as well but they wrestled thru them just fine.

per the norm rather than a song by song mention here are some moments. as the band started "gong" 2 over zealous (and drunk) women stood up about 10 rows in front of us..clapping w/their hands over their heads and woooooo'ing. thank goodness that was short lived. a little later our drunk friends (well one of them) did a rest room visit or something and couldn't find her seat..she resorted to, you got it..taking out her cell phone and calling the concert mate.

during vidrar vel til loftarasa from the stunning usa debut ágætis byrjun we got the "stop" in which the band comes to a halt and lets silence reign. back in september they stopped for 45 seconds. it was just chilling. last night we got no more than 15 seconds. not sure if the band has given up on doing this or they just get the idea from the "whoooos" that came earlier.

a few other stand outs were hoppí­polla and olsen olsen. when else can you hear strings, flutes, drums, bass et all at a rock show (forget tull!)

the show ended per the norm with untitled 8 - popplagið (the pop song). this song always hits me in the throat. i feel like i am trying to swallow a basketball when this song gets going. by the time the whole band is just going off the lights are flashing and it ends on that one powerful resonating chord your rear end shoots up from your seat and you just burst out in appreciation. what a moment. all shows need to end like that.

i am horribly biased when it comes to them so its hard to say what was good/bad. i'd say this was the 2nd or 3rd best time seeing them. mostly becuase of the audience (and the missing hafssól). the first is hard to beat (with any band) and night one of the berklee shows was one for the ages.
(todd harrington)