Sigur Rós in Seoul

Last night (Sunday, May 19th) myself and three friends at long last attended the Sigur Ros concert at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul, part of their 2013 world tour.  When I first heard months ago that they were coming to South Korea I almost couldn't believe my luck.  A chance to see Sigur Ros live?  Hadn't seen that one coming.

Here's the thing: Korea is small enough that it is easily possible to get anywhere to see anything in the country within the space of a weekend.  It's a matter of purchasing a bus or train ticket and being on

your way.  I'm located quite centrally, about two and half hours drive from Seoul in the north and three to Busan on the south coast.  Contrast this with my hometown in Canada.  To get to the provincial capital, Halifax, it was a three hour drive.  Halifax is also where the airport is, which you would need in order to get to Toronto and beyond, unless you have a vehicle at your disposal and days to spare for the drive (or there's always buses, may God have mercy on your soul).  As far as flying out to a large city for something like a concert when I was growing up, ha!  Don't make me laugh.


But this was crazily simple.  I got on a bus for Seoul this weekend and come Sunday night (yes, a concert on Sunday night) took the subway to the stadium to see this wonderful Icelandic band.

A friend introduced me to Sigur Ros years ago, burning a selection of songs from their haunting 1999 album "Ágætis byrjun" onto a CD.  The band is labelled as ambient/post-rock, but that really does little to describe their sound.  Unless you speak Icelandic you won't understand the

words, not to mention that some songs contain the emotive, non-literal language called Vonlenska, or "Hopelandic", which are made-up lyrical sounds designed to fit the music. 

And it doesn't matter that you don't understand the words.  I think Sigur Ros is about interpreting the music for yourself and letting it take you where you let it.  The songs are much greater than the sum of their parts, from the tinkle of pianos, to lead singer Jónsi's soaring falsettos, to thundering climaxes and frission-inducing harmonies.  When I listen to them I hear a story, whether short or epic, within every song.

The concert opened with an opaque curtain hung over the stage, which grew semi-transparent as the show began and lights lit up behind it, turning the band into silhouettes behind it throughout the opening number.  After they could be seen visibly, the curtain fell away to a roar from the audience.  

Even though Sigur Ros consists of three members as the core group, their songs are complex enough, and feature such a variety of instrumentals and vocals, that there are touring members as well.  We counted eleven people on stage in total, those in the background behind the main members silhouetted throughout most of the show against another curtain of changing colors.  

The lighting and projected overhead visuals were gorgeous, the music magical.  I've rarely seen a concert audience so captivated.  I mean that differently from simply being "into" it.  The entire stadium seemed to be leaning forward with silent, rapt attention for entire songs, those standing on the main floor stock-still, their full attention surrendered to the music and the moment.  There were times when the music would fall away and Jónsi alone would hold a long, lingering note, with barely a sound rising from the crowd all round.  During other songs the cheers were numerous and the whole place raised their arms and clapped along to the beat.  By the end of the concert the band had the audience in their palms, the entire stadium rising to its feet with applause at the explosive finale.  From the mournful, solemnly beautiful Varúð, to the slow-building power of Glósóli, to the iconic sounds of Svefn-g-englar and the rapturous joy of Festival, the concert couldn't have been a better treat for a Sigur Ros fan, and I'm sure, anyone who attended just to check them out.  It surpassed all expectations and the music is still thrumming around in my head.

And to make things even better, we got out of Seoul and made it home in time to actually get some sleep and be at our desks this morning.