Show Review: Sigur Ros @ Bass Concert Hall (10.04.24)

On a balmy October Friday night, opposite the insanity of the first night of the Austin City Limits Music Festival, something of another story altogether was brewing across town at the 40 acres. After skipping our fair city the last time around during this orchestral iteration, the Icelandic trio, Sigur Ros returned triumphantly to the University of Texas campus. The experiences between the Zilker park faithful in contrast those in attendance at the Bass Concert Hall could not have been starker. Here was the trio and their rotating accompaniment on their last show date of their 8-date orchestral tour in the US and in the process simply expanded time and altered consciousness. Adjectives and prose fail me to describe just how hauntingly beautiful, breathtakingly colossal, and overwhelmingly entrancing they can be when in form.

Backed by the 41-member, New York based Wordless Music Orchestra, which included many local orchestra musicians, the trio took no time to create pure auditory bliss. A sold-out show was anticipated given that the band had not returned to Austin in several years, last arriving in May of 2022 at ACL Live at the Moody Theater. Last year the group embarked on this orchestral leg of the tour with a reimagined sound in 8 locations but not until this Friday did Austin witness the magic in person.

The air of anticipation was palpable as the crowd settled into their seats. The heavy drone of Untitled #9 – Smaskifa 3 hung in the rafters and smoke billowed above the stage. The meditative mood was set, and the audience murmured with quiet anticipation. The band was touring in support of their latest LP, Atta, released in 2022 after a 10-year hiatus, and one of the bands finest efforts overall.

Soon the orchestra began to emerge from the shadows, took to their seats and under the guidance of the lead violinist (whose name I could not track down unfortunately) began their concert pitch tuning. For any avid orchestra goers this sound is always a welcomed and romantic moment, opening endorphins and the dopamine begins to fire. We collectively closed our eyes and took a long, deep breath. The evenings esteemed conductor, Robert Ames, whose vast backlog of collaborations is stunning in itself, took his place stage right and surveyed his orchestra. Soon thereafter the band surfaced to warm applause, the spindly salt and peppered Jonsi being last to enter stage right donned all in black.

From there, well, it was pure transcendent ecstasy for 2 hours, no frills. The 45 members started off the set with Blooberg from the recent album. It was the first of several featured from this release and proved that much of their discography can serve well both in a post-rock setting as well as in this more orchestral vibe. The setlist then meandered throughout the bands discography with songs from 7 of their albums over the course of 2 extended sets. The extended version of Von was a highlight for many, including myself, which reminded everyone just how impeccable the sound of the Bass Concert Hall can be. Respect to the audience overall who remained focused intently throughout the evening and nary a cell phone in sight. Following that high watermark was the serene Andvari from my personal favorite LP, Takk, in its first appearance in the setlist. Jonsi’s voice echoed throughout the lofty hall, reaching new heights. Further along in the first set, Starlfur from the incredible Agaegtis Byrjun found the largest reception thus far. Rounding out the first set was Vareldur from 2012s Valtari with its wafting strings and melancholy piano melody. They had yet to take a single misstep and left the audience asking for more.

After short intermission, the ensemble returned and shot straight into 2 of their deeper cuts in the performance from the ( ) Untitled release in 2002, Vaka and Samskeyti. 20 years on, these tracks still hold their power to captivate. That says a lot about Sigur Ros staying power and consistency. A couple of Atta tracks followed with the hymnal pair of Ylur and Skel which amplified the spiritual yet somber sense of the proceedings.

Rounding out set 2 the ensemble brought out the amplification and joy in Takk’sSe Lest and Hoppipolla, the former featuring Karsten back on vibraphone and the latter bringing out the loudest response of the evening. Both were also a sheer moments of joy as Jonsi flashed a brief, wry smile as the horn section made their presence known. The whole experience felt like pulling a warm, soft blanket out of the dryer and wrapping yourself in it. Warm and secure.

Overall, while much different from their stand-alone post-rock, electric driven shows as a trio, the performance with orchestral accompaniment clearly allowed their music to reach new levels. It was not the most visually appealing show, but with music like this who needs visuals. I often found myself closing my eyes and letting the music take me away. I noticed I was not alone.

As I understand it, the orchestra mainly consisting of local artists only got 2-3 hours together with the partial band and only a single rehearsal with the full band. That speaks volumes to the talent level of Austin and the University of Texas music program. It likely goes without saying (after gushing so much) that if you have the opportunity to catch them in either setting, do yourself a favor and go. Your heart will thank you.

Live sketch and phots by jon.wagner – @jwagnerviz

Set 1

Blooberg
Ekki mukk
Fljotavok
8
Von
Andvari
Staralfur
Daudalogn
Vardeldur

Set 2

Untitled #1 Vaka
Untitled #3 Samskeyti
Heysatan
Ylur
Skel
All alright
Untitled #5 Alafoss
Se lest
Hoppipolla
Avalon (Wordless Music Orchestra only)