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18 aug France Paris Grand Rex Gig started at 8.30 pm Ticketprices: 635FF, 530FF, 425FF

1st part (black dress) 01. Musicbox intro 02. All Is Full Of Love 03. Unravel 04. Aurora 05. Generous Palmstroke 06. It's Not Up To You 07. Undo 08. I've Seen It All 09. Cocoon 10. Hidden Place intermission 11. Frosti 2nd part (red dress) 12. You've been Flirting Again 13. Isobel 14. Venus As A Boy 15. Pagan Poetry 16. Possibly Maybe 17. The Anchor Song 18. Hyper Ballad 19. Bachelorette Encore (standing ovation) 20. Jóga Encore (standing ovation) 21. Our Hands 22. Human Behaviour   3 hours show, 3 sets, two 20 mins breaks: 1st set: Matmos (funny) 2nd set: Bj + Matmos + inuit choir + Miss Parkins + Novecento Orchestra 3rd set: Bj + Matmos + inuit choir + Miss Parkins + Novecento Orchestra Pictures   photos by Raimond of bjork.com   photos by MCG    photos by Bertrand Guay photo by Guy Gios photo by ? scanned by Dorontheos Reviews From: "Katherine Mengardon" Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2001 5:53 PM Subject: Paris review Hi all, newbie here, Katherine from London... As I was lucky enough to attend last Saturday's Paris show, I think it's only fitting that i recall here what prompted me to get on this very mailing list! It was a total surprise for me, as I wasn't supposed to be there initially and didn't even know she was playing. Of course everything was sold out long before the event (although they did sell a few extra seats on the night, when the orchestra didn't take up as much room as they expected), but one of my genius friend managed to get invites, we were both completely thrilled, of course... So there we were, with excellent orchestra seats, for THE gig of the year. well, you can't call it a gig. It's a show, really. On with the details: The set-up included a philarmonic orchestra, 15 women from Greenland, a harpist and electronic duo Matmos.  Noted also the giant music box that needed rewinding ever so often for extra mystic.  It was in two parts, with intermission please, one half blue and one red. Abstract enough for you? It started with snow falling on the little icelandic one, while she was playing dangly melodies from a cranky old fashioned record player.  Then started the blue period set, all intimist and hushed and soft. Each song was accompanied by a different image of snow/ glacier/ underwater shot. Bjork was wearing a sparkly black tutu declination of her now famous swan dress, and the light show was minimal during the whole thing, leaving full impact for the climate and mood of the songs. The second part (red) was more extrovert and dedicated to the more powerful, more emotionally charged numbers. Bjork was all in red, in a , dramatic fourreau dress made of red ostrich feathers and sewn with glass tubes that jangled as she moved on stage, turning her body into another element of the stage play. Very theatrical, very effective! All in all, some songs were impossibly moving, maybe heart-drenching, violently gorgeous.  All Is Full In Love - which started the concert properly - Bachelorette, Isobel, Possibly Maybe, I've Seen It All, all stood out, especially with the string section going full blast.  The new songs were also remarkably good, with the addition of the inuit backing vocals lending it this extra exotic and feminine touch. As ever, very imaginative and moving. She finished with a fairly tamed version of Human Behaviour to a standing ovation, the crowd incapable of being that well behaved and staying in their seats anymore. The feeling of adoration was quite overwhelming... some people were complaining later that Bjork is not good at interacting with her audience, but it seems to me that what she does is offer her songs to us, and has no need to prostitute her public personae, setting the boundaries clearly. She's a performer, and she puts her amazing voice to the service of her emotionally overcharged compositions. Her stage costumes - (the only fitting description, even for one so excentrically styled on the town), set her in that role.  She's not giving herself away and this is an incredibly healthy attitude to have, hard to achieve at such a level of fame (the number of male and female admirers shedding tears during that concert was unsettling).  The fact that she is not the fairy from pixieland seem to bother some, I think it's just another strength for her, to constantly evolves and follow her creative course. Okay, so now I sound like a hopeless fan, but it was THAT good.This was an amazing show, and everyone lucky enough to attend should have a wonderful time... That's all folks! Katherine From: Icelandic Rage  To: Lunargirl  Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2001 12:46 AM Subject: Björk - 08-18-2001 Concert Review by Icelandic Rage It's Oh So Björk  08-18-2001 Concert Review When I arrived in the metro station, I saw a beautiful poster "Björk au Grand Rex"... Wow ! This is going to be wonderful tonight ! Turning my head, I saw the Grand Rex (beautiful theater...). Next to a Jurassik Park III poster, there was a Björk one, and on the column, a giant one, very beautiful. (You can see it on the Picts...) Outside, there were a huge line of people witing for the up seats (not numbered...). For the press seats, there were no so much people, and, when I arrived, for the orchestra seats (same level as the scene, numbered places), I was almost the first one. So I waited 15 minutes before I came in. (That was the longest 15 minutes of my life ;-) and I had to give my camera to the guard :-(((( After finding my very comfortable seat (helped by a very nice girl) I sat and wait... (and wait, and wait, and wait....). I looked around at the concert hall. First of all, the seats : there are 3 levels of seats (see the picts...). I was placed at the 3rd row on the right when you're on stage (next to the orchestra door, where the orchestra and Jóga :-)))) came out.) In front of the scene there were the seats for the musicians, separationg the first rows of seats from the scene... The scene was not that huge ;-). There were, on the left, a harp and some other instruments for Zeena. There were 15 microphones for the choir at the center. At the right of the scene, we could see some computers, keyboards, guitares and some mixing consoles ; beyond it, there was a screen... Oh and I forgot : a wood chair. So, I still wait, and suddenly, the lights turned off... MATMOS (the way I remembered the show...) - ur tchun tan tse qi A very experimental song (as Matmos are masters to make !) with an acupuncture points' detector pin. The detector was running on Martin's skin and was making sounds while another guy was filming it very close, like for a surgery. Beats came in, and the hall was hypnotized by the sounds and the pictures... A particular part was when the detector was around a mole, and the audience was either disgusted or laughing. - (??) The band took some guitars and played melodies that Martin mixed live. Keyboards played some space sounds and beats... - for felix (and all the rats) An extraordinary moment : the rat cage song. Afer an exciting intro, 2 guys of the band started to play on a ... rat cage : with a microphone on it, they made a melody highly rythmed. Martin took a bow and scratched it on the cage, making strange sounds... He used the bow faster and faster (like Jónsí of Sigur Rós on his guitar). And then he stopped, letting space sounds filling the hall for a while... - (??) A strange song too, in which Martin played with a balloon and making bongos on a plastic giant ball. The highest point of the song was when Daniel and the other guy blew up 3 ballons with helium. They attached them together and launched them. Then we saw a little radio playing a singing voice (seems to be Björk's ?) until the ballons touched the ceiling. Lights turned on.  End Of The Matmos Show Lights turned off again. I saw some shadows on the scene, all moving, and after some minutes, only one shadow remained, on the center of the scene... BJÖRK's SHOW ! Part One (Björk was dressed with a dark blue dress with lignthnig gold. Her hair were attached.) 01- Frosti Björk was sittin on the wood chair and she had a muscal box in her hands. (the picture is shown on Björk.com). She played one disc, then changed it and plyed another one for some icy minutes. Every people in the hall was listening religiously... We al looked at her an at the blue and white petals falling on her, like snow on a dark blue rose.... 02- All Is Full Of Love  All the musicians enter on the stage, Zeean Parkins, the harpist, the choir, Matmos and the orchestra diriged by Simon Lee. The cinema screen was opened, and iceberg picts was shown. The 2nd song was All Is Full Of Love. We could heard all the musiians playing chords and the choir singing, and, above all... THY BJÖRK's VOICE ! She sang All Is Full Of Love with a wonderful voice that was never out of tune. 03---10 The show was running like water on ice... The songs were often unknown, because Vespertine is not released yet. Here is the Tracklist, as shown on Björk.com 01 - Frosti 02 - All Is Full Of Love (video edit) 03 - Unravel 04 - Aurora 05 - Generous Palmstroke 06 - It's Not Up To You 07 - Undo 08 - I've Seen It All 09 - Cocoon 10 - Hidden Place  End Of Part One Lights turned on and musicians left. Some used that moment to take a drink, but i didn't because I was too afraid to miss one second of the show. While this break, Zeena (dressed in black as I love ;-)) tuned her harp. Part Two (Björk appeared with a red robe, made with big feathers on the bottom, and, on top there were metal plate that Björk used sometimes as an instrument. Her hair were unattached (and if it is possible, she was more beautiful...)) 11-18-  Björk played a set of songs taken from Debut,Post and Homogenic. 11 - You've been Flirting Again (english version acapella) 12 - Isobel 13 - Venus As A Boy 14 - Pagan Poetry 15 - Possibly Maybe 16 - The Anchor Song 17 - Hyperballad 18 - Bachelorette  We went crazy when Björk sang Isobel, just after You've Been Flirting Again. While this Part Two, Björk was a lot more 'crazy' and violently happy : she dances as never before ! I'm sure that all people appreciate that she played "old" songs in this concert. And, in any case, I fully appreciate this. End Of Part Two We were all standing up and ovationned for her to come back... Encore #1 19 - Joga (Jóga was close at this time with her boyfriend :-))))))) Björk said "I would like to introduce...." (all the musicians), as she said with her lovely Icelandic voice... Encore #2 20 - Our Hands 21 - Human Behaviour  Björk sang Our Hands and said "One last song, and we're going to stop..." Then, the bass line of Human Behaviour echoed in the hall, and we all stood up, clapping, smiling, moving. We were happy to see Björk dancing in the same hall that we were. After a last scream (as she did on Vessel... scream that we used to love, when they're coming out from Björk's throat) we all knew that the show was done. That last scream gave me the highest thrill of all the show (and God knows how much I had...). That show made me cold (and sorry for the cliché)... Björk gave us a icy fire thrill while 2 hours and she made us love her more than we had before... Thanks to : -Matmos -Zeena Parkins -The Greenlandic Choir -Simon Lee and the Orchestra for the wonderful music they gave us... And Lunargirl and the MWC to let us show on an official website how much we love Björk... And... I want to thank... Björk. Ég þakk þér kærlega fyrir tónleika. Ég elska þig og tólistina þína. http://www.nme.com/NME/External/News/News_Story/0,1004,40166,00.html  'TINE'' SENSATION! BJORK commenced her four-month world tour at the 2,500-capacity GRAND REX theatre in PARIS last Saturday (August 18) - and NME.COM was there to see it.. The lavish production included a sixty-piece orchestra, a 15-strong choir of Inuit singers from Greenland and cult duo Matmos, who performed electronic instruments in addition to their support slot. Bjork's set laid heavily on songs from her new album 'Vespertine', which were warmly received by the sold-out crowd, despite the album not having been released in Paris at the time of the performance. In addition, Bjork also played a cross-section of songs from the rest of her career, including 'Venus As A Boy', 'Human Behaviour', 'Hyperballad', 'Possibly Maybe' and 'Bachelorette'. Bjork's famous avant-garde fashion sense was carried through to her stage costumes - one costume was a gown in the shape of a peacock, the other an elaborate creation made of red and black ostrich feathers. She had to be sewn into each of them before the performance. At the aftershow in the bar of the venue, Bjork circulated with a few close friends and her 14-year-old son Sindri, who had come over to see her from his home in Iceland. Bjork played: 'Frosti' 'All Is Full Of Love' 'Unravel' 'Aurora' 'Generous Palmstroke' 'It's Not Up To You' 'Undo' 'I've Seen It All' 'Cocoon' 'Hidden Place' 'You've Been Flirting Again' 'Isobel' 'Venus As A Boy' 'Pagan Poetry' 'Possibly Maybe' 'The Anchor Song' 'Hyperballad' 'Bachelorette' 'Joga' 'Our Hands' 'Human Behaviour' The tour reaches the UK with two gigs; one at St John Smith's Square on August 29, and one at the English National Opera on September 23. From: "Jos Manders" <j.manders@arbin-pp.com> To: <mwc@bjork.com> Sent: Monday, August 20, 2001 10:18 AM Subject: I went to that "hidden place" Hello Bjork.com, I'm thrilled to tell you that I was one of the 2300 people (I was told that it was this amount of people) at the opening show at Le Grand REX, of Bjork's new world tour. I happened to be in Paris this weekend, I had no ticket, I got one (well bought it of course) from someone on the street, and couldn't believe I just did it :-) The thing is, I'm a Dutch Bjork fan (my name is Joseph) and I'm not able to see the show in Amsterdam :-( because I will be on holiday then. So, when I found out last thursday, just before leaving to Paris, that she would open the tour there, I didn't have to think twice, it was my goal to be there, and I succeeded! :-) :-) :-) First there was the opening set by Matmos, and they are excellent in having their own style on stage, what can I say. It was a very good set preliminarily to Bjork's performance....and, about 21.15 there she was, coming out of the dark, playing the music box for "Frosti". (I didn't know all the new songs yet, so I just learned all the title's from your site). It was very intimate and touching, seeing her like that (I remember visiting a very intimate concert of her in Amsterdam in 1997 at the Melkweg venue). Anyway, Bjork remains unique in her way of performing, her skills and stills, movements. I was thrilled that she played "All Is Full Of Love" as the second song, because it became my theme of life over the years. I was goosepimpling all over. It only became better and better, and I must say I love the new songs, they went inward my soul immediately, and I can't hardly wait for the new album to be out. I had a chance of buying the 12 magazines with each 1 song stuck to it, being recently in London, but, I can wait for them, building up the excitement even more. The second set was so energetic, she was a dancing bird on stage, red alert she was, in that stunning dress (can someone tell me who designed it?). She enjoyed it as much as we (the fans) did, and that's very important to make it happen, to make it an instant succes. The crowd was great and very receiving on this opening night concert. I liked it when she acted more wild, like in Hyper ballad and Bachelorette, well, she could have done anything, I would have accepted it. She's definitely back on track after her very convincing "Dancer In The Dark" era. Also, I liked the lighting to each song, once intimate, once very bright, once cool, all those sentiments and moods you know. Human behaviour. Where ever I go, I will hear her magnificent voice........... Greetings from The Netherlands, Joseph. From: "Clémence" sweetclem@CLUB-INTERNET.FR  Sent: Sunday, August 19, 2001 11:44 PM Subject: Grand rex : feelings from a first bjork live experience hey everyone you're going to know what fantastic emotions can go through your soul during one's first bjork live experience... as i have already read some people's feelings about her concerts on the list, i thought i would share my memory with you. but i shall warn you it might be a little long, i am utterly inclined to making a novel out of every event that happen in my life, especially when it's about bjork... here i go then, but PEOPLE WHO PLAN TO GO TO THE GRAND REX SHOW ON MONDAY 'D BETTER NOT READ WHAT I'M ABOUT TO WRITE. the show was to start at 8.30, but i have no idea what was the exact time when i entered the theatre. people were selling tee-shirts for 170 FF ($25 ) : a bleu and a black one with white lyrics from vespertine written on (volumen font, but i can't remember from which songs, sorry), and a pink one with the white duck/chick from m/m artwork. when i finally got access to my seat (14th row), i noticed there was some people on the stage. i thought it was some guy checking the sounds effects, when i finally understood it was matmos playing harp on a hamster cage !! i would'nt have thought such a trivial object could make that beautiful and disturbing noise !!! after that, drew blew in a balloon and started twisting and letting go the air out of it while martin was apparently sampling it as a loop (?) .drew then used a huge grey balloon as a percussion instrument. and finally, they inflated 3 white balloons with helium and stringed them together with a tiny music box playing "sing-sing-singer-singer-sing-sin..." as the balloons flew away up to the ceiling of the hall. they bowed themselves out. i couldn't sit still on my seat, the lights fainted. a slim figure combed with 2 uneven buns was holding a music box. it turned the crank down with a huge noise of old mecanism; little pieces of paper started falling down from the dark ceiling like snow flakes. the box closes. the silhouette comes out to the light. it's bjork. her outfit sparkles from the dark, it's a black version of the swan dress. some say it's a duck, some say it's a peacock. the long neck of the animal merges with bjork's and its head rests on her breast with feathers as a crest. --"all is full of love" , indeed. a big string orchestra (maybe a 100 piece) is settled at the foot of the stage; matmos, zeena and a femal choir come in, all dressed up in a typical red inuit gown (3 out of 15 were in white dresses). on a big panel on the back : huge pictures of glaciers, one for each song. --"unravel" . kinda like the union chapel version, but the choir is different. she's doing little steps, like a child who's learning classical dancing. --"aurora" . i prefer the album version (at least the one i got from les inrocks). the conductor is directing both the string ensemble and the choir. "merci beaucoup" --"generous palmstroke" . the audience applauded when the song wasn't over, so she took it back from where they left. this song is beautiful. she bends to zeena. --"it's not up to you" . there was a fantabulous string arrangement on this one. the harp was really alive and the choir breathtaking ! you couldn't forecast when the women were about to sing, the magical sound of their voices would just popup in the air like a delighted surprise without you being able to understand  what's happening on this stage. sometimes there was a lull in the the energy of the song, but you would get tricked anyway (in a nice way, of course) and go higher and higher without having been forewarn. i still can't get the song out of my blood. :))) --"undo" . she's looking at matmos to see whether they're ready or not. she waiting to know whether everyone's ok. and she dances on the toes !! --"i've seen it all" .  eventhough she's holding her mike 30 cm from her mouth, you can perfectly hear her. where does this voice come from ? actually, for this song, i'm pretty sure there was a train on the very stage. i mean it ! matmos' sounds are so clean, so real. it's like they were making them at only 2 cm from our ears... --"cocoon" . there's no more picture behind her, but her silhouette reflects on the panel. her "whoooooo" are like the sound you make when you pass a damp finger on the hedge of a crystal glass. --"hidden place" . the glaciers pictures are back ! the "mamammmmama..." from the very beginning are sung by the choir. there are 2 verses. the choir is wonderful; actually, it's totally different from the single. instead of a "a" note (like in "bark") , they sing much more with their mouth in the shape of a "a" like in "bare". some of the lady seamed to be really happy to sing with bjork and were dancing and clapping. they were very cheery and touching. bjork leaves the stage; i'm telling you frankly, i almost peed in my pants, thinking "what ?! that's it ? oh, no ! don't go !" !!!!! but it was only a intermission. she came back even more beautiful than the first part. --"you've been flirting again" . in a very soften atmosphere, bjork stands still in a big red dress, hair loose and bare feet (useless detail, it's obviously obvious !) ; the strapless brassiere is made of sparkling red and white  pearls. there is a light under her skirt that makes it look like fragile paper; no ! it's wine coloured feathers !!! her gown is like a kitschy lamp shade; magnifiscent. we can hardly see her feet and she's hopping a bit, it's like she's lifted gently by a smooth breeeze. --"isobel" . with the transition from "you've been flirting", but almost covered up by the clapping !! red light. the tension goes up and up, matmos beats are unbelievable, the audience is dying with joyful pleasure... --"venus as a boy" ; pink light. she dancing with her voice and her soul; just from moving her hips, she owns her audience; she looks like a cute little doll with a skirt made of palm tree leaves (you know those things, when you press a button and the doll starts shaking frantically...) .the pearls of her dress make noise every step she takes, she's a human tambourine. --"pagan poetry" . her dress reflects glimpses of light on the blue panel (blueprint) --"possibly maybe" . zinc coloured light; different beats and different fiddles from "usual". utterly powerful voice. --"the anchor song" . zeena plays on a tiny keyboard, and we can hear the mecanism of the keys. it seams quite hard to play on such an instrument, actually, zeena is trying as hard as she can. it's realy moving. --"hyperballad" . yellow green light. Zeena's playing accordion and Drew some kind of xylophone. it's as if the sound came from behind us, it's everywhere. the song gets the biggest applause from now. --"bachelorette" . green light. big instrumental final. she leaves the stage. standing ovation. yeyy! she's back. she's doing her famous litltle bow. and there goes --"joga" . pink light. another bow, and off she goes. standing ovation. back for the 2nd encore. "i would like to introduce ..." 1st the inuit choir, then zeena parkins, then matmos, then simon lee, if my memory isn't leaking out of my brain yet. "this is a new song..." --"our hands" . the strange light on the back panel makes me think of a microcosm, when you look through a microscope. white light. memorable tortured beats . they all clap in their hands on the stage : 1  2  3    123   1  2  3     123  ...she laughs. --"one more song and then we're going to stop" "human behaviour" . the audience gets all fussed out; people run through the alley to get closer, everyone stands up. some are dancing, some are clapping, some are enjoying their last moment of bliss in the inside. it's like we all know each other ; she ends up her show and closes a part of our life with a sharp "yeah!" i so would have liked to know waht it took to organize this show, to be part of it; even to stand in a little spot just watching everything building itself from brick to brick, to brick. i'm sorry, i probably got a little over reacted, it's not like i had been to the sainte hapelle gig that promises to be 18,4 times better... it's just that it was really particular for me. everything was so simply beautiful, i think there's no better word (and don't come up with tones of lists with fabulous adjectives, i know what you're capable of) . i even surprised myself smiling like a dumbass just while watching the 'cellists' fingers moving along with matmos beats, or the violin bows going up and down altogether in the yellow light...sometimes i wanted to be in the conductor's skin, just to be able to move with the music, to enter the music physically. i didn't wanted to miss any crumble of the show, so i tried to stay very aware (which is not usually my type), but sometimes it's just better to let yourself melt into the music, eyes closed, mind open. it's totally different, you're feeling she singing for you, you feel real. sweetclementine Read a nice review by Arnaud at Etoile-Polaire   http://www.nme.com/NME/External/Reviews/Reviews_Story/0,1069,8712,00.html Bjork : Paris Grand Rex Bjork may come from Iceland, have found her creative voice in Britain and now live in America, but France is where her most ardent fans are to be found. The French have just pushed 'Hidden Place' to number one; now a sold-out crowd, who have paid a hefty #60 a ticket, throng the beautful interior of the Grand Rex theatre in Montmatre, ready to watch Bjork unveil the first night of a four-month world tour. An unnerving, absurdist set by Matmos - which included the duo setting about an amplified birdcage with violin bows - has set the tone. A 60-piece orchestra, suddenly appearing in the pit as the musicans turn on the lights above their music, emphasises the fundamental non-rockness of the event. ThenBjork, wearing black tights and a peacock-shaped dress, sits down to play one of two glass music boxes as fake snow falls around her. Matmos reappear, dressed in white, to work the computers; a 15-strong Inuit choir take their place at the back of the stage; a harpist sidles in from the wings, the lights go up and everyone bursts into an overwhelmingly sensual 'All Is Full Of Love'. It's a truly magic moment which Bjork manages to sustain, even when first-night glitches like the choir going flat (on 'It's Not Up To You') are visibly taxing her nerves. Buoyed up by an audience which not only warmly receives huge swathes of a new album which isn't even out yet but also greets 'I've Seen It All' as if it was an international number one, Bjork flits around, green eyeshadow gleaming, in piercingly brilliant voice. The first half, based around tracks from 'Vespertine', is all stealthy seduction; the second, in which Bjork wears a flamboyant red ostrich feather creation, is extrovert celebration, though she still concentrates on the torchier songs from her repertoir. There's no 'Violently Happy', never mind 'It's Oh So Quiet', but there is 'Human Behaviour', 'Joga', 'Hyperballad' and the imperishable 'Venus As A Boy'. It's a love thing, and it's also a female thing - Bjork's delighted, abandoned dancing at the audience's response further than ever from your average arrogance rock stance. But there's nothing soft about Bjork's determination to see her vision through to the end, without compromise. This was music performance at the very highest level, disaparate elements tied together in combination no-one else could have even considered. Alex Needham   http://www.lemonde.fr/dh/0,5987,3246--5228544,00.html    Bjork donne à Paris le coup d'envoi de sa nouvelle tournée  AFP | 19.08.01 | 09h57   La chanteuse islandaise Bjork a donné samedi soir au Grand Rex à Paris le coup d'envoi de sa première tournée internationale depuis trois ans qui la conduira cet automne notamment en Allemagne, au Canada, aux Etats-Unis, en Grande-Bretagne, aux Pays Bas et en Suisse. Celle qui prêta son tempérament de feu à Selma, l'héroïne de "Dancing In The Dark", prestation couronnée en 2000 par le prix d'interprétation féminine au festival de Cannes, donnera un second concert dans le temple art déco des grands boulevards lundi 20 août, avant d'enchaîner avec deux représentations, à Paris toujours, les 23 et 25 août à la Sainte-Chapelle. Elle offrira par ailleurs une représentation le 21 septembre au Colisée à Roubaix. La venue à Paris de l'ex-vocaliste des Sugarcubes, un des rares groupes islandais à avoir eu un retentissement hors de son île natale, précède de quelques jours la sortie de son nouvel album, "Vespertine", le 28 août chez Island/Universal. L'intérêt suscité par le retour à la scéne de Bjork après sa parenthèse cinématographique a mobilisé le public parisien. Les quatre concerts à Paris affichaient complet depuis plusieurs jours, en attendant un ultime rappel le 1er novembre au théâtre des Champs Elysées. Il était toutefois encore possible de se procurer des billets à quelques minutes de la première samedi soir, sur le marché parallèle, aux abords du Grand Rex à des tarifs allant de 400F (60,98 EUR) à 1.200F (1.829,4 EUR). Des prix plutôt modérés à l'aune du marché noir, qui aurait valu, dit-on, à un fan particulièrement énamouré, d'acquérir aux enchères, sur un site internet, un billet pour la somme de 32.000F (4.878,40 EUR). Bjork a choisi de faire vivre sur scène les climats baroques et luxuriants de ses symphonies techno de poche. A cet effet, elle s'est entourée de l'Américaine Zeena Parkins (harpe, claviers, accordéon) et du duo de musiciens minimalistes californiens Matmos. Affairés derrière leurs machines, Martin Schmidt et Andrew Daniel sont les artisans des collages sonores les plus surprenants. Ils vont jusqu'à utiliser des sons empruntés au bruit fait par des instruments chirurgicaux au cours d'une opération. Une base moderne que complète un choeur inuit de 15 femmes originaires du Groenland et un ensemble philharmonique de 54 musiciens, cordes et cuivres, sous la direction du chef anglais Simon Lee. La première partie fait la part belle aux nouvelles chansons, ce qui explique sans doute pour une part la retenue dont Bjork a fait preuve, comme bridée dans sa tenue noire, façon tutu et chinchilla. Après l'entracte, elle revient dans une vaste robe rouge qui la rend encore plus menue. Pieds nus, elle semble plus libérée, virevolte comme une toupie. Elle ne se laissera aller à aucun débordement, toute appliquée à soigner ses pirouettes vocales, pour le ravissement d'un public à la dévotion quasi religieuse qui ne perd pas une miette des sortilèges sonores de l'elfe techno. En concert les 29 août et 23 septembre à Londres, le 11 septembre à Stuttgart, le 15 à Lausanne, le 18 à Francfort. Une dizaine de concerts sont prévus du 4 au 22 octobre aux Etat-Unis et au Canada, puis à nouveau en Europe, au Japon et en Islande en novembre et décembre.   http://jdj.leparisien.com/jdj/Sun/SPEC/2377189.htm  Björk a fait planer Paris ILS ETAIENT CURIEUX, les centaines d'admirateurs de la chanteuse islandaise Björk, venus hier soir l'écouter au Grand Rex à Paris. C'était des gens très jeunes, souvent, cette génération du nouveau millénaire qui cherche dans la musique les territoires vierges de nouvelles aventures. Ils attendaient leur modèle, la petite fée islandaise qui les embarquerait vers des destinations dont ils n'ont même pas l'idée. Björk est venue très entourée. Dès 20 h 20, les Californiens du groupe Matmos sont entrés en scène et ont offert une déroutante incursion dans leur univers musical qu'ils ont exploré avec leurs corps, une guitare, une cage à hamsters, des ballons gonflables… Ensuite, les 54 musiciens d'un orchestre symphonique ont donné le la. Et c'est alors qu'elle est entrée, dans le noir total. Elle s'est assise sur une petite chaise blanche, et comme une petite fille, dans un rayon de soleil givré, elle s'est mise à jouer de la boîte à musique. Elle a ainsi jeté sur la salle une grande nappe de paix et de calme. Elle aurait sans doute aimé que cette note sereine se prolonge longtemps, mais dès l'entrée des quinze choristes inuites, la salle debout, l'a longuement acclamée et ovationnée. Un hommage sans doute à Selma, le personnage qu'elle incarnait dans « Dancer in the Dark », et qui a tellement bouleversé le monde l'an dernier. Dans sa robe de paillettes et de plumes, elle a repris quelques titres de ses précédents albums avant d'entraîner le public dans la découverte de son nouveau disque, « Vespertine » : « Cocoon », « Hidden place... ». Merveilleusement accompagnée de son amie artiste Zeena Parkins, elle a plié sa voix et sa musique à tous les caprices de son imagination et a entraîné la salle là où elle voulait la mener. Les spectateurs ont marché dans les traces de ses petits pieds mutins, seulement gainés d'un collant de soie noire. Après l'entracte, dans une robe d'un rouge flamboyant, elle a confirmé son triomphe, sous les applaudissements du public dont elle a comblé tous les désirs, et au-delà. Demain lundi au Grand Rex, et deux fois encore la semaine prochaine, à la Sainte-Chapelle, elle emmènera Paris à la découverte de ses rêves. Frédérique Jourdaa From: "MicK" <mickb@FREESURF.FR> Sent: Sunday, August 19, 2001 8:25 AM Subject: Re: Paris gig no Unison then ! well my advice to any Unison's lover is to ask for it, here on the net, and at the shows, cause there's a chance she'll add it, just like she did for Alarm Call in the Homogenic Tour, after few months. so i'm really trusty on your power, Bjorkers ppl, to put a big smile on my face when i'll see her (hope so) again in Paris :-) anyone thinking here that Unison is similar to Hunter (and by consequence to Le Bolero de Ravel) ? About the gig: there was some few tickets at the Grand Rex desk, but ppl had to queue at least 2 hours before the show to have a chance to get one. lights were fantastic !  dresses also ! women in the choir are dressed in red, traditionnal costumes i guess, except 3 of them who are in white dress, probably because they are mothers. Am i right ? the sponsor compagny of these gigs gave little Vespertine posters for free, when going outside after the show. a friend of mine took six of them !! she's crazy, she already stole 2 inside the Venue. i personnaly stole 2 big Vespertine Tour french posters at the window of a newsagent, late last night Bjork was in a really good shape and mood for a Tour beginning ! but she always have some difficulties with Joga, IMHO. i loved her transparent music box, on the stage. but i didn't see the Orchestra at all, from the first balcony. i didn't sleep a lot, i'm still too excited about all this... A+ crzy bjorkers A+ MicK... Wanna contribute? Codes in the + section: means tracklist, means review, means pictures, means samples Copyright © 1995-2001 by Björk Overseas Ltd. All rights reserved. See our privacy and copyright statement for more information.