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| Info | Setlist | ||||||||||
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01. Cover Me 02. Earth Intruders 03. Hunter 04. Immature 05. Dull Flame Of Desire 06. Oceania 07. I See Who You Are 08. Pleasure Is All Mine 09. Pagan Poetry 10. Bachelorette 11. Army Of Me 12. Innocence 13. Wanderlust 14. Hyperballad 15. Pluto encore 16. Declare Independence |
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| Pictures (email) Observe that there usually is a NO camera policy at these concerts. | |||||||||||
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| Reviews |
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| http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/concerts/38881/bjork/ Seeing Björk in concert is a major production that can involve major drama. Since the singer tours infrequently and only stops in a handful of big venues (the American leg of the Volta tour included only five cities), catching her requires a hefty amount of legwork. With tickets at a premium of nearly $100 with taxes and fees for orchestra seats (travel costs not factored in), Björk’s Volta shows are among the priciest of the year. And, even at these astronomical rates, the performances sold out in minutes. Chances are, if you blinked, you missed your chance to see one of the most dynamic voices of our time onstage, at the peak of her career. Any truly great live show must have an equally inspired venue. For two of her three stints in NYC, Björk went with stalwarts: Radio City Music Hall and the Apollo Theater. For this special Saturday night performance, though, the musician decided on the United Palace—a renovated, repurposed church in Washington Heights. The site (which seats a capacity crowd of just over 3,000) boasts gorgeous, intricate gild-work from floor to ceiling, and its red-and-gold opulence is suitable for royalty. The army of Björk fans that invaded the venue was a show all its own: elderly men with their elderly wives, a ton of entertainment-industry types, big and beautiful Goth girls wearing velvet capes, pretty women in little dresses and impossibly tall high heels, hippies, Africans, Natalie Portman, people dressed like Anime characters, Tori Amos fans scamming seats in the front, and every hot gay man in the tri-state area. While this crowd seemed innocuous enough at first glance, it proved to be a handful for the theater’s security personnel: fans tried to sneakily rush the stage from nearly every direction only to be held back by the staff. Once the strains of “Cover Me” filled the auditorium from behind a massive velvet curtain, the restless bunch calmed down a bit, much to the delight of the security. Unfortunately for them, Björk quickly appeared to the jittery beats of her new single, “Earth Intruders.” Upon first sight of the outrageous, phenomenally gifted songstress—dressed in what could best be described as an arty, vaguely ethnic ensemble thrown together by Rainbow Bright’s crazy little sister (and finishing off the look with American Apparel’s holographic silver leggings and what appeared to be a pink triangle headband)—the United Palace throng erupted in a fit of multi-national, herky-jerky movement. During the song, she brought out two members of Konono No. 1 (who opened) to play. The mix of tribal percussion and new-world fuzz set everyone aglow, bouncing in a wash of staccato, Timbaland-style beats. When the bowel-shaking opening bass notes of “Hunter” (from the brilliant Homogenic) started, the crowd went even more insane. Other tracks that the singer chose from the 1997 masterwork ("Bachelorette" and the absolutely vigorous “Pluto” among them) inspired similarly positive reactions from the crowd and the best from her new group of players. Adding to the energy, Björk’s ten-piece, all-woman cadre of horn-playing back-up singers (dressed in cheery day-glo and bathed in black light at times, with crazy little side ponytails that had flags attached to them) were front and center on most of the tracks. While they started out a bit shaky, the women quickly found their footing. Not only was their instrumental arrangement spot-on (the glorious brass on “Wanderlust” actually brought a tear to my cynical concert-going eye), their bold backing on Vespertine‘s dark, engaging “Pagan Poetry” showed that they are equally gifted singers. If nothing else, the guests trotted out by the Icelandic singer are a testament to her commitment to true cultural hybridity: besides Konono (who hail from the Congo), there was the towering Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons (whose delicate voice was a bit lost beneath the heavenly brass arrangement and Chris Corsano’s drumming perfection on the soaring duet “Dull Flame of Desire"); Brit producer Mark Bell; and Min Xiao-Fen, a pipa player who is known for her work in traditional Chinese and contemporary classic music. Of course, what stands out most about any Björk show is the prowess and uniqueness of the singer’s soaring vocals. Clear and commanding, Björk fired with all cylinders on intense, crowd-pleasing ode to OCD-style lovin’, “Hyper Ballad,” which was remixed to include a stunning, beat-driven ending. Certainly Björk possesses one of the world’s most distinct voices, but, until you see the alchemy happening in front of you, her command of it is hard to explain. She’s a real, thought-provoking artist working at the top of her game to inspire reactions from her listeners. This is why Björk is constantly returning to her back catalogue and re-arranging the compositions. Sometimes it works magnificently: the menacing thunder of “Army of Me” (Post‘s opening song) fit nicely within the politically hot context of the new songs, incorporating inspired punctuation from the brass players. Other times, as on “Oceania” (from the mainly vocal Medulla), the musical arrangement seemed a bit forced and awkward. Of course, when it came time for the singer to hit the powerhouse a capella notes, she nailed it. No matter the result, her penchant for revision is an adventure—showing a spirit that most touring artists are afraid to indulge. Jumping around the stage like a hyper six-year-old, Björk made the tough loud notes seem effortless (seriously—the sheer force of the woman’s voice could stop a train!). Though she played for a paltry hour-plus, the energy that she put in made up for the missing hits (all of Debut, particularly “Human Behavior” was conspicuously absent, as was anything from her soundtrack work on Drawing Restraint 9 and her Oscar-nominated Selmasongs, for Dancer in the Dark). Of course, the singer’s personal take on cultural displacement and abandonment, coupled with her frenzied delivery, made up for the brisk 16-song set list. On a stage filled with imaginary flags festooned with weird animals and piercing green laser-beam lights straight out of an ‘80s roller skating rink, Björk took the opportunity to unleash the beast: during “Declare Independence,” in which she and her fluorescently-garbed back-up ladies encouraged everyone to “raise their flags/ higher/ higher,” a chant built raucously into an anti-authority anthem that culminated when she began to scream her head off in a controlled, meticulous way (not like some insane banshee), begging the crowd to break away from convention. It was a moment of complete awe and liberation for those in attendance. It was a rallying cry—Björk’s call to arms. /idioteck - 2736 |
| best show i have ever seen. i was so pleased to see Mark Bell performing on stage with her, and then at the end of Hyperballad, he busted out with the break-down fromk Freak!! i did literally freak!! HA!! also, sitting two seats away from me was none other than Natalie Portman!! she asked me what row we were on, i said i didnt know, so she went and found out, then came back and told me!! she seemed very sweet. :) /portia - 2725 |
| Stunning performance. She always sounds so damn good. And I think she was just so energized and pumped! More so than when I saw her in Brooklyn. She doesn't say much but she always makes me smile. Did anyone else notice she messed up on Hyperballad? She said bottles twice and giggled a bit. It was the CUTEST moment in the world. Bjork is the greatest international non-diva diva who can actually sing just as well as she can create, arrange, and manipulate music. Pure genius. /grungykid - 2713 |
| What a great night. I thought the aesthetic of the Volta tour fits much more in a Coachella-type setting than in a place like the Palace, but you kind of forget all of that as soon as she starts singing. It was like a Tron-meets-Kabuki sort of deal with the LEMURs put on great display. I guess that the design of the Vespertine tour appealed to me more, but I don't mind the delirious color display. So, to the songs: Earth Intruders was just infectious. A total romp. Were it not for the drunken Spanish fools in front of me and my girlfriend who's too pleasant to tell anyone off, it would have been perfect. This is a gripe that would continue throughout the show. Although this very weird thing happened in the case of Earth Intruders where because the inebriated duo in front of me were dancing so violently and were silhouetted thanks to the light show, it looked like a different version of the music video. The other highlights for me were Hunter, where Bjork slid into a very logical brass arrangement for the song I wouldn't have thought of at all, and when Antony came out (he looks a lot like Oscar Wilde). Also, Pagan Poetry...you just want to run up to the stage and hug her, really. Bachelorette, like Hunter, was done up very smartly for the brass section. It upped the whole theatrical aspect of the song, made it seem very much like a musical which was cool. After Bachelorette was where it really started to pick up for me, when the beat dropped for Army of Me. Everyone went crazy and, well...it's a song that makes you want to fight, among other people, drunken Spaniards who'll not stop sloshing beer about and acting as if they're conducting the show. So, so, so very good. When the world ends, that will be the song I will listen to in preparation. Wanderlust was quite interesting. I'd only heard it on her SNL performance and last night, but both time I sort of...hallucinate a hi-hat line that doesn't exist. I wish it were there. Even so, lovely. Then, Hyperballad, my favorite favorite of all of her songs, started playing, and I melted on the spot. That transformed into the most amazing rendition of Pluto with spastic lasers and complete madness on all sides. Such a phenomenal end to the show. I say that because I'm one of the few people I know who doesn't quite dig Declare Independence. I want to like it, I think it's sort of cute, but it's just very...I mean I know Earth Intruders according to Bjork in interviews is all based on this very naive wishful train of thought about people banding together and crashing down on the White House and fixing things, and with Earth Intruders I really get that and jive with it...but Declare Independence just seems beyond naievete. I guess it's a good pump-up song, but that doesn't account for any sort of substance behind it. At any rate, absolutely top notch, I refuse to end this review on a negative note. My first Bjork concert ever, she will no doubt be the first artist I go to see multiple times live. Peace and love, /animavisual - 2711 |
| The show was incredible. I was so fortunate to have a front row ticket, when she approached the edge of the stage she was just a couple feet away. I had seen her live at Radio City in 2001 for her Vespertine tour and that was my first live Bjork concert, so it was really overwhelming, but awesome because I'm in love with the Vespertine album. Then I saw her for her Greatest Hits tour in Brooklyn and that was beyond amazing. I was front row against the guardrail for that show and she just brought the house down. It was such a beautiful night outside and the flames and the fireworks were incredible. She sounded perfect and her setlist was hard to beat. For this show it was a really cool experience because it was inside in a beautiful venue. Her performance was very raw and electric. Army of Me just blew me away because everything came together perfectly, the sound and her voice and the beats, there weren't any glitches. That gave me goosebumps. Pagan Poetry is always amazing, and so was Bachelorette. She incorporated a really cool heavy beat to Hyperballad so it made it more dancy than usual, which was fun. Pluto always slays me and this time it was great but so loud it was difficult to hear her voice at some parts. Her new songs were awesome, I really enjoyed Wanderlust and Innocence. I think the song that made me smile the most was Declare Independence for her encore. It's one of those songs that gets you really pumped up, gets your adrenaline pumping. Let's see, what else? It all went so fast, and it's very surreal when she is dancing directly in front of you so closely. The laser effects were really fun. /sirbenjaminj - 2710 |
| I agree -- short shmort, Björk gives such an intense yet playful show/experience. Time just goes out the window... every song's end is an exciting moment: being grateful for the song just played and not knowing what song will come next. And all the guests! Oo I just can't wait for Tuesday: I've never been to the Apollo. I wonder what her introvert song will be... Anyway hyperballad at United Palace was absolutely incredible (I was hoping for it!!) and she sang Pagan Poetry even better than she had at Radio City. Her music is somehow so much more incredible live than when recorded -- I don't know how she does it. I'm so glad she changes up her setlists... she's just the greatest. /icelandnme - 2709 |
| What a fantastic show! This is my fourth experience seeing Bjork live, and was still blown away by her energy and her constant live performance ingenuity. While it's true her set was relatively short, it was so jam-packed with emotional intensity (both the band's as well as my own!) that it seemed to be the perfect length. I loved the way the show opened, with Bjork singing "Cover Me" from behind the curtain while Jonas played the harpsichord in view. This is without a doubt Bjork's most ambitious tour in terms of the personnel. SO MANY PEOPLE ON STAGE, creating amazing sounds and images! The "Declare Independence" encore will wow audiences for months to come. It's an incredible high-octane, manic song, her most bloody and visceral since "Pluto." It really brought the house down, still reeling from "Pluto" and "Hyperballad" and "Wanderlust." It was an amazing, over-the-top event, an event only someone as ambitious and fearless as Bjork could (or would) pull off. -chris /dissidenz - 2708 |
| From my far awar seat at the back of the theater/church, I sang bachelorette, pagan poetry, hyperballad and army of me with Bjork. It's lovely to watch her lose herself in the music and set herself free and vulnerable before thousands of followers like us. /lets_unite - 2707 |
| OMG I cant wait to see her at the apollo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! /Charlesmargiotta - 2706 |
| All I can say was this show AMAZING!!! This show tops Radio City by far. I was very surprised she changed six songs. Bachelorette, Hyperballad, and Immature were simply beautiful! I can't wait to see her again and some of you guys at the Apollo. Thanks Bjork! /Azwethink - 2705 |
| so, i thought wednesday's radio city concert was perfect. i was wrong- tonite's show was PERFECTION! she did my all-time favorite: "bachelorette". and she made me cry............. i could die happy tonite. seriously. "hunter" and "immature" were an AMAZING surprise as well. opening the show with "cover me" was fucking genius!!! "hyperballad" was...... ok- i'm speechless. don't even know how to put it in words.................... one can only hope that these shows will be released as DVDs in the near future. thank you bjork. can't wait to see what you have planned for your apollo performance................ /foehn - 2703 |
| ...Vikings Unite! Yet again she managed to tear straight through my flesh and land directly on my heart! I've come to realize that every one of her concerts is a totally new experience in itself...yet it always manages to strike the same chord on my soul. With the set design and the brass arrangement, I felt as if I was taking a journey across the ocean to her home land on a nostalgic viking ship. Only the temperature was far from being cold at the venue... I enjoyed Min Xao Fen's performance a lot more than Antony's duet. She was the 'Zeena Parkins' of this tour for me. The only issue was that Earth Intruders was a bit off in the beginning...train-wreckage! Nonetheless, a FANTASTIC performance! The new songs are making me wish Tuesday was tomorrow. Thank you so much, BJORK, for a wonderful night of pure bliss! ps. can someone tell me what those vents under the seats were all about... /mikey sensei - 2702 |
| LET'S CELEBRATE NOW THIS FLESH ON OUR BONES... WOW! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to assist to the concert in New York, but just conform with listening to it online (as many of people will have done, I bet). I couldn't help getting excited about the beginning of every song from my cumputer desk, I really can't imagine how it must have been live. I've never seen Björk live before, I'm hoping she comes to Mexico during this tour, or I'll have to listen to her concerts from my comp again. REgarding the contest. It's wonderful. The opening act featuring Konono no.1 was FANTASTIC. That's one band that will never get old. The rythms they pour in are fabulous, they just make you wanna dance. And you can really notice the influence they had on Volta. A perfectly fitting opening act if you ask me. After about half an hour after Konono no.1 leaves the stage, Björk and her crew enter with a barrage of applauses. The concert started with a magnificent version of Cover me. It's great listening to that song after it was never played live but in the Union Chapel with the Brodsky quartet. Then, Earth intruders followed, pumping the crowd up. The setlist had this order: 1- Cover me 2- Earth intruders (Great improvised extended ending with Konono no.1) 3- Hunter 4- Immature (brilliant acoustic rendition of the song featuring the brass and keyboards set on piano, nice twist on it) 5- Dull flame of desire (ENTER ANTONY! It sounds BEAUTIFUL live, they make a magnificent duet, but the sound of the stream got blurry in here =( ). 6- Oceania (Lovely arrangement for the brass band. The tune reminds me of Bachelorette when played with the Brodsky Quartet a bit. Holy! Jónas Sen, who plays the piano here, is AWESOMELY skilled). 7- I see who you are (ANOTHER GUEST! Min Xiao-Fen. Her performance is REALLY imponent. This song is wonderful live. I have grown quite fond of it, I think it will be one of my favorites on Volta) 8- Pleasure is all mine (I just don't get tired of this arrangement. It sounds so dark and solemn...I LOVE it. Wow, the brass really makes Björk's voice sound quiet. They must be LOUD live) 9- Pagan poetry (Haha the crowd went mad when this started. The harpsichord arrangement sounds really weird, but it gives a totally positive new approach to the song. Actually I'm starting to love it. It sounds wintery.-........the sound got blurry again 10- Bachelorette (WOW! This has to be the BEST intro EVER for Bachelorette. Great playing for Jónas Sen once again! The song sounded GRAND and kept at it the whole time. Chris Corsano really comes out on this one. Amazing. The outro is soooo fantastic, miming the acordeon outro on the album. Two thumbs up!) 11- Army of me (YES! This really hyped the crowd now. The super space-sounding intro is just, literally, out of this world. The giant brass arrangement goes back to the days Army of me was played during the Debut tour. Gorgeous! Also astounding job with the synth! Mark Bell has really evolved since Homogenic tour, and he's way better now!!) 12- Innocence (Haha, preceded by a cute "gracias", the song started as it has in other concerts, and so went by. Not my favorite off of Volta, but it's quite lovely on concert; the part when the horns come in is delightful. Guh, horrible web-streaming now...but I'm glad to hear Mark Bell's adding a little bit of his own to this song). 13- Wanderlust (OH YEAH! This is my favorite new song so far, and it's magnificent to listen to it live since SNL. Björk's vocals really stand out during this one. She is by no means impaled by the sound of the brass, sounding beautifully louder than ever!) 14- Hyperballad (Holy, the screams drown the now-synthetized string intro. Everyone was waiting for this song to be performed! It sounds so cute and pretty now. Wow....incredible improvisation by Björk. This new version of Hyperballad is really something, the brass helps a LOT to the overall feeling of it. And now the LFO beats come in! I sense Pluto coming...INTENSE! the people are going insane!! As well as the beats!! I only wish the transition was a little more coherent though. The quick rhythm stops just when Pluto should start, and after being quiet...) 15- Pluto (...it begins. But it sounds louder than ever! The brass make it sound somewhat retro but new distortion provided by Mark Bell gives it that stressing feel, as it should always be! Chris Corsano makes the song more and more violent when hitting the plates....YES, the ending approaches with a yell by Björk, and the fast pace the song is well known for. I really wish I could comment on th visual aspects but unfortunately, I CAN'T!) -----Encore------ Here she comes again, all charged up with her crew and their flags. 16- Declare independence (Everyone knew she would give the final shot to the show with this new electro-punk anthem dedicated to Greenland. My brother said he didn't like it, but I think he's nuts. This is the ultimate crowd-pumper for concerts. Probably one of her most mainstream songs, but it's GREAT. You can feel her energy even by sitting behind your computer's screen. This isn't her singing, this is her actually calling people to RAISE THEIR FLAGS! The brass girls screaming HIGHER! HIGHER! as the synth becomes more intense are fantabulous. This is really going to be a hit when Volta hits the shelves.) "Thank you for tonight!" says the icelandic vocalist and I imagine she runs off the stage as she always does. Great concert, a little predictable setlist, but AMAZING nevertheless. I so hope I can recieve this experience some day. Cheers, Björk! For an impressive concert; you've done it again! /penril - 2699 |
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