bjork.com : gigOgraphy

Info

Setlist

Date:	2008-03-02
Country:	China
City:	Shanghai
Venue:	Shanghai Changning Arena
Other:

01. Brennið Þið Vitar
02. Earth Intruders
03. Hunter
04. Hidden Place
05. Hope
06. Jóga
07. The Pleasure Is All Mine
08. Vertebrae By Vertebrae
09. Desired Constellation
10. Army Of Me
11. Innocence
12. I Miss You
13. Bachelorette
14. Cover Me
15. Wanderlust
16. Hyperballad
17. Pluto

encore
18. Anchor Song
19. Declare Independence

Pictures (email) Observe that there usually is a NO camera policy at these concerts.

Reviews

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Shanghai International Gymnastics Center

For once my timing seems to have been right on. It appears that I saw the first and last Björk concert ever to happen in mainland China. I’ll get to why I say “last” in a while.

The Gymnastics Center is in the Western part of Shanghai, but not too terribly far from the Zhongshan Metro station. One thing that seems a little odd is that there’s a Tesco discount market underneath the auditorium.

So you can save money on your shopping and catch a show in one convenient location.

And if you need to shop for any kids’ things, there’s a Baby Mall below the Tesco. This is one entrance, right next to the box office.

In spite of the sign outside that said “No Cameras,” neither I nor any others in the majority of the crowd had any problems taking pictures.

Björk is known for experimenting with different kinds of instrumentation from typical pop and rock lineups. This time she had a nine-piece brass section (three each of trumpets and French horns, two trombones, and a tuba), a keyboard player (clavichord, organ, piano and so on, all artificial of course), a drummer/percussionist, and two guys with laptops and keyboards. No guitar, no bass.

Anyone who’s heard her current album (Volta) knows that brass figures prominently in the arrangements, so those tunes came off much like the studio versions. The surprise was how well the arrangements worked on some of the older tunes which did not originally have brass, such as “Jóga” and “Army of Me.” I found it quite refreshing that the brass parts were not simple chordal accompaniment, but very nicely arranged polyphonic lines, with many touches of modern classical music. Kudos to whoever took care of that.

The show opened with an abrupt lights-out, then the brass section trooped in playing a catchy tune and wearing colorful costumes with flags attached. They took their places on the stage, and Björk came out to launch into “Earth Intruders,” the lead track of Volta. Her voice, the brass, and the electronics were all crystal clear in sound, loud enough to be impressive, but not so loud as to be uncomfortable.

The crowd was reservedly enthusiastic for the first four tunes or so, cheering loudly but stuck in seats, until she asked, “Can you dance?” The result was an instantaneous eruption of bodies from chairs; the center aisle on the floor filled up, and people approached the stage barrier. Half a dozen extra security guys rushed out to keep people back from the fence, but from then on there was no sitting that I saw.

Things really kicked into overdrive when her hit “Army of Me” started. A green laser beam flicked around the room, hitting strategically placed mirrors, and the energy level hit a new high, both on stage and in the audience.

There were some quiet, reflective moments as well.

For me, as a fan of the new album, I didn’t mind the concentration on new material. There were enough old favorites to keep me happy: “Hunter,” “Pluto,” “Possibly Maybe,” “I Miss You” and so on. Sure, I could have wished for “Human Behaviour” but there is nothing she played that I regretted hearing.

All through the show, I was amazed at the strength, accuracy and expression of her voice. I’m well aware that the excitement of seeing a good show can make things sound better than they really are, but I didn’t hear a single note off-key, and I noticed no fatigue as the evening wore on.

All too soon (around 9:30) Björk and crew left the stage. The crowd kept up a racket for a long time before the brass came out again, forming a half circle at center stage. Björk sang in the center, and when they segued into “Declare Independence” all the stops were pulled out. The lasers flashed around, the lights went crazy, everyone on stage was jumping around chaotically, and finally a snowstorm of confetti came over the arena.

Later, I heard many reports that she mentioned Tibet in the song, but I honestly did not hear it. Everyone was jumping up and down around me, and I was trying to get a photo around the 6’6” guy in front of me, and we were all chanting “Declare independence! – Don’t let them do that to you!” so loud that I missed the little interjections between the lines. Of course, when you’re in China, mentioning that an Autonomous Region should maybe have some other status (such as the one mentioned in the song title) is not looked upon kindly. It is not a subject of public debate. Once the story started spreading about what she shouted, people came to the likely conclusion that should she ever apply for a visa to perform (or even visit) China again, it was unlikely to be approved. There have also been stories that those at the Ministry of Culture who gave approval for her performance (given her track record on such issues) would be looking for new jobs.

Anyway, this is a show that goes right up there in the list of all-time best shows for me, which puts it in pretty good company

/RocketShipX41 - 3907

setlist anybody?

/PossiblyNever - 3784

Bjork's Cry for Tibet Draws Ire of Chinese Government, AP Says

By Mark Schoifet

March 7 (Bloomberg) -- China plans to crack down on foreign performers after the Icelandic singer Bjork yelled ``Tibet, Tibet'' at the end of her concert in Shanghai this week, the Associated Press reported.

Bjork's comments ``broke Chinese law and hurt Chinese people's feelings,'' the Culture Ministry said in a statement today, according to AP.

The singer's actions drew rare attention inside China to the government's 58-year rule over the Himalayan region, AP said. China's often harsh treatment of Tibet has drawn frequent condemnation from foreign governments and activists, the wire service said.

Many Tibetans consider the exiled Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to be their rightful leader.

The government statement, posted on the Culture Ministry's Web site, also said ``there is no country that admits that Tibet is an `independent country.'''

Bjork shouted ``Tibet'' after performing the song ``Declare Independence'' on March 2. The quirky singer, known for her odd outfits and unorthodox vocal stylings, has performed the song to support Kosovo and other independence movements in the past, AP said.

58 years huh? Last I checked just because something is on the same map doesn't mean it is the same country. And for your information, I am not European or "white" for that matter. Have a great day in your own little world.

/mercuryrevboces - 3780

http://shanghaiist.com/2008/03/04/did_bjork_actua.php

March 4, 2008
Did Björk actually root for Tibetan independence in her Shanghai concert?

Björk in Shanghai, Tibetan independenceAs Jake Newby told you in our previous post:

With backing from a live Icelandic brass section (the ingeniously named Wonderbrass), songs such as the horn heavy ‘Wanderlust’ demonstrated Björk’s gift for spectacle and her incredible delivery, before she closed out the set with the anthemic ‘Declare Independence’, chanting the name of a huge piece of real estate west of Sichuan and Yunnan amongst a hail of streamers.

A search for Bjork's Chinese name "比约克" and "西藏" (Tibet) yielded zero results on Baidu News and only one story on Google which led to only one Chinese-language story from Deutsche Welle (“冰岛歌手比约克演唱西藏独立内容的歌”).

Bjork had originally dedicated the song to Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Last week at her Tokyo concert, Bjork sang the song to show her support for Kosovar independence, which subsequently led organisers of a Serbian music festival planned for July to drop her from the lineup.

Bjork's Tibetan stance should come as no surprise. She was a performer in the inaugural Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco way back in 1996, as well as the following year in New York City.

A spokesperson with Emma Entertainment has pleaded ignorance of Bjork's actions and refused further comment. In the meanwhile, it looks like heads are going to roll at the state censorship body, and Bjork is not going to be back in China for a while.

/Kenneth Tan - 3770

http://www.visir.is/article/20080303/LIFID01/80303042&SearchID=73310534745698

Björk styður Tíbeta á tónleikum í Sjanghæ

Björk Guðmundsdóttir hvatti til sjálfstæðis Tíbets á tónleikum sem hún hélt í Sjanghæ í Kína á sunnudaginn. Í lokalagi tónleikanna, "Declare independence", hrópaði hún: „Tíbet, Tíbet", en lagið er ákall um að fólk eigi að krefjast sjálfstæðis. Ekki hefur heyrst af viðbrögðum Kínverskra stjórnvalda en sjálfstæðisbarátta Tíbets er viðkvæmt mál þessa dagana, ekki síst í ljósi þess að styttist í Ólympíuleikana í Beijing.

Búist er við því að Kínverjar muni bregðast ókvæða við en stjórnvöld þar í landi hafa vísað útlendingum úr landi sem tekið hafa málstað Tíbeta. Landið lýtur stjórn Kínverja og hefur andlegur leiðtogi Tíbets, Dalai Lama verið í útlegð á Indlandi frá árinu 1959.

Í síðustu viku hélt Björk tónleika í Tókýó þar sem hún óskaði íbúm Kosovo til hamingju með sjálfstæði héraðsins frá Serbíu. Þetta reitti Serba til reiði og hefur tónleikum sem hún ætlaði að halda í Serbíu í sumar verið aflýst."

/visir.is - 3769

http://www.danwei.org/music/raise_your_flag_declare_indepe.php

Raise your flag? Declare independence? "Tibet...Tibet"
Posted by Adam J. Schokora, March 3, 2008 5:27 PM

Iceland's avant-garde art-rock songstress, Bjork, performed to a sold-out crowd last night at the Shanghai International Gymnastic Center; her first-ever show in Shanghai – she performed once before in Beijing, circa 1996.

Never ceasing to draw attention, Bjork closed the show with a 2nd encore performance of "Declare Independence" – a rousing power-to-the people anthem containing such lyrics as: "Declare independence!" "Don't let them do that to you!" "Start your own currency!" "Make your own stamp" "Protect your language" "Make your own flag!" "Raise your flag!"...etc.

You can imagine where this might be going.

At the end of the song, just before walking off stage, Bjork left the crowd with two words: "Tibet.....Tibet"......fully audible, in English.

"Declare Independence" was originally written with the Faroe Islands and Greenland in mind, not Tibet.

Your correspondent hasn't been able to find a reliable video clip of this yet; however, I can attest to it happening because I was there.

As expected, online Chinese discussion boards (i.e. Douban, Tianya) are ripe with commentary with some saying "who cares" and showing support, but with most expressing shock and outrage.

A few quotable gems (translated):

"If she was yelling free Shanghai, that would be great! Free Shanghai! Free Shanghai!"
"Those who put on the show should be severely fined and not allowed to bring this kind of trash in for performances.”
"Call the relevant authorities! Be gone with her! What a bitch! Fuck!"
"Doesn’t surprise me that she’d do something like this."
"Very yellow, very violent!"
"I don’t think there is any issue, so what if she sang a few lines about Tibet, we don’t need to berate the woman to death. Is our government really that sensitive?"
"I don’t understand, why do Western stars give a shit about Tibet. Isn’t Tibet ours?! Mind your own business!”
"Wow, the nerve! Where did she get the courage to do this! Weirdo!”
“I like Bjork, it's ok for her to have a different point of view, but for her to do this is disrespectful to fans here, very selfish of her."

It's unlikely Bjork will be performing again in China any time soon, if ever. Bravo.

/Adam J. Schokora - 3768

Declare Independence

Band introduction - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEOWquYpAqM
Earth Intruders - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKY2SSTQ1sk
Jóga - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NoizWLqGQQ
Hyperballad - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwJ-h5uJgf4
Hunter - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BkOrzPO4ro
Hidden Place - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMXAL9VHI30
Anchor Song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crTHA8UARlI
Declare Independence - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTTwNtbRiBU

/Youtube - 3763

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