Björk has no choice. With her performing reputation, her catalogue of innovative and masterful albums, and her high ticket prices, Björk is not merely expected to put on a good show—she basically has to.
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Björk |
 Entertainment
Art
The Auditorium Theater
Chicago, Ill.
May 12, 2007
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Arriving at the Auditorium Theater on May 12th less than a week from her latest release, Volta, everyone expected greatness. The problem with this is that if you simply get what you expect at a show, even if it’s fantastic, you’re left unsurprised and under whelmed. If you somehow knew for certain that the Cubs would win the World Series, would you be impressed when it actually happened? Probably not.
But Björk is inherently destined to impress, so I’ll shake off this paradox and tell you how the show went. Opening with “Cover Me,” sung with the curtain still down, the initial impression was that her voice was a little raspy and the song was rather boring. Before I even had the chance to feel disappointed the curtains opened, there was a flash of magnesium fire and an assault of “Earth Intruders”—the first single off the mixed-reviewed Volta, her newest album—crashed onto the stage. All doubts were crushed instantly.
Wearing a mess of a gold dress (looked almost like aluminum foil) with variegated rainbow stockings, Björk held onto her crown as “Weirdest Fashion Sense” in music. The rest of band was designed to match the sound for her newest album. A ten-piece female Icelandic brass section, which Björk called a “ten-tet,” dressed in neon colored robes with tiny red flags sticking up out of their backs. Two programmers flanked the keyboard player and drummer with a variety of multicolored trigger pads to lay down the beats and other electronic loops. Interestingly, she only played four songs from horn-filled Volta, including the poppy “Innocence” and techno-laden brass arrangement of “Wanderlust.”
The horn-section replaced the string section on a number of tracks from her previous albums, and the tonal shift worked excellently. “It’s Not Up to You,” “Unison,” and “All is Full of Love,” each benefited uniquely from the addition of horns and the girls’ background vocals. These songs highlight Björk’s almost superhuman voice, which was cleaner than I have ever heard it recorded—studio or live. On Vespertine’s “Pagan Poetry,” her vocals soared with such clarity and precision that even a longtime fan would be stunned.
These quieter songs were gorgeous, but the show would have been better served with more of the high-energy songs. “Army of Me,” my favorite song of the night, carried threateningly from the stage with blue lasers shooting across the theater in tandem with the harsh beat and strobe lights. Its energy and power were only matched by the end of her set with “Hyper-Ballad” and “Pluto,” the latter of which gave the genuine impression that she was literally going to tear the place down with her forceful shouts and driving beats.
Thematically, Volta is about hope and keeping positive in darker times. Although the show did not play too many songs from the album, Björk clearly pushed her message through her music and dancing. By the end of the night, I was left feeling wonderful and excited. The now 41-year-old Björk still has a few surprises up her colorful sleeves and will likely continue to surprise us for a long time coming.
• Photos from the 2007 Coachella Music and Dance Festival
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