It was unusual enough that a vast majority of the fans could not understand any of the lyrics. At the start of Wednesday's concert by experimental Icelandic rockers Sigur Rós, the crowd also couldn't even see the band.
The mesmerizing two-hour performance at Roy Wilkins Auditorium began with a white curtain wrapped entirely around the stage, with shimmery video images projected onto it. That curtain didn't drop until the second song, "Ný Batterí," reached its climax. By then, the audience was already under the music's spell.
Nearing its 20th year, Sigur Rós has employed arty film montages and candle-like stage lighting going back to its unforgettable show at the Woman's Club Theater in Minneapolis in 2001, but Wednesday's show took it to another level.
The band employed a giant, curved Jumbotron backdrop and all kinds of swirly lights to enhance its cinematic sound. It evoked comparisons to the dazzling eye-candy display that fellow European crossover band Muse puts on, except in this case it didn't distract from any lack of luster in the music.
Sigur Rós' atmospheric orchestral rock proved so compelling Wednesday, the 4,000-plus fans — just shy of a sellout — didn't lose any interest during the four unreleased new songs the band dropped into the set. That included the lush, mellow opener "Yfirborð," as well as the grinding pre-encore finale, "Brennisteinn." Each hails from the album "Kveikur" not due out until June.
The most impressive aspect of the set, though, was how capably the band maintained its all-important intimate charm even in the cavernous, dank Roy Wilkins Auditorium.
Case in point: The auditorium was pin-drop quiet during some of the mellower, more ambient tunes such as last year's ambient gem "Varúð" and especially "Vaka."
The latter song provided a fine example of singer/guitarist Jónsi Birgisson's siren-like, goosebumps-inducing voice — still the most impressive falsetto in indie-rock (sorry, Bon Iver).
