Last Saturday I was able to go to one of Björk's shows at the Roseland Ballroom during her NYC residency.  Björk's been one of my favorite artists for a few years now, mainly because of her artistry and how she represents everything music should be.  Her ambitious Biophilia project has included thus far an album, the first ever iPad app album, an educational musical program worked into the curriculum of every school in Iceland, a residency of shows in Iceland, a residency at the Hall of Science in Queens which included after school programs for kids that resembles the educational program set up in Iceland, and now a residency at Roseland before she goes on to play a multitude of festivals around the world.  To say this project is not an undertaking is simply preposterous.

I won't get into the whole concept behind the Biophilia project in detail here because I've already done a post on it, but what she has done is fused science with music, and showed how the two are interconnected and our understanding of one can further the understanding of the other.  The album is really spectacular.  When I heard the NYC residency was going to happen I knew I had to get tickets because New York City is the only city in the U.S. where she is performing so who knows when she'll ever come back.  I was a little apprehensive about going though because I've only ever been to huge, over-the-top, lavish pop spectacles before and I've never gone to something as stripped down and intimate as this content was going to be.  I'm so glad I decided to go though.
I arrived to Roseland about half an hour before the show started, and was surprised to see that the stage was circular and set in the middle of the ballroom floor.  Because of this setup I was only about 25 feet or so from the stage so I had a great view.  Above the stage was a ring of eight video screens that displayed the images from the iPad app album.  On the stage, in addition to your standard instruments, were the pendulums, reactable, pipe organ and the tesla coil all of which Björk created specifically for this album.  Before the show started, Björk's tour manager came out to tell us not to use cameras or any recording equipment because they wanted us to enjoy all the visuals they had created for this special show.  Amazingly, most people adhered to this rule which was good because it was nice not to have all those screens lit up during the entire show.  And what's interesting about this is that all the people there knew Björk and what her music stands for so the fact that most people followed the rule was cool because it showed how unique and respective of music her fans are.

From the moment the show started I knew this was going to be a concert experience unlike anything I've experienced before.  As Björk began using that beautiful voice of hers the crowd was silent and very still. Her voice, the live instruments, and the 24-piece Icelandic female choir simply entranced everyone.  Björk's music isn't just meaningless fluff; it's real and has a message, and I think this is what really shot to the heart of everyone in attendance.  There's something so real about this woman and the words that leave her lips that resonates inside everyone.  I must say that her live singing is much better than on the album.  Surprisingly, her enunciation is actually better live, and you can really see the passion she has for her music.  At the end of every song the audience would erupt into huge applause that was so jarring because of the near silence during the music, and then once we had quieted down Björk would simply say "Thank you" in her cute accent and everyone would giggle because of how sweet she was.  This phenomenon lasted throughout the entire show.
There was a period of about three or four songs where I got a little bored, but she quickly picked it up and delivered some amazing performances.  Even though in one song she's singing about shifting tectonic plates and the earthquakes that they create, she has the audience lingering on every syllable as she prances around the stage sometimes dancing very awkwardly.  Björk is just this very awkward and entrancing and goofy and shy woman woman who commands a stage just like Madonna and Britney can.  It's really quite an interesting sight to see.  Also, another incredible thing about her is the diversity of her music.  There were some songs where it was just her and a few instruments performing some very simplistic yet captivating songs, and then she would launch into these huge moments where it's like a sonic boom has just occurred and the bass is pounding in your chest and you can't help but be entranced by the huge breakdowns in a few songs.  'Crystalline', 'Cosmogony' and the entire entire encore were really the highlights of the show for me.  At the end, to see the crowd go wild during 'Náttúra' and 'Declare Independence' was amazing because for most of the show people sort of did the head bob, but otherwise they didn't really move, but then during those last two songs of the night people went wild and were screaming and genuinely enjoying themselves.  The real takeaway of the concert for me was the diversity of the music, and how true music like this makes people feel.  It was an incredibly unique experience to see Björk live, and if you ever have a chance to see her you should try.

Unfortunately, since they asked us not to take pictures or video there are very few videos of the show, and even less good quality ones so these do NOT do the show justice, but I thought you might like to take a little peek at what happened Saturday night.