Have been a fan of Sigur Ros for many years, and this was the first time I had heard of them coming to the US in years- I wasn't able to get tickets for when they were in Berkeley a few years ago :(- so when I heard they were going to be playing in SF, knew I had to go.
The venue was crowded when we got there, my friend and I people watched and talked, and eagerly went inside the not so crowded ground floor for the opener, Oneohtrix Point Never. As he started his setlist, more and more people started to enter the venue, and by the time his entrancing songs and beats were over, the room was Packed. I personally have never seen an auditorium/venue so full of people. The energy in the room was a mix of hyper, very calm, and a sense of urgent anticipation. The lights dimmed, then slowly came on-and within moments Sigur Ros was on.
The whole night was like a massive incredible musical high. It is going to take me a while to fully process everything that I saw and heard-I mean that in a good way! Jonsi's voice was ethereal and full of such intense raw emotion. The strings and brass were lovely, and the entire band and ensemble as a whole was so connected and in sync.
They ended with an encore of Golsoli, followed by Untitled 8. I can't think of a more fitting ending than those pieces. My friend and I were moved to tears at least 5 times throughout the night-the music was that powerful.
I can't really remember much of the end, other than that it was an incredibly intense, emotional, and very euphoric point in time. The mixture of sound, lights, visuals, everyone was in their own little world of music, yet we were all connected....it was incredible...almost like a religious experience