Sigur Ros Wow Massey

Icelanders Parachutes opened Monday's show and, unfortunately, their set was just plain boring because they tried too hard to be like their countrymen in Sigur Ros and failed. They also have a lot to learn from Iceland's greatest export (other than Vikings and Bjork) in terms of musicianship. Hell, their frontman even sounds like Jon Thor (Jonsi) Birgisson. It wasn't that they couldn't play their instruments, because they could, but only Sigur Ros can be Sigur Ros. And if you're going to try and sound like a carbon copy of Sigur Ros — while opening for Sigur Ros — you'll ultimately sound flat.

I last saw Sigur Ros three years ago at the Bronson Centre in Ottawa when they were touring in support of Takk… It was one of the most intense concert experiences I've ever had. It was a hot mid-September evening, and since the sold-out venue doesn't air out very well, the temperature was somewhere around 40 Celsius. Though no one was moving, the air was stifling and I sweated through my shirt just sitting in my seat. To add to that, Sigur Ros completely blew me away and played a perfect set.

Monday night's show wasn't quite as good, mainly because key numbers "Viorar Vel Til Loftarasa" (which they played two nights previous in Montreal and at the three dates that preceded it), "Svefn-g-englar" and "Untitled #1" were missing, but it came pretty damn close to equaling it. Massey Hall was cold on Monday — not too cold, but not a blazing hot brick-walled auditorium — and instead of being accompanied by Icelandic string quartet Amiina as they were three years ago, Sigur Ros played on their own.

Frontman Birgisson wore an 18th century-inspired black military jacket with fringes hanging off the arms and elbows. Drummer/percussionist Orri Pall Dyrason wore a funny outfit topped off by a rainbow-coloured crown. Bassist Georg (Goggi) Holm wore a suit and a fancy hat, and multi-instrumentalist Kjartan (Kjarri) Sveinsson also wore a spiffy jacket. People say there are two Sigur Roses: a dark, intense one, and a happier, more playful one. Both were on display on Monday night.

It would be hard to describe just how thunderous the sound was inside Massey Hall. Every time Birgisson ran his e-bow across his guitar, the reverb-drenched sound that resulted echoed impossibly throughout the hall. Every time Dyrason slammed and pounded his drums, I could feel the vibrations in my chest. The sound matched and suited the intensity of the performance, and it's a good thing, because anything less would have been very un-Sigur Ros. The light show was also spectacular.

Sigur Ros opened with "Heysatan" from Takk… before getting the crowd hollering with an astounding version of "Glosoli" from the same disc. I can't quite describe what it is, but there's something incredibly beautiful about Birgisson's vocals. He puts so much emotion into them and his performance that you absolutely have to see Sigur Ros live in order to understand. His voice sounds so pure and the emotion in it hits you right in the stomach, which becomes even more intense when you see his facial expressions.

Things went up a notch with a run through of Agaetis Byrjun's "Ny Batteri," but just before the dark Sigur Ros could take over, the band began running through "Vid Spilum Endalaust" and "Hoppipola." During the latter song, Birgisson got the crowd to join him in singing the "ooooh"s at the end. Although "Hoppipola" was missing the brass section it has on record, it still sounded incredible. At some point (though I can't remember during which song), some white confetti fell from the roof, coating the band in what was a very appropriate layer of faux-snow.

"Med Blodnasir" followed before the band ran through the upbeat "Festival" and "Fljotavik" from the recent Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust. From there, the dark Sigur Ros came back after "Untitled #6" (also known as "E-Bow") and "Inni Mer Syngur Vitelysingur." The band finished their set with "Saeglopur" and "Untitled #8." I'd hazard that the former song was definitely louder this tour than the last, as I don't remember Birgisson's guitar being as bombastic three years ago when Sigur Ros played this song. But the nearly 12-minute "Untitled #8" was probably the most emotional Sigur Ros performance I've ever seen.

The entire crowd was roaring and on their feet when the band left the stage, only to return for a two-song acoustic encore of Med Sud's "Illgresi" and "Gobbledigook." Sigur Ros were accompanied by some of the members of Parachutes during the latter song, and Birgisson got the audience to stand up and clap along to the beat while rainbow confetti fell from the ceiling on to the crowd. Unfortunately, that was it. Although the crowd wanted a second encore and applauded and stomped a bit afterwards, the house lights soon came on and I heard a few groans from those around me.

Despite the absence of several of the band's best-known songs, this was still a very satisfying set, and managed to nicely balance some of their darker material with their more recent upbeat songs.

Here's what Sigur Ros played (with English translations in brackets):

"Heysatan" ("Haystack")
"Glosoli" ("Glowing Sole")
"Ny Batteri" ("New Batteries")
"Vid Spilum Endalaust" ("We Play Endlessly")
"Hoppipola" ("Hopping Into Puddles")
"Med Blodnasir" ("I Have A Nosebleed")
"Festival"
"Fljotavik"
"Untitled #6" (also known as "E-Bow")
"Inni Mer Syngur Vitelysingur" ("Within Me A Lunatic Sings")
"Saeglopur" ("Lost At Sea")
"Untitled #8" (also known as "The Pop Song")
"Illgresi" ("Weeds")
"Gobbledigook"