LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 26: Bjork performs onstage throughout her ‘Cornucopia’ tour at Shrine … [+]
Three years after debuting her critically acclaimed “Cornucopia” manufacturing in New York Metropolis, Icelandic various icon Bjork introduced the present to the Shrine in L.A. for the primary of 5 west coast dates (two extra in L.A. — January 29 and February 1 — and two in San Francisco — February 5 and eight).
The visually gorgeous and bold manufacturing debuted in New York Might of 2019 after which performed in Mexico Metropolis and choose European cities as properly in that 12 months earlier than being waylaid, like most reside music, by the COVID pandemic.
The three-year hole did nothing to reduce the facility, magnificence and majesty of the gorgeous manufacturing. Watching the present I used to be reminded of David Bowie, as excessive a praise as you’ll be able to pay any artist. Although the present was singularly Bjork’s imaginative and prescient, the manufacturing was Bowie-esque in its grandiosity and inventive daring.
The practically two-hour present, which started with a pair of performances from an area choir, was, whereas visually and musically magnificent, not a simple live performance. Like watching an amazing international movie, like say a Wim Wenders’ Wings Of Need or Krystof Kieslowski’s Three Colours trilogy (Blue, White and Purple). “Cornucopia” was thought frightening and difficult. However like these nice artworks, the payoff was properly well worth the work to understand and benefit from the present.
To her credit score, Bjork requested the sold-out crowd to not take photographs and movies as a result of in keeping with a message earlier than the present, it could distract her. And to the group’s credit score the overwhelming majority of the viewers revered her needs, dwelling within the second of the manufacturing. In a world the place most nice visible artwork nowadays is meant to be “Instagram-able,” the truth that Bjork created a beautiful visible panorama of lush colours, futuristic screens and engaging photos of nature solely for the concert-goers is admirable.
The visible world of “Cornucopia” was an ideal complement to the majestic great thing about the music, which was greatest summed up by Bjork, who when introducing the musicians, declared, “Flutes rock.” Sure, extra impressed by classical than the choice or digital she has been related to previously, “Cornucopia,” musically was attractive, chic and extremely subtle.
The 19-song set eschewed a few of her greatest hits — earlier songs equivalent to “Hyperballad,” “Human Habits,” “It is Oh So Quiet” and “Military Of Me” — in favor of newer materials. beginning with three tracks, “The Gate,” “Utopia” and “Arisen My Senses,” from 2017’s masterful Utopia album.
Whereas Utopia represented the lion’s share of fabric, with the aggressive “Sue Me,” the highly effective “Blissing Me,” sung with Serpentwithfeeet, and the principle set nearer, “Tabula Rasa,” among the many standouts from Utopia, she did transfer the setlist between different eras of her profession, going way back to 1993’s Debut for “Venus As A Boy.”
Different musical highlights included “Hidden Locations” and “Pagan Poetry,” each off 2001’s Vespertine album; 1995’s “Isobel” and 2015’s “Notget,” which closed the complete evening after Bjork launched the very good musicians she shared the stage with on this memorable evening.
Each facet of the detailed and complex “Cornucopia” was clearly extremely deliberate, from the egg on stage she sang in at factors to the environmental messages, one in regards to the Paris Accord and one from Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. A part of what made “Cornucopia” so particular is the glimpse it gives into the thoughts of one of the vital necessary artists of the final 25 years. And what it confirmed, not surprisingly, is an uncompromising work of singular magnificence.