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17 oct wednesday USA Oakland Paramount Presale started on Friday, August 17 at 1:00pm ET / 10:00am PT. Regular tickets went on sale Sunday, August 19 Time TBC.

Tracklist Part 1 01. Frosti 02. Overture 03. All Is Full Of Love 04. Aurora 05. It's Not Up To You 06. An Echo, A Stain 07. Pagan Poetry 08. Cocoon 09. Unison Part 2 10. You've Been Flirting Again (ice) 11. Isobel  12. I've Seen It All  13. Possibly Maybe  14. Anchor Song (ice/eng) 15. Army Of Me 16. Hyperballad 17. Bachelorette Encore 1 18. Jóga  19. Human Behaviour Encore 2 20. Our Hands Pictures pics by Brian pics by Sarah pics by alexis  setlist and ticket by Jacob & Mitch pics by SFgate pics by Pepecat Reviews (send in your own review here)   Staring at the setlist I accquired at the end of the encore from one of the gracious violinists in the orchestra pit, I can still hear Bjork, the choir from Greenland, Zeena Parkins, Matmos and the orchestra serenade me in "unison" right off the page with a kind of lingering sound collage bouquet of all the songs on the list at once...something a soundscape disciple like Bjork would probably love to imagine as a testament to her truly monumental gift to the blessed crowd at Oakland's Paramount Theatre on October 17. From the comfortable classic ornateness of this local landmark and perfect venue to the nifty little subplot that was the truimphant homecoming of local artists Matmos, this was never going to be less than a special night for someplace like the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area. Here hides one of the largest collection anywhere of shy people with misfit music taste. It was finally our turn to all come together and hear how RIGHT and not lonely we all are about our preferred audio eccentricities, come back out into the night and bask in the afterglow Bjork's warm, bold lullabys for the quiet defiants, and leave with the lingering candlelike notes still burning in the small of our hearts. From the Icelandic punk rock community came Bjork Gudmundsdottir to pierce her way into the cold dead pop music mainstream with breathtakingly innovative experiments of pure sound into sweet melody. Bjork's beauty-on-the cutting-edge persona only hints at the compartmentalized package( part mathematically precise, Stockhausen influenced composer, part whimsically powerful, Betty Hutton/Billie Holiday jazz tinged vocalist, part Rumi-style poet for post riot grrls) of creative genius contained behind those eyes, that smile, the look that is always saying "Listen. Listen with me." And listen we did. First to homeboys Drew Daniel and M.C. Schmidt of Matmos with help from Jay LSR. Matmos' approach to sound manipulation and re-creation is uniquely organic with a wry (rye?), purposeful humor. For their dance-think sound-art, Matmos has used source material such as the sounds of liposuction sugery and dentalwork. A couple of years ago they attracted the attention of the everpresent ear that Bjork keeps to the ground and left SF to tour and record with her. Highlights of the Matmos set include the blue birdcage strummed and bowed by Matmos and made into something akin to a petshop gamelan, and a mini-tape recorder playing a warbled loop of female vocalese while rising upward, attached as it was to several helium filled ballons and drawing all our eyes and those of a team of security people (apparently assign to draw guns on it if they had to) to the magnificent sculpture decorated ceiling of the theatre. One of the benefits of a seat in the front row was seeing the looks on the faces of various members of the 54 peice orchestra during parts of the show when they weren't in accompaniment. During Bjork's set Matmos continued to live out all our vicarious dreams of tweaking the mainstream by presenting their own bodies and clothing as instruments, as M.C. used a strategically manoeuvered contact mic to "play" Drew's back like a theremin filtered through a nice cotton shirt. One of the violinists sat agape, almost forgetting to turn the page in her music book. Bjork's hold over the theatre was equally all encompassing and also found the usually stoic pit musicians in rapt attention, especially during moments like her a capella "I Love Him"s coda to "Pagan Poetry". It was clear from my vantage point watching and talking with members of the orchestra (during intermission) that in addition to her stunning voice, they as musicians also appreciated Bjork's unique motherly attitude toward sound: all of it deserves a loving home on her musical pallette. The instantly classic and hauntingly sad (even if you never saw the movie "Dancer In The Dark" but especially if you did) "Overture" was well presented along with Bjork's other string laced mini-epics such as "All Is Full Of Love", "Joga", and especially "Bachelorette". The symphony musicians were hearing the finished arrangements for first time (as has apparently been the case with the string sections newly hired in each city on the tour) and with the help of a magnificent local conductor (whose name I forgot to ask of him) turned in a shimmering nights work. Standing out on her own was Zeena Parkins, also collaborating with Bjork on this tour. Her work on various harps and other instruments was stellar, at one point meriting a congratulatory pumped fist from Bjork at the end of "Anchor Song". The highlight of the show for me was the choir from Greenland. Dressed in colorful native outfits, they were young ladies in the house to represent warmblooded coolness from near the Arctic Circle. So warm blooded apparently that Drew from Matmos told me earlier that even these women from Greenland found the notoriously low thermostat at the Letterman show to be not very bearable (Well if they avoid serious injury from Jay Leno's chin tonight they'll be home free of the hazards of American television. We all should be so lucky). Often engaged in some kind of loosely choreographed swaying during their soothing background croons, it was fun to watch the Greenland chorus'peculiar yet vaguely familiar dance in place routine: like a cross between a reluctant gospel choir ashamed but unable to avoid getting the holy spirit from Bjork's music and the moves made by the Girl With Naturally Curly Hair in the dance scene from "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Like that show, the Bjork concert ended with a sweet, optimistic sing-a-long. Called "It's In Our Hands", it included the Greenland choir women playing "pattycake." In times like these, innocent upbeat moments such as that leaves me more certain than ever that the only people that can save the world are musicians. lastwill907fm   The sole purpose for my visit to the US was to see Bjork at the Parmount Theatre on 17 October. What can i say that has not already been said here.   Thankyou Bjork for the most amazing and  technically brilliant perfomance i have ever seen. You touched  this Melbourne Australia boy's heart in ways i thought not possible.   RG   this concert was the single most amazing experience of my life. thank you micheal (from kansas city)   Björk added herself, once again, to the list of my all time most favourite concerts i've ever attended.  she's now on there twice.  i hope that i don't have to wait another three years to see her in concert again, even though it is most definitely worth the wait.  & i also hope that she will end her eight year long avoidance of the northwest united states and come on up and see us.  i, very happily, will travel to california from seattle to see her again if i have to, but it would be nice if she would visit our little part of the world again. she played so many of my favourite tracks & i loved the way she had the concert broken up into two sets.  it almost felt like i was seeing two separate shows with different moods altogether.  after sneaking my cameras in, i only took a few photos and they were all overexposed because i didn't want to use the flash and the shutter stayed open a loooong time.  i spent the majority of the time totally engrossed in her show anyway and did not pay much attention to trying to take pictures. i cried once during the show and that was when she first appeared onstage, playing frosti on her little music box.  i thought i would cry more, but after the inital bit of tears & sobbing i was much too happy & excited to finally be there.  to finally see her sing in front of me.  the show passed like a dream and seemed to end too soon.  i'll be waiting anxiously for her to announce her next tour and until then:  with the hugest of loves - thank you Björk! sarah seattle, wa myheadphones.org   http://www.insidebayarea.com/ Bjork - Just can't get enough of her By Jim Harrington - STAFF WRITER The image that will last the longest was the first. It was just after 9 p.m. when the lights dimmed at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland on Wednesday. The capacity crowd, which included singer Tom Waits and some unfortunate souls who had to deal with scalpers asking $200 per ticket, was simply bristling with energy. It was the ideal time to hit the audience with a big number that would match or enhance the crowd's enthusiasm. That's what Madonna would have done. That's what Janet would have done. That's what Britney would have done. But Bjork isn't your average diva. And this was her show. The darkness was broken when a single spotlight struck down from high above the stage. The fans saw the Icelandic singer for the first time that evening. But Bjork didn't seem to notice them. She was in her own little world - her "Hidden Place." She held a music box in her lap and the pretty chimes began to sound out "Frosti." She kept her concentration on the box as something resembling snow began to fall over her head and on her white swan ballerina outfit. It was beautiful. Bjork has an undeniable sense of drama. It's just a bit different than most folk's. It works for her but it certainly wouldn't translate to other performers. The word "unique" is thrown around too often. But it's certainly appropriate for this 35-year-old Reykjavik rascal. There's simply no one else like Bjork. And people love her. The tickets for this Paramount show were gone almost immediately after they went on sale. Bjork focused her two-set, 100-minute show on songs from her fantastic new album, "Vespertine." Backed by what she described as "a choir from Greenland" and "an orchestra from the Bay Area," as well as by San Francisco's own electric darlings Matmos, Bjork produced some incredibly lush and full versions of songs such as "Aurora," "Unison" and "It's Not Up To You." In particular, her version of the new album's "Pagan Poetry" was outstanding. The devastatingly beautiful track drew a huge response from the crowd as the singer unleashed as much passion as we would see at any point in the night. Near the end of the song, Bjork repeats the line "I love him" eight times and manages to give the phrase a different twist of emotions each time through. Besides the "Vespertine" tracks, she touched upon tunes from throughout her career, including "All is Full of Love" ("Homogenic"), "Army of Me" ("Post") and "I've Seen It All" ("Selmasongs"). Bjork's character in "Dancer in the Dark" film may have "seen it all." But even after 100 minutes of music and two encores, the fans at the Paramount still wanted to see more.   http://www.bayarea.com/   Björk brings a special kind of magic to stage TONY HICKS: MUSIC CRITIC concert review By Tony Hicks CONTRA COSTA TIMES It's a road show that's simply unlike any other -- engaging a crowd that's simply unlike any other as well. Björk filled the Paramount Theatre in Oakland with drama and a soaring voice Wednesday night, charming even those of us who aren't quite ready to join the fan club. One can dwell on all the possible preconceptions about Björk, but if one were to sit down and list all the things right in the music world, she'd have to be in there somewhere. Her tiny voice can expand and swallow up the string section whenever she chooses, while she bounces up and down on her toes like an eager child performing in her first school play. She seems almost too embarrassed and shy to be on such a large stage, while she paradoxically finds an outlandish fairy dress that can't help but assure she's the center of attention -- even accompanied by a large orchestra, harpist, 11-woman chorus and master electronic stage musicians. It's something no one else does -- obviously -- and it all fits nicely. At times the lush orchestrations, falling stage snow, minimal ground lighting and lack of anything resembling traditional pop concert instruments lulls you into thinking she's playing the Sugar Plum Fairy. Especially at an old theater. The show was divided into two acts, the first being more mood-driven from the start, as she opened barefoot in a soft spotlight under falling snow while playing the music box on "Frosti" from her new album, "Vespertine." She wore a white gown with her now-trademark swan draped around her neck. She drew screams from the crowd with her soaring voice during "Aurora" and lulled them with the soft opening lines of "It's Not Up to You," before kicking up the volume in hand with the orchestra. Her second act was a bit bouncier as she emerged in a deep red feathered dress flaring so dramatically toward the bottom that one person remarked that she looked like big badminton birdie. She bounced like a cheerleader at times, and ran to either side of the stage to throw up her arms and get her fans even more hysterical than they already were during a great version of "Possibly Maybe." But all throughout the show, she mostly let her songs do the communicating. Outside of a few diminutive "thank you's," she didn't speak until the end of the show, and then only to introduce her band. From whispering to yelling, the crowd was receptive to whatever mood she was projecting in her voice, giving at least three standing ovations over the course of the two-hour show. Her fans even rushed down the aisles right before show-closers "Human Behavior" and "Our Hands" (which included the choir playing paddy-cake). The audience was a show in itself. Men wore prom dresses and women looked like tiara-capped princesses. One man even hung his personalized "Björk" license plate from a string around his neck. It seemed an interesting blend between the disaffected and the ultra-hipsters, all identifying with the sincerity Björk projects. Björk fandom is something people take very seriously -- they know what she does, right down to one lilting note that starts a song. The adoration seems to work both ways, with Björk often unable to keep the Icelandic pixie smile off her face. Her voice has an irresistible quality of being both vulnerable and determined on-stage, which seems to allow her the space to project both the music and the vibe she wants. She's sincere and unique -- so much more so live than on records -- and no matter how you feel about Björk's music, her show or even her personality, you can't help recognizing it.   Bjork, What hasn't already been said? Between my friends and I we traveled almost 3000 miles to meet in Oakland for what would be one of the greatest concert experiences that I will ever see.  It was everything that I imagined it would be and much, much more. Did anyone else see Tracy Chapman and Tom Waits in the audience?  It really was a night that I will remember for the rest of my life. I would pay any price to be able to relive that experience.  Cheers from Portland, OR.   aaron (colette15@prodigy.net) Oh yeah,  If anyone is interested I have a bootleg of the show.  Matmos and both of Bjork's sets including the encores. Let me know.   Oh, it was lovely.  Bjork played all the songs that I had hoped she would play:  An Echo, A Stain, Unison, Joga, Overture (though I simply would have DIED if she had played A New World instead; that would REALLY have made my evening).  And I was surprised, but not necessarily disappointed, that she didn't play Hidden Place.  I could have stood there clapping and screaming all night long if it would have brought her out for even one more song after In Our Hands.  In fact, I felt sorry for the poor lads sitting in front of me and my friend, because the two of us screamed our loudest and highest before and after every single song.  There wasn't a single song I wasn't thoroughly excited to hear.  I only wish that I had been able to get seats closer to the stage.  It was nice that you could see pretty well from everywhere in the theater, and the Paramount is certainly the loveliest venue in the Bay Area, but I felt that there were philistines/mediocre-Bjork-fans with better seats than me.  And there were irritating people in my row who kept going in and out!  I couldn't conceive of any reason, other than busting a kidney, why anyone would walk out of a room where Bjork was singing.  One couple slid past 10 seconds after she started singing Bachelorette!  How is this possible?!  In any case, it gives me chills to think about it now, and to realize that I've been lucky enough to see Bjork twice in my life.  We had a Tracy Chapman sighting, too, in the downstairs bar area.  There's another woman who is amazingly talented, who I truly admire. In any case, there is no other artist I would rather have the chance to meet than Bjork, and I would love to be able to thank her for such a lovely show, and for playing things I didn't think I would get to hear.  And to Michael S, whose review is already posted, who said that he thought he had 3rd row seats but they turned out to be 1st row, you have given me hope, because I have tickets to see Tori Amos at the Paramount on Nov 11, and they are 6th row seats, which may now turn out to be 4th row seats!  Woohoo! S Mistry   I would like remember the order of songs.... Remembering the songs… Bjork Oct 17, 2001 – Paramount Theatre, Oakland 1 Frosti 2 Overture –Selmasongs- 3 All is full of love 4 Aurora 5 It’s not up to you 6 An echo, A stain 7 Pagan Poetry 8 Cocoon 9 Unison - intermission - 10 You’ve Been Flirting Again 11 Isobel 12 Possibly Maybe 13 The Anchor song 14 Hyper-ballad 15 Bachelorette 16 Army of Me - encore - 17 Joga 18 Human Behavior -final encore- 19 In our hands it's OK? I hope your response thank you   Bjork is enchanting. I've been waiting for this for so very long, and I wasn't disappointed in the least. I'm so happy that I got to experience part of the Vespertine tour, it was completely amazing and I would go all the way to the bay area or anywhere else to see her again. Her movements were so cute, and she got so into Human Behavior, it was an excellent concert. Alexis Seattle   Ahhhhhh. The show Wednesday night at the Paramount Theater in Oakland was heavenly.  I thought I had third row, but it ended up being 1st!  Seeing her up close and watching the raw emotion on her face as she belts out her ideas was mesmerizing.  I would have died to hear Unravel, but Aurora was the perfect replacement.  Me and my friend we just in awe at the arrangements and the delicate care that was taken in delivering her songs to the public. Bjork has such an admiring respect for her songs.  She obvioulsy worked hard to share it in a way we could experience the joy she gets from her creations.  God, it was just great. Thank you so much. The high point was Possibly Maybe and Hyperballad. Michael S   Hello there, good folks! I caught Bjork's very intimate, unconventionally raw, nearly magical and utterly gorgeous concert performance at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California. What natural power, wicked nuance and inflection her voice, being, performance possess. Amazing! And coupled with a lush backing orchestra, a haunting women's choir, a one-of-a-kind, intense harpist, and innovatechnoists, Matmos, truly breathtaking. I was left with a warm glow, bouncing giddiness and a dopey smile on my face which emanated from somewhere deep, deep inside me. It's very gratifying to see a genuinely gifted, down-to-earth(and, out-of-this-world!), performer/entertainer/charmer get her deserved recognition. A true artistic, musical genius;an achingly human popster, whose outlook on this world and its inhabitants, their foibles, so naturally simple, sensible, sane, that dare I say, is in itself, visionary! You often hear folks make their "they-don't-make-'em-like-they-used-to",/"the mold was broken with that one",/"oh, those-were-the-days" proclaimations and Bjork, in so many of her forms: woman, eccentric, lover, singer, mother, adventurer, celebrity, fashion plate, a generation's unquestionable heroine and darling-darling, emits and embodies that by-gone time, or, better yet, I think she has updated, refined and tweaked it for an upcoming crop of super, lovely beings. Okay, I'll stop, geez! Cheers! Nev   Waow, Just waow..... I came with a friend. We had bought our tickets off of ebay for quite a lump of money... But afterwards my friend told me he would have paid $10,000 a posteriori to see this show. We sneaked in front, 5 seats away from the stage and nobody came to bother us. We were just staring at absolute beauty for the rest of the show. For a moment, she was god.... When she played human behaviour (with an awesome phat beat to it) towards the end, we were all jumping and I could feel the nerves at the tip of my fingers going wild!!! I was just x-statically happy for a moment................................... same comment for the boot leg....... I love my little Bjork. For those who see her after, just enjoy every second of the show and be aware that you are living sheer beauty.... Time never stops unfortunately. Mark M   http://www.sfgate.com Quixotic Bjork spreads her wings in Oakland Wednesday night's Bjork concert began with the jangle of a music box and a whirl of feathery confetti and ended with thousands of hands joining in syncopated clapping and concertgoers dancing down the aisles. For the 105 minutes in between, a sense of magic permeated Oakland's Paramount Theatre as one of the music world's most quixotic stars enraptured a sold-out audience with a performance that was part pop, part avant-garde classicism and thoroughly enchanting. In more than eight years as a solo artist, Bjork has followed her muse through adventures that ranged from quirky dance music to abstract aural collages and show tunes. That whimsical spirit has never been framed as exquisitely as on the current tour supporting her new album, "Vespertine." Backed by a full orchestra, an 11-member girls' choir from Greenland, electric harpist Zeena Parkins and San Francisco sound duo Matmos (Martin Schmidt and Drew Daniel), Bjork has created a concert experience as unique as her repertoire. The night's fanciful opening featured Bjork looking elfin in the spotlight, wearing one of her trademark white dresses with a swan's head draped over the shoulder and playing the instrumental "Frosti" on a music box. The orchestra followed with another instrumental, the sweeping "Overture" from last year's "Selmasongs" CD. The rest of the show's first half drew largely from the coolly atmospheric "Vespertine," from the crystalline harp of "An Echo a Stain" and "Pagan Poetry" to the glacial video imagery of "It's Not Up to You" and the amusing sight of Schmidt crunching through an amplified pan of artificial snow to create sound effects for "Aurora." Assisted by her choir in traditional dress, Bjork gave her distinctive voice a workout: whispers, crescendoing wails, lilting arias and guttural growls, while Matmos, who also served as opening act, supplied a remarkable array of effects. On the hushed "Cocoon," for instance, Schmidt ran what appeared to be a hand microphone along Daniel's back and neck to accentuate the singer's reverie of drowsy passion. Lighting set the mood on the minimalist set, flushing deep crimson during the industrial "Army of Me" and bathing the stage in soothing mint green for the airy, up-tempo "Hyperballad." The second half of the concert found Bjork in another birdlike ensemble, a scarlet-feathered hoop skirt and a bodice covered in plastic bangles that clattered cheerfully as she danced and whirled across the stage. This section focused on earlier work, with highlights that included "You've Been Flirting Again," from 1995's "Post," which Bjork delivered in Icelandic to lush string accompaniment (she also sang "The Anchor Song," from 1993's "Debut," in both Icelandic and English). A majestic "Isobel" combined full orchestra, Matmos' digital percussion and Bjork's vocals at their overarching best. Equally lavish were the symphonic "Bachelorette" and an encore of "Joga" from 1997's "Homogenic." If the evening began with a tableau of isolation, it ended in collective bliss as members of the audience danced their way down the aisles clapping along to a new song called "In Our Hands." Bjork skipped from one side of the stage to the other, laughing and egging them on, a spritely magician who broke her own otherworldly spell to join her fans in a moment of musical joy.   Oh, snap, what a show!  This is Jericho reprazentin' for all my brothas and sistas who couldn't be there wednesday nite, except for my brother and sister and brotha-in-law, who bought our tickets.  That's right, I was there!  This thug wasn't gonna be mopin' around at home like he did during the Homogenic tour, nah.  I was there at the BEAUTIFUL(!), crazy-eloquent Paramount theatre, packin' my binocs and my fartable Ren Höek doll, hoping to get my dog autographed.  My bro-in-law considered bringing his autographed POST LP he bought off of eBay to be personally autographed, but decided it was too big and fragile. Our seats were aiight, on the lower part of the balcony, but the theatre was so small that any seat was a good seat.  We were hoping to get some handicapped seating on the main floor because my sister reaggravated a pre-existing knee injury and had to use crutches, but because this happened after we bought our tickets, the ushers said we couldn't get those sweet, sweet seats.  Beeitches! In the crowd I saw one woman wearing her own swan dress.  Unfortunately, I didn't finish mine on time.  I also saw my favorite local band, The Skyflakes, in the audience.  They rock.  Before Matmos came on, this song kept playing over and over  about wishing to be a frog.  It was driving everyone crazy.  Finally Matmos came to end our hell.  How was Matmos?  Mind blowing, honestly.  And balloon blowing as well.  One Matmosian was making farting sounds with a balloon, and I couldn't help but contribute to the music, using my farting Ren doll in an exercise of call-and-response.  Their set ended, and I prepared myself for what was to come.  You see, when the mood is proper, and I am in mental focus, I can enter a "Björk trance," where waves of tingling energy propagate from my scalp to my toes when I listen to her.  That's when I become a "Björk Ninja."  Who's calling me a freak?  Don't make me put the smack-down on yo ass!  I recommend you try it. So she came out, in a swan dress, a very short skirt, with tights underneath.  My bro-in-law and sister said they saw her butt.  I must have been in my trance when her ass was flappin' about.  Dizamn!  I'll refer you to the set list above and only mention a selection of stand-out songs (they all stood out damn it!).  I was stunned to hear the sound of footsteps in snow, because Aurora appeared infrequently on the other set lists.  The steps were performed live, as a Matmosian steadily walked in place on a layer of gravel.  I was feeling it during Part 1 of the show.  I forgot to breathe and took intermittent lungfulls of air.  I sat on the edge of my seat.  There was a red laser beam on her that she did not appreciate.  Hey, the laser beam in the eye means "I love you!"  Can't you acknowledge the retinal burn that is my love?  OK, nothing like that ever happened.  In fact the audience was great.  Hardly were there any obnoxious noises except my farting Ren doll.  Everyone seemed frozen, stunned by the perfection of it all.  And the sound—it was INCREDIBLE!  It totally explained the reason for small venues.  I thought I missed out on the Icelandic Octet.  But I'm cool with the ¡54-PIECE ORCHESTRA!.  The Inuit Choir was cool too.  And I'm sure some of Björk's un-miked voice reached my ears! Intermission came and went.  She returned in her red microscope slide dress and sang You've Been Flirting Again in Icelandic, which went straight into Isobel.  Isobel received three rounds of applause: first, when the strings began and some people recognized it right away; second, a few bars more into the strings and more people recognized it; and third, when the beats started and everyone finally figured it out. That song was the strangest moment for me because the stage very closely resembled a dream I had (but not a Björk dream).  Green light, a diagram of aquatic single-cell plant life(?) projected on the screen.  I've been here before...On Anchor Song she was accompanied by Zeena Parkins on the harmonium(?) as she sang in Icelandic.  Midway through, the crowd cheered as English made its return appearance.  The microscopes slides jingled.  The highlight for me was Hyperballad.  That particular performance was greater than all other performances I've heard of that song.  Everyone sang along on Human Behaviour. Bachelorette!  And then Jóga! was pure orchestral.  She introduced her entourage (read out loud with your best impression) "Matmos!  Zeena Parkins!   A choir from Greenland!  An orchestra from the Bay Area!  And Simon Lee!"  Then she announced the last song of the night, an unreleased song that I knew by heart.  The choir did patty-cake which started the whole audience to clap, and then Our Hands began.  It was off tha hizook!  She ran around the stage and pumped her fists in the air for each tremendous cymbal crash. House lights up, and I went down the fast way to the stage door, just in case she would dart out before the crowd appeared.  That didn't happen so I was reduced to giving props to the orchestra.  I saw some of the Inuit choir.  I asked them if they could sneak me backstage and I tried to bribe them with some Eskimo Pies.  Apparently, Eskimo Pies are not a staple of the Inuit diet.  We tried to urge my sister to sneak in, because she really looks like she belongs in the choir, but we missed the window of opportunity. Plus she was literally lame.  It would have worked though, homes.  Mounting pressure for an hour from my bro-in-law forced us to leave.   I guess making a living the next morning is more important than waiting four hours in the sketchy hope of seeing Björk in an alley.  So Ren Höek's gassy belly remains blank.  Someday, fo' sheezie. Overall, the show was great.  There were some disappointments, like she didn't do Unravel, and the Sucarcubes didn't spontaneously reunite onstage.  Alright, IT WAS THE BEST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE!  To those considering throwing down hundreds of bills on eBay for some tickets, my advice is — bid higher!  Any price is a bargain!  If you don't experience this you'll be kicking your own ass for the rest of your life.  Man, I would chop a finger off  Yakuza-style to watch this tour!  And I'm afraid some people are gonna do that for her shows in Japan!  Minimum bid is two fingers and a toe, I heard. Now if I could only find someone who made a bootleg........ ; - )     ( - ; Aiight, den, Peace in tha Middle East! Jericho Saria http://www.sfgate.com/ Elfin Bjork alights in Oakland Last night's Bjork concert began with the jangle of a music box and a whirl of feathery confetti and ended with thousands of hands joining in syncopated clapping and concert-goers dancing down the aisles. For the 105 minutes in between, a sense of magic permeated Oakland's Paramount Theatre, as one of the music world's most quixotic stars enraptured a sold-out audience with a performance that was part pop, part avant-garde classicism and thoroughly enchanting. In over eight years as a solo artist, Bjork has followed her muse through musical adventures that ranged from quirky dance music to abstract aural collages and show tunes. That whimsical spirit has never been framed as exquisitely as on her current tour supporting her new album "Vespertine." Backed by a full orchestra, an 11-member girls' choir from Greenland, electric harpist Zeena Parkins and San Francisco sound duo Matmos (Martin Schmidt and Drew Daniel), Bjork has created a concert experience as unique as her repertoire. The night's fanciful opening featured Bjork looking elfin in the spotlight, wearing one of her trademark white dresses with a swan's head draped over the shoulder and playing the instrumental "Frosti" on a music box. The orchestra followed with another instrumental, the sweeping "Overture" from last year's "Selmasongs" CD. The remainder of the show's first half drew largely from the coolly atmospheric "Vespertine," from the crystalline harp of "An Echo a Stain" and "Pagan Poetry," to the glacial video imagery of "It's Not Up to You" and the amusing sight of Schmidt crunching through an amplified pan of artificial snow to create sound effects for "Aurora." Assisted by her choir in traditional dress, Bjork gave her distinctive voice a workout: whispers, crescendoing wails, lilting arias and guttural growls, while Matmos, who also served as opening act, supplied a remarkable array of effects. On the hushed "Cocoon," for instance, Schmidt ran what appeared to be a hand microphone along Daniel's back and neck to accentuate the singer's reverie of drowsy passion. Lighting set the mood on the minimalist set, flushing deep crimson during the industrial "Army of Me" and bathing the stage in soothing mint-green for the airy, up-tempo "Hyperballad." The second half of the concert found Bjork in another birdlike ensemble, a scarlet-feathered hoop skirt and a bodice covered in plastic bangles that clattered cheerfully as she danced and whirled across the stage. This section focused on earlier work, with highlights that included "You've Been Flirting Again," from 1995's "Post," which Bjork delivered in Icelandic to lush string accompaniment (she also sang "The Anchor Song," off 1993's "Debut," in both Icelandic and English). A majestic "Isobel" combined full orchestra, Matmos' digital percussion and Bjork's vocals at their overarching best. Equally lavish were the symphonic "Bachelorette" and an encore of "Joga" from 1997's "Homogenic." If the evening began with a tableau of isolation, it ended in collective bliss, as members of the audience danced their way down the aisles clapping along to a new song called "In Our Hands." Bjork skipped from one side of the stage to the other, laughing and egging them on, a spritely magician who broke her own otherworldly spell to join her fans in a moment of musical joy. Wanna contribute? Copyright © 1995-2001 by Björk Overseas Ltd. All rights reserved. See our privacy and copyright statement for more information.