Quite a long time since I didn't attend an "international artist concert". But Björk's visit to the Guggenheim in Bilbao was worth the little journey from home. It was a good concert. It sounded best when electronic machines pumped up the volume surrounding Björk's voice with trip-hop noise, in songs like Joga, Pluto... The famous Reactable was fake, or it seemed like that: whenever they used it, nothing happened to sound; rythm, notes, and the whole soundscape was independent of that gadget.



On the other hand, the local Basques in the audiences were just getting anxious as the concert evolved and Björk, how Scandinavian of her, kept repeating Gracias, gracias, gracias in Spanish... Just before the final song, Declare Independence (was it specially chosen?) she finally said Eskerrik asko in Basque, after consulting someone behind the curtains. Finally! we screamed (many people commented this to me afterwards). But just as the song ended, she forgot what she heard previously, and just repeated: gracias.

Don't worry, we still love Iceland.