Sadly, I don’t have any pics of Björk performing because (a) she forbids it, and (b) I was so far away the pics wouldn’t have looked like much anyway. She promised that photos would soon be up on her website, so you can check there in a day or two (they’re not there now).
But in spite of my inability to see her trademark amazing costumes…her striking voice still filled the amphitheater, not at all overwhelmed by the orchestra accompanying her. And, it’s hard to imagine better complements to Björk’s style than the lush greenery, soft summer air, floating cottonwood fluff, and swallows and bats coming out to hunt for the evening. I’m more a fan of her videos and multi-media stuff, but last night I was blown away by her voice–so strong and clear, so much control through a variety of styles and effects. I realized while watching, too–both her and the people who came dressed as outlandishly as she–that she’s really the champion of an alternative femininity that we don’t see expressed often in mainstream media. I guess you can say she’s tapping into old fey/witchy archetypes of women as expressions of nature. But, she performs those stereotypes in a futuristic way that would make Donna Haraway and other champions of “cyborg” feminism hopeful, I think.
All of that relates to how awesome Berlin is exactly how? Well, I would say it relates in that Waldbühne is pretty typical of Berlin’s special way of blending urban and sylvan architecture. It also felt very Berlin riding to the concert on the S-bahn with all the other concert-goers and getting to see their amazing outfits and hear them talk excitedly about Björk and how much they loved her. (Also very Berlin, but not necessarily awesome, was the couple seated two rows in front of me who chainsmoked relentlessly through the entire concert, clearing the seats downwind of them while remaining completely oblivious to the stink-eye and chaos fomenting in their wake.) But perhaps most Berlin of all, alongside the beer and ice-cream vendors trekking up and down the stone steps with their wares, this kid was selling fresh pretzels out of a basket. He looked pretty stoked about his job, and for good reason:
The Rookery 