A Magical Night in Singapore with Sigur Rós

What’s a music fan’s biggest dream? To see her favorite band perform in concert!  On November 23, 2012, Sigur Rós, a pop rock band from Iceland, held a live performance at Fort Canning Park in Singapore.  For an Indonesian fan, who had only seem them perform on YouTube, this was very exciting.

Inside the Fort Canning Park, we could see the ruins of Fort Gate, which was built in 1860, Spice Garden, ASEAN Sculpture Garden and Battle Box, a military zone  from World War II.  The air was fresh and cold. “It’s a rain or shine event” was clearly written on the ticket.

We entered the venue and were mesmerized. Located on a hill, the park felt like an open air theater. The stage faced the Fort Canning Museum , which was beautifully decorated with lights. The sky was gloomy, but the drizzle kept us alert. The audience sat on the grass between the stage and the museum, chatting and laughing. It felt similar to the Sigur Rós concerts in Iceland, where the audience sits in a large prairie, drinks beer or coffee, chats with the other audience members, and enjoys the Sigur Rós performance. Sigur Rós had clearly brought Iceland’s atmosphere to Fort Canning Park.

As we waited for the concert to begin, the DJ warmed us up with an upbeat melody. Around 9 pm, the stage turned black and the party started!

We weren’t concerned about getting sick because we each felt as warm as Jonsi’s voice and as peaceful as Sigur Rós songs.

“Please sit down, please sit down!” we kept shouting at the beginning of the concert. But once the people in the front row stood, everyone was forced to stand. Luckily, those distractions didn’t ruin the mood. We moved our bodies, waved our hands, and shouted about how amazing we all felt! We tried to follow the words, but we couldn’t so we closed our eyes and repeated their rhymes.

In fact, we felt like we were transported to another place. Each song felt like it had its own soul. Jonsi played his guitar as though it were a cello. The audience was filled with explosive emotions. The stage background graphic changed with the words of each song.

“Jonsi’s falsetto voice made me cry, made me fly to sky!”said Nofri Sanjaya, another Indonesian fan.  “Their songs are just amazingly magical!”

A Magical Night in Singapore with Sigur Rós

The universe absorbed the energy from Fort Canning Park that night, and even cried when the concert was about to end! During the encore song, a sudden heavy rain let loose, the raindrops following the melody of the song. Some of the audience looked for shelter, while others remained dancing under the  shower of magical raindrops.

While Sigur Rós played their last song, the people and the raindrops were transcended by the melody. Then, the song came to an end and the rain stopped.

With our wet clothes and shoes, we left Fort Canning Park in the middle of the night. We weren’t concerned about getting sick because we each felt as warm as Jonsi’s voice and as peaceful as Sigur Rós songs. Even though we hardly understood the real meaning of the songs, we understood how they made us feel. It was the best and the purest concert I have ever watched. Singapore, Sigur Rós, salute!

Photo credits for A Magical Night in Singapore with Sigur Rós by Puri Rinanti.