Sigur Ros perform at Mission Ballroom with Wordless Chorus, C+

This past Friday night, Icelandic rock group Sigur Ros performed as part of their final world tour with the Worldless Orchestra to a sold-out show at Denver's Mission Ballroom. It was by far one of the most different and unusual shows you can see live this year.

Our photographer asked someone in line in the crowd before gates opened at the Ballroom what to expect, being that we both have never seen Sigur Ros before. "Magical, mystical," replied a woman next to him who've seen the group over a dozen time. Sigur Ros also don't go on tour too often, so when they do, it's always a rare opportunity to see them live. The last time they went on tour in the United States was over ten years ago.

This time, the Icelandic group was joined by over two dozen professional musicians called The Wordless Orchestra. The orchestra sat in front while the band was in the back, which unfortunately, was a bit of a letdown for concert goes who were hoping to see the actual band. Even sited up front the real core members of the band were hard to see the entire time because they were behind the orchestra.

However, the orchestra was good throughout the evening, and the entire show lasted around two hours with a 30-minute set break. There was no opening act, which was good because in reality, The Wordless Orchestra was the opening act.

Being from Iceland, all of Sigur Ros's lyrics of course were Icelandic. However, even when the lead singer spoke it was also in Icelandic. This made the group a bit out of touch with their American audience, but it didn't stop the Mission Ballroom from selling out.

For non-fans of the bands who went, it was a bit hard to stay awake throughout the entire ordeal, but everyone could tell all the young musicians in the orchestra were great. It was so silent the entire time of the concert that you could hear a pin drop on the upper floors of the ballroom where most of the time, bands their are loud, people are up and dancing and there is a lot of commotion. This time around, it was also unusual to see seats for the first time ever at the Mission Ballroom, which is normally an open floor venue.

The concert wasn't perfect by any means, and non-fans of the group seeing them for the first time may struggle a bit. However, if you're a true fan of the group, then seeing them perform live with The Wordless Orchestra is a wonderful and rare experience.

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More photos from Mark Matheson coming soon