Post Description

Sigur Rós 

Paradiso 
Amsterdam 
The Netherlands 

29th August 2012 (2012-08-29) 


RECORDING: 

Type: Audience master, recorded 3 metres back from the left-hand side PA stack. 

Source: Factory-matched pair of Schoeps CCM 41V microphones (DINa mounted) -> Marantz PMD661 recorder with Oade Concert Mod (-18 dB gain/44.1 kHz/24 bit WAV) 

Lineage: Audacity 2.0.0 
* applied selective amplification for consistency across concert 
* attenuated sections of loud applause 
* added fades 
* split tracks 
* converted to 16 bit 
-> FLAC (compression level 8) [libFLAC 1.2.1 20070917] 

Taper: Ian Macdonald (ianmacd) 


SET LIST: 

01. [07:49] Í Gær 
02. [09:03] Ný Batterí 
03. [06:50] Vaka 
04. [04:03] Fljótavík 
05. [10:55] Svefn-G-Englar 
06. [11:16] Gong/Andvari 
07. [07:47] Sæglópur 
08. [09:25] E-bow 
09. [06:25] Hoppípolla/Með Blóðnasir 
10. [08:51] Festival 
11. [06:27] Varúð 
12. [08:01] Hafsól 
13. [01:40] [encore break] 
14. [06:17] Ekki Múkk 
15. [06:36] Glósóli 
16. [14:35] Popplagið 
17. [01:56] [curtain call] 

Total running time: 127:55 


MD5 CHECKSUMS: 

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5bc6317cdd7787cf4eb1bbbb78ebd2b5 flac/13_encore_break.flac 
45f323210ea5023713b9c438cee83d5d flac/14_ekki_múkk.flac 
a2a72578b47978f762ece5b5e2f3ceeb flac/15_glósóli.flac 
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9d25ec4e41fea7d17b30e5d27b6ae381 flac/17_curtain_call.flac 
cedc95cff4764c8294bd811cded15a07 flac/checksums.ffp 


NOTES: 

Night two of Sigur Rós in the Paradiso and another sold-out gig, although it 
seems slightly less jam-packed than the night before. It's probably just my 
imagination, though. 

When bands play consecutive nights in the same venue, some of the biggest fans 
will attend multiple gigs. More casual listeners don't see the point, because 
each performance is more a less a repeat of the previous, with very little 
variation. Perhaps a song will be added or removed, but generally the 
repertoire of a tour is well-rehearsed and, more and more often, set in stone 
by the use of specific instruments or software configured to perform a 
particular set of songs in a predefined sequence or dependent on the presence 
of certain samples. 

And so there's no expectation that tonight's Sigur Rós set will be notably 
different from Tuesday's. 

The Paradiso is a furnace again, particularly downstairs in the taper's 
dressing-room (a.k.a. the lavatories), where I have to wait for a free cubicle 
in which to change into that most nerdy of superheroes, Taper Man! 

I emerge drenched in sweat (at least it's my own), the best part of an hour 
before the band will play their first note. I take up position in the same 
spot as the night before and await the entrance of Iceland's finest. 

They come on at 20:30 prompt again and open the proceedings with the familiar 
strains of 'Í Gær', followed by 'Ný Batterí'. 

'Vaka' is next, marred ever so slightly by a bum piano note at the worst 
possible moment, just as the song is drawing to a close. 

The next song comes as a surprise. It's 'Fljótavík' from 'Með Suð Í Eyrum Við 
Spilum Endalaust'. 

The anticipated running order resumes with 'Svefn-G-Englar' but then deviates 
again with the insertion of 'Gong' and 'Andvari', bringing the total number of 
tracks from 'Takk' played this evening to an impressive six. 

'Sæglópur' follows, but 'Viðrar Vel Til Loftárása' and 'Olsen Olsen' are then 
jettisoned in favour of 'E-bow'. 

From 'Hoppípolla' onwards, the running order is the same as the previous 
evening's, with still only two tracks performed from the new album, 'Valtari'. 

So, for the trivia fans, that's two songs more than were played on Tuesday, if 
we count the 'Gong/Andvari' segue as two. Four new songs were added to the set 
on Wednesday and only two were removed', making for a show that was seven 
minutes longer than the first night's. 

If you ask me, the second night's performance is even better than the first. 
'Sæglópur', 'Hafsól' and 'Popplagið' all seem more intense to me, but it's so 
subjective that it could easily be my imagination again. Certainly, no-one who 
attended either night should feel short-changed. Both performances are 
stellar. 

As 'Popplagið' melts down and diffuses its mushroom cloud of noise, it hits 
the Paradiso like waves dashing the rocks of a sea stack. If one could harness 
the energy emanating from the stage right now, it would surely light the homes 
of a small village. I stand in front of the PA as a lighthouse in a storm. I 
am blown away, figuratively, if not physically. 

The curtain call is also more rousing than the previous evening's. It's hard 
to imagine a more rapturous ovation enveloping the band as they take their 
bows and wave farewell. 

Once again, the recording has received no equalisation in post-processing. 
Excessive audience noise has been attenuated and the songs have been 
selectively amplified for a more consistent listening experience across the 
entire concert. 

The band were once again mixed to perfection and this is, of course, reflected 
by the recording. It is as good, if not better than the first night's. Samples 
are once again included for your aural scrutiny. 

I think I'm falling in love with these new microphones.