Björk – at Avalon – Review

Björk

at Avalon
by Laura Roper

Hundreds of adoring fans gathered to welcome Björk at Avalon to promote her first solo CD release on Elektra. Entitled Debut, for obvious reasons, the album has brought Björk into the limelight without the help of the international stars, The Sugar Cubes.

Knowing the singer from her previous work, I jumped at the chance to see her live. Boy, fame sure has a way of affecting people. Before the $18.50 show began, we were told sternly that there would be no smoking or flash cameras, so as not to hurt Björk’s throat or eyes. [Hence the need to print a promo shot. Ed.] So there I stood, a non-smoker without a camera, completely annoyed.

Looking around, watching the cigarettes fall to the ground and the flashes removed, I was impressed by the fans quick response. It showed a definite loyal following in Boston.

From behind the instruments emerged a little white china doll wearing a paper dress, painting gleeful smiles on the faces in the crowd. The band, a full techno orchestra, laid the groundwork for Björk’s soaring vocals, leading the crowd on an entrancing, hypnotic rollercoaster ride into nirvana. Björk’s performance contained much more body language that I’d expected from the tranquil tunes I’d experienced on the CD. Songs like “Violently Happy” and “Human Behavior” churned waves in the human ocean before her.

While the show was only 45 minutes, she returned for encore after encore. The crowd would not let her leave the stage. The junkies just could not get enough of their Björk fix.