Iceland by Night

When I told people that I was going to Iceland, some of you joked that I might see Björk while I am here. Well, sure enough, I did. I was browsing the internet a day before my departure looking for something fun to do on my first night in Reykjavik. To my delight, I discovered that she was doing her first concert in her hometown in six years on the night I was to arrive. I scored a ticket and went last night. I made some friends in the hotel lounge - travellers from Northhampton, England - told them about the concert, and we all went together.

The show was in a local multi-purpose hall and there were about 5,000 people in attendance of all ages (or 1.7% of the population of the country). She was accompanied by a full chorus of Icelandic women who also, conveniently, turned into a horn section when needed - no kidding. I have been a huge fan since I saw her at the Filmore Auditorium in San Francisco 13 years ago, so I enjoyed myself immensely. The one thing that struck me was how sedate the crowd was. The floor of the hall was filled with young fans, but they just stood there - no one dancing, no one jumping. I related this fact to someone later and they replied "welcome to Iceland"...

Below is a photo of my new friends who went to the concert with me. We grabbed a bite afterwards together:

Thats Saoirse (pronounced "Seer-shuh" - its Gaelic) on the right - she is a Research Scientist at the University of Northhampton studying the medical effects of cannabis (again, not kidding) and John in the middle - he is a Software Engineer for Reuters. We had a terrific time together - too bad they had to fly home this morning...

Finally, things really got strange. Turns out that Yoko Ono is in town and is staying at my hotel. She is in the suite down the hall from me. I just rode the elevator with her. What does one say to Yoko Ono in an elevator in Reykjavik? In my case, nothing. I just couldn't think of anything clever to say... missed my chance.