We would've gotten this up sooner, but we've been busy playing nursemaid all week!
We parked in the hay last Saturday evening and were told by one of Shoreline Amphitheater's parking attendants, "Watch out for that big hole. We're right on the fault line!" Then, after walking for what seemed like a mile, we were finally able to hear the faint strumming of Joanna Newsom's harp and her signature, endearingly quivering voice. It had probably been ten years since we had last been to an amphitheater, and we realized upon entering the event that they all look the same, for the most part.
We had unfortunately missed Ghostdigital, the first opener of the night (we admit it, we had to stop at In 'N' Out on the way down), but were lucky enough to catch several songs of Joanna Newsom's set. It was exciting to see her at such a huge venue. Her presence and performance filled the whole space, and her impressively long legs filled the whole length of the giant screens. We could see in huge detail the various expressions of intense concentration on her face as she plucked her harp. We were all so very proud.
Then, Bjork came on and further blew off the proverbial roof (made of flags). Her costumes were sufficiently strange and elaborate and her performance spot-on, backed up by an awesome horn section, vibraphone, and a crazy midi-sampler that almost looked mystical. Engulfed in color, lights, and love, all of us on the lawn could feel the vibe through the grass and the airwaves. (We're sure those closer to the stage had an even better time.) It was a gorgeous night to boot, with a sliver of a moon — as Bjork pointed out.
We were equally impressed when we later checked out the amount of content on Bjork's site. Fans are encouraged to post reviews and photos of her shows, and Bjork is currently having a contest in which "Madwebcarpenters" can create a video for her "Innocence" track. The song can be heard on her MySpace page, and the contest runs through the beginning of August. So, get to it!