‘Cornucopia’ inspires sold-out Chase Center in Björk’s dazzling return to Bay Area.
Dazzling, passionate ‘Cornucopia’ a feast for senses in sold-out Chase Center show
It took a couple of years, but Björk finally welcomed a sold-out San Francisco crowd to see inside her mind.
Now 56, the beloved Icelandic alternative pop star is no stranger to daring acts of fashion, sound or visual splendor. Her past is filled with such episodes, be it the swan dress she once wore on the red carpet at the 2001 Oscars or her more than two decades of making music that straddles the abstract but still manages to deeply resonate with a vast, devoted fan base.
And yet, it’s safe to say no spectacle Björk has previously mounted can match the depth and splendor of her latest concept, “Cornucopia,” which made its Northern California debut on Saturday, at Chase Center.
“Cornucopia” is not merely a concert. On Saturday night, an 18-member choir, two hours of ever-shifting projections, and a circular flute played simultaneously by four people in angel wings were among the featured elements in what was ultimately less akin to a musical performance than a heavenly feast for the senses.
Originally scheduled to take place in 2019, “Cornucopia” had its world premiere in New York before playing dates in Mexico City and Europe. Then the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic ground live music to a halt, forcing Björk to wait for conditions to improve before finally finishing her intended tour with three dates in Los Angeles and two in San Francisco. Another Chase Center performance is set for Tuesday.
In an interview with The Chronicle ahead of her two-night stop in the city, Björk shared that the unexpected downtime imposed by the COVID lockdown was, in her case, a bit of a blessing.
“I don’t think I’ve been home so much since I was, like, 16,” she said. “I have been secretly really enjoying it.”
Whatever extra energy Björk may have been able to store during the past two years, she seemed perfectly willing to expend it all over the course of a 19-song set that drew largely on her acclaimed 2017 album, “Utopia.”
The urgency underscoring that record was a key facet of “Cornucopia,” which was heavy on the dual themes of nature and climate change. Dazzling projections of twisting tree roots, melting lily pads, and the artist’s own face as the soil upon which fantastic flora blossomed all worked in tandem to create a musical experience that felt less like seeing a selection of songs being played and more like an elegant hybrid of music, dance and performance art as only Björk could imagine.
To help complete this vision, she also enlisted the help of some special friends, including the Los Angeles choir Tonality, which appeared throughout the evening, as well as rising star Serpentwithfeet, who made the most of his brief appearance to sing his part on Björk’s “Blissing Me.”
Björk is a human metronome, and her movements — whether spotlighted on a platform flanked by the Icelandic
flute septet Viibra, or sequestered within an egg-like dome structure at the back of the stage — were just as compelling as the elaborate costumes and visual effects.
Until her two-song encore, Björk’s chosen outfit was a harness decked out with tufts of white fabric that resembled a cloud or dandelion heads, plus a golden face piece. Her look was complemented by the members of Viibra, who looked like sprites on the vast stage.
In an evening that displayed the stunning range of Björk’s talents, the high points were too numerous to name. The intense lighting and impassioned vocals made her performance of the “Utopia” track “Sue Me” a mesmerizing moment, while “Hidden Place” (from 2001’s “Vespertine”) was reimagined as a haunting a cappella featuring only the singer and choir.
Before returning for a two-song encore, Björk punctuated the end of her set with a video message from Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Given the prominence of climate dread throughout “Cornucopia,” Thunberg’s words were perfectly in key with the urgency of Björk’s performance throughout the night.
If the sentiment both hoped to impart is that art and survival may ultimately be one and the same, then it was a message successfully delivered.