Bjork, Austin City Limits Festival: Best Concert of 2007

I vowed never to return to the Austin City Limits Festival after attending last year. But when I heard Bjork would be playing at the ACL festival this year, I knew I had to eat my words and go. And let me say, words never tasted so good. Not only am I glad I gave the Austin City Limits Festival a second chance, but Bjork was brilliant. Definitely, the best concert of 2007 was Bjork at the ACL festival.

The City: Austin, Texas

Known as "the live music capitol of the world", Austin is a music lover's playground. Considering the city's natural beauty, interesting sights, laid back atmosphere, and friendly people, it is not hard to have a good time attending a concert in Austin.

The Venue: ACL Festival at Zilker Park

The 2007 Austin City Limits (ACL) Festival brought together over 100 bands playing on 8 stages over the course of three days in September. Bjork, Bob Dylan, The Killers, Arcade Fire, Wilco, Joss Stone, Regina Spektor, Arctic Monkeys, My Morning Jacket, Dr. Dog, Crowded House, Cold War Kids, and Common were just a few of the bands to play the festival this year.

Zilker Park is conveniently located near downtown Austin where most of the fun happens and visitors stay. The ACL festival itself takes place in a mostly wide open area of the 358 acre park. The beauty of the park - its pecan trees, Barton Springs, downtown view - is somewhat limited while inside the festival gates, but the setting remains memorable.

The only drawback to attending the Austin City Limits Festival is the heat. When I attended ACL in 2006, I was not prepared for the heat. After baking in the hot sun for a few hours, my friends and I decided we could have more fun doing something else indoors in Austin. So we left, vowing to never waste our money on the ACL tickets again.

This year we came prepared though. If you ever consider attending the Austin City Limits Festival, I offer you this advice: No matter how young you think you are or how dorky you think it might be, do yourself a favor and bring water, a hat, and a lawn chair.

The Concert: Bjork

The Icelandic singer Bjork made her solo debut in 1993. Since then, she has evolved into one of the world's most original recording artists. Bjork is not easily defined, and that is probably why I like her.

Her concert at the 2007 Austin City Limits festival would mark my first time to see her perform live, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Bjork was set to end the first night of the ACL festival along with The Killers on a separate stage. So with the sun down, the heat was a non-issue. The crowd was a decent size, but not claustrophobic in nature.

I assumed her concert would promote her latest 2007 album Volta. But instead, Bjork sampled from all six of her albums. Her set-list included the following songs:

Volta 2007 - Bjork opened and closed her set with songs off her 2007 album Volta. She opened with Innocence and closed with Declare Independence. She also performed Earth Intruders, and Wanderlust.

Medulla 2004 - Pleasure Is All Mine, Oceania.

Vespertine 2001 - Pagan Poetry, Hidden Place.

Homogenic 1997 - Hunter, Immature, Joga, 5 Years, Pluto.

Post 1995 - Army of Me, I Miss You, Cover Me, Hyper-ballad

Debut 1993 - The Anchor Song

My favorite songs of the concert were Oceania, Hyper-ballad, I Miss You, Army of Me, Earth Intruders, Pluto, and Declare Independence.

Oceania was mellow with a memorable performance by Bjork's horn section. Hyper-ballad began by making the night seem more beautiful and ended with the raving energy. I Miss You opened with a worldly flavor and ended with the audience clapping high to the beat. Army of Me saw Bjork bathed in red light, disappearing into a beating darkness, and giving a twisted performance. Earth Intruders made you feel every crazy marching beat. Pluto was like being sucked into a climatic video game. And Declare Independence made you want to start a revolution; it was unbelievably brilliant live (much different than how it sounds off Volta).

The whole Bjork concert was like riding a mysterious wave of energy. Bjork danced barefoot with the flowing movement of a child on stage. The lighting intensified the beats. The audience was into it from start to finish. And when the night ended, you wanted more. The concert was good fun.

Honorable Mention Concert: Gwen Stefani

I saw Gwen Stefani perform in Houston at the Cynthia Mitchell Woodlands Pavilion last May during her Sweet Escape tour.

The first time I saw Gwen Stefani perform was with her band No Doubt in 1996. I have caught just about every concert tour of hers since then. This year's concert was the biggest production I have seen. It was one the most visually entertaining and beautiful concerts I have ever attended.

Helping to make the Gwen Stefani concert memorable was her opening act Lady Sovereignty. Lady Sovereignty lacked the advantage of visuals, but her performance was sick. I am completely addicted to Lady Sovereignty after catching her live.

Gwen Stefani was as memorable as ever, but the Bjork was easily the best concert of 2007.