Continuing our highlights from Day 2 of FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL 2013…

Icelandic sensation BJÖRK has had an astounding musical career, spanning back almost 40 years and covering an unbelievable range of genres. It’s hard to think of many other musicians who can boast an 8-album discography so diverse and of such consistently high quality, rendering Björk a major drawcard for fans deciding to attend Fuji Rock Festival this year. Those who did choose to attend primarily to witness her performance were not disappointed, as she put on her usual eccentric and mind-blowing set. There were up to 15 people on stage at any given time, most of whom were dancing when not providing backing vocals as a part of her touring choir.

Björk’s reputation for incredible costumes was upheld, donning a rather cumbersome ensemble known as the “DNA Dress” comprised of hundreds of tiny blue, black and orange balloons. She opened with “Cosmogony,” track 4 of her latest release “Biophilia,” and proceeded to dish out classics such as “Army of Me,” “Joga” and closing with “Declare Independence.” A standout track of her set was Björk’s new rendition of “Hyperballad,” remixed with LFO’s “Freak,” which made for an absolutely gut-wrenching dance experience, one which every single person on stage and in the crowd engaged in.

The Green Stage at Fuji Rock is the largest and usually reserved for the biggest acts, and as a result has several giant screens so people at the back of the vicinity can see live video footage of stage. For Björk’s performance however, these screens were shut off, rendering the entire area dark but for the stage (except for a handful of tracks such as “Hidden Place,” when they were used to screen eerie visuals and clips). While this did make for a more eye-catching and ‘real’ performance with the fantastic lighting effects and dancers on stage, it was a shame for those further back to witness Björk and her co-performers as tiny ants from so far away.

The sound quality of her set was second to none, however, Björk’s unique and haunting vocals carrying out into the mountains, and even those fans further back from the stage were able to share in a rare and magical experience. A few days after Fuji Rock, Björk played two solo performances at Tokyo’s Miraikan Science Museum, which sold out despite tickets being 22 000 yen apiece.