Concert Review: Björk Performs Her Cornucopia Show - The Shrine, Los Angeles

By Rebecca Brando

The iconic 56-year-old Icelandic artist and performer known as Björk performed to a sold-out crowd at the the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium on January 29th. The "Cornucopia" concert marked her first US performance in three years.

Her elaborate two-hour show, first began in 2019 and was molded around her 2017 record Utopia. The tour ended up going on hiatus during the peak of the covid-19 pandemic.

As we took our seats, projections resembling the work of Georgia O’Keeffe were cast onto the stage projections alternated between sea coral forms and root systems.

Cornucopia opened with a stirring 10-minute invocation by the 18-piece Los Angeles choir Tonality; which drew from Greta Thunberg’s speech at the U.N.’s Climate Action Summit: “We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth / How dare you!”

The songs featured electronics, percussion, harp, the Icelandic flute septet Viibra, and the occasional water bowl. On a two-stair stage behind her stood a harpist, and a group of flutists playing a large four-way flute ring, which was lowered around Björk from the ceiling during “Body Memory.” The show also carried out indigenous vibes with the percussionist using falling water while striking floating bowls with a mallet known as the cataquí or “water drum.”

While the visuals were stunning, I definitely felt like I was watching a 2019 show. The overall presentation lacked the “Wow” factor I was expecting from an artist like Björk. If you are a super fan, you're gonna love it. I was a little disapointed she didnt perform "Joga" given the state of the world.

Bjork Concert Review Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Björk Cornucopia (Los Angeles) Setlist:

The Gate

Utopia

Arisen My Senses

Show Me Forgiveness

Venus as a Boy

Claimstaker

Isobel

Blissing Me (with serpentwithfeet)

Arpegggio

Body Memory

Hidden Place

Mouth’s Cradle

Features Creatures

Courtship

Pagan Poetry

Losss

Sue Me

Tabula Rasa

Encore:

Future Forever

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