It was one of those perfect Sydney Summer evenings by the harbour....

We were sitting on the steps of the Opera House clutching onto our lukewarm cans of VB, surrounded by thousands of other people all buzzing with excitement, and waiting for her to come on stage. There seemed to be a genuine "good vibe" amongst all of the 5,000 or so people who were there. Even when two of us were waiting in the hour long beer queue I didn't notice anyone frowning or getting aggro (as you would normally expect in an hour long beer queue) - it seemed like everyone was just happy to be there.

By the time we made it back to the rest of our group who had successfully managed to hang onto our spots, it had transformed from day to night and a full moon was blazing overhead. Then moments later everyone screamed as Bjork and her band paraded out onto the stage, their faces coloured with tribal patterns, like part of some mystical pageant, and the sound of "Earth Intruders" boomed out into the Opera House forecourt.

The music was amazing! Bjork's vocals were a bit lost in the mix to start with but then the person on the mixing desk dragged them out clearly to front where they should be - she really does have a voice like no other. The other musicians were also impressive, particularly the all female brass section and the guy who created some amazing electronic effects using a "reacTable".

As I sat there with my friends, taking in these amazing sounds, watching the ferries drift along into the quay, with the Sydney skyline in the background, I honestly couldn't think of anywhere else I would have rather been at that particular moment. I'm a self confessed music junkie and I would have lost count of the number of gigs I've seen over the years, but there are always a few special ones which will always stand out... and Bjork at the Sydney Opera House is now definitely one of them.

I searched flickr for some photos of the Bjork concert. Despite Bjork's request that no photos be taken, there are quite a few on there, although most are pretty shaky and taken from a long distance.

I tried to find a photo that captured the feel of the evening, but nothing really did. Then I came across this photo. Sure, it's fuzzy looking and you probably wouldn't be able to tell that it was Bjork if you didn't know that already, but it seemed, to me anyway, to capture the mood better than any of the others. Bjork looks like some strange mystical being hovering in the blackness, her wings outstretched, as she screams out her hypnotic chant. Maybe it was partly due to the beer... but I think this is a fitting way to remember the night!

(PS. After about 15 hours stuffing around trying to link to the image by setting up a flickr account, yahoo account, reading numerous FAQ's, etc, etc. I ended up just doing a good old fashioned cut and paste.)