One of the most famous Icelanders had to cancel her high-tech Cornucopia show in Reykjavik due to mysterious production issues.
Björk has been touring the world with Cornucopia since debuting it in New York in the spring of 2019. With eloquent descriptions such as “digital theatre” and “sci-fi pop concert”, the show is a multidisciplinary stage production, based on Björk’s 2017 album Utopia and 2022 album Fossora. In the official statement explaining the cancellation, the management team says: “We regret to inform you that due to unexpected production issues, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Björk’s Cornucopia Shows in Reykjavik this June. Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to overcome these complications in time. We understand this news will be disappointing for ticket holders, and we would like to express our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience and disappointment this may cause”.
Although there are no details specifying the exact issue, it seems that Icelandic venue, local sports arena Laugardalshöll, might have not been able to cope with technologically sophisticated stage design of the artist.
Many fans from all over the world who were planning to visit Reykjavik and see the artist in her natural habitat sound heartbroken. On the Facebook page of Reykjavik Grapevine, a local arts and culture newspaper, one of the devotees wrote: “3rd concert in a row from her cancelled, after Helsinki 2022 and Iceland 2020. I am speechless and heartbroken”.
The show at Laugardalshöll was scheduled for early June 2023. Despite the plan to organise it later, the team acknowledges the unpredictable time frame. “We still hope that we will be able to do the shows next year in Iceland. Since it might take weeks or months to solve all the technical and logistical issues, we are, however, forced at this point to cancel and refund all tickets”.