“I’m going to prove the impossible really exists,” Bjork calls out at the end of “Cover Me.” The curtain rises — beating tribal drums, a neon-glowing brass section, columns of fire — and there’s Bjork. Just days after the release of Volta, Bjork shuffled and wailed in the sold-out Auditorium Theatre on Saturday, belting with the sort of charming innocence only Bjork could deliver.

After three shows in New York and a Saturday Night Live appearance, Bjork stopped in Chicago on her incredibly limited Volta tour. The opening act, Ghostigital, was incredibly digital, and outside of a few moments of seeming cohesiveness (and greatness), it was largely just noise. The two-man-act’s instrumentalist was standing outside of the swag stand after the show, and he was very friendly, if it’s any consolation.

After the exhilarating “Earth Intruders,” Bjork showcased the beauty of her voice in a quiet, shortened “Venus as a Boy.” The set list was fairly Vespertine-heavy (which is a great thing), and for the first time on the tour she sang both “It’s Not Up To You” and “Unison.” The inclusion of “Unison” could be to fill the gap left by the absence of “The Dull Flame of Desire,” Bjork’s 7-minute Volta duet with Antony and the Johnsons’ Antony Hegarty.

With the 10-piece brass section filling in for the title verse, “All Is Full Of Love” sounded completely different, yet still striking. The flawless “Army of Me” exposed the problem with the Auditorium Theatre as a venue – all seats, many balconies, and no ability to truly move with the music. Bjork at least did a lot of moving – the level of emotion she sings with couldn’t be confined by the burden of a guitar.

By the time “Bachelorette” began, Bjork was in full swing, delivering one of the most powerful and moving performances of the evening. Though most of Bjork’s music can qualify as “epic,” “Bachelorette” was above even that – Bjork’s howls were so fierce and dead-on that it was almost unnerving.

The breakdown in “Hyperballad” saw a sort of Bjork revolution that shifted directly into “Pluto,” where Bjork certainly fulfilled her promise to “explode this body.” “Pluto,” when heard by someone who’s not familiar with Bjork, will usually elicit a “What the hell is this?” response. Bjork hit every scream perfectly, which in “Pluto” is a gargantuan task, as well as worked the stage with a cryptic dance. As soon as the song finished to a roaring crowd, Bjork reverted instantly to cuteness with a quiet “Thank you” into the microphone and a curtsy, and then left the stage.

Five minutes of screaming and purple neon lights gave way to Bjork and friends’ return, and after a polite introduction of her crew Bjork began with “Oceania” and ended the show with “Declare Independence,” the “Pluto” of Volta. Bjork’s call to “raise your flag” was met by the brass section, who, with flags-raised, yelled “Higher! Higher!” to the throbbing beat.

With another cute “Thank you,” Bjork left the stage and the house lights went up. Even though the concert’s length was not exhausting by any means, there was a lot to take in – the complexity of the layering of all of Bjork’s work is never more apparent than when it’s laid out in front of you. It’s been ten years since Homogenic’s album cover first freaked out aisle passerby, but time has been kind to Bjork’s talents: it stopped.

Set list
01. Cover Me
02. Earth Intruders
03. Venus As A Boy
04. Aurora
05. Unison
06. All Is Full Of Love
07. Immature
08. Pleasure Is All Mine
09. It’s Not Up To You
10. Pagan Poetry
11. Army Of Me
12. Innocence
13. Bachelorette
14. Wanderlust
15. Hyperballad
16. Pluto

Encore
17. Oceania
18. Declare Independence