Pitchfork

Richard Marx is a 40-something lite-pop crooner with a string of late-80s/early 90s hits who, as his website reminds us, has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.

Sigur Rós are a beloved Icelandic experimental pop group who occasionally sing in a language they made up.

On purely musical terms, the two appear to have have roughly as much in common as Bryan Adams and Animal Collective. But as it turns out, Richard's a big fan of Sigur Rós. A very big fan. He bought five tickets to the band's sold out Chicago concert on September 24. But when he realized that he wouldn't be able to make it to the show, Marx put them up for auction on his website to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. There's even a little statement on the auction page from Richard himself, paying tribute to Sigur Rós and reassuring you that this particularly weird juxtaposition is for a good cause:

Hey gang,

I became a big fan of the band Sigur Rós from Iceland about 2 years ago, and had the great pleasure of seeing them perform live at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago on their last tour. I got tickets for the Chicago date of their current tour, only to find myself having to travel to Los Angeles on the same day as the show, September 24. I was about to return the tickets for a refund when I had the idea of auctioning them to the highest bidder, with all proceeds going to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

I'll also throw in a signed copy of the Duo CD by myself and Matt Scannell. Aside from seeing an amazing show at the beautiful Chicago Theatre, you'll be contributing to helping find a cure for a horrific disease.

I hope you'll bid on the auction, and I wish you all the best of luck. As for me, I'm so crazy about Sigur Rós I'm flying to another city on their tour to catch the show later in the month.

Thanks and take care,

RM

No, thank you, Richard Marx! Will I catch you at the AV-aerie for High Places the night before, at least?

Thanks to Seth Riddle for the heads up!

Sigur Rós kick off their fall tour Wednesday evening in New York City, but wherever they go, and whatever they do, Richard will... well, you know.

Sigur Rós:

09-17 New York, NY - United Palace Theatre *
09-18 New York, NY - United Palace Theatre *
09-19 Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavillion *
09-20 Montreal, Quebec - Quai Jacques Cartier *
09-22 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall *
09-23 Detroit, MI - Fillmore *
09-24 Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre *
09-25 Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum *
09-27 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre *
09-28 Salt Lake City, UT - Great Saltair *
09-30 Tempe, AZ - The Marquee *
10-01 San Diego, CA - Copley Symphony Hall *
10-02 Los Angeles, CA - The Greek Theatre *
10-03 Berkeley, CA - The Greek Theatre *
10-05 Seattle, WA - Benaroya Hall *
10-06 Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Theatre *
10-07 Vancouver, British Columbia - The Chan Centre *
10-22 Nagoya, Japan - Geijyutsu Hall
10-24 Osaka, Japan - Koseinenkin Hall
10-25 Tokyo, Japan - Studio Coast
10-26 Tokyo, Japan - Forum
11-04 Wolverhampton, England - Wolves Clinic
11-05 Blackpool, England - Empress Ballroom
11-06 Glasgow, Scotland - Academy
11-07 Bristol, England - Colston Hall
11-08 Bournemouth, England - Solent Hall
11-11 Lisbon, Portugal - Campo Pequeno Bullring
11-12 Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
11-13 Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz
11-15 Paris, France - Le Zenith
11-16 Brussels, Belgium - Forest National
11-17 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Heineken Music Hall
11-18 Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Rockhal
11-20 London, England - Alexandra Palace
11-21 London, England - Alexandra Palace

* with Parachutes