From the Golden Gate Bridge to Iceland: Of Monsters and Men, All These Years Later

I might be dating myself here, but seeing Of Monsters and Men live was definitely on my bingo card back in 2012–2013.

I was living in Berkeley, California, in my twenties, and their music was everywhere. As a Californian, how could you not roll down all the windows, open the sunroof, and blast “Little Talks” or “Dirty Paws” while driving across the Golden Gate Bridge?

That’s where those songs take me. Back to the San Francisco Bay Area, to a portion of my life that I really enjoyed.

What I didn’t expect was to finally see them live at 38, in Iceland.

When I arrived for my 90-day stay in late August, an advertisement for their concert appeared on my Instagram. So I did something I hadn’t managed to do back in 2013: I bought a ticket.

01A Big Band in a Surprisingly Intimate Place

The concert was at Kaplakriki in Hafnarfjörður. Outside, it was raining. A lot. A very Icelandic fall evening.

Thankfully, the concert was indoors.

My first thought walking in was that the venue looked like a high school gym. I felt a little transported back to my own high school, which wasn’t exactly what I had pictured for seeing a band this well known.

The concerts I’ve attended in the United States have often been much, much bigger. But I loved how close everything felt here. I had general admission, showed up about 20 minutes late, and could still get so close to the stage. At the beginning, I probably could have walked right up to the front.

That kind of access still surprises me.

I know Iceland is a small country, but experiences like this make that smallness feel tangible. A band whose music followed me around California was now performing just a short distance in front of me, without some expensive VIP package standing between us.

Kaplakriki  ·  Hafnarfjörður  ·  October 2026

02The Sound, the Lights, the Music

Whatever my first impression of the building, the production was excellent.

The sound was spectacular, and the lighting moved through orange, red, white, purple, and a whole rainbow of colors. I’ve been noticing color more during my time here, and that night gave me plenty to look at.

I enjoyed hearing the newer music, too. Enough that buying the album on iTunes is now on my list. I want to listen again and have those songs bring me back to this night.

But I was still waiting for the songs that had brought me there in the first place.

03“Dirty Paws” and “Little Talks”

They saved those familiar favorites for late in the show.

Hearing “Dirty Paws” and “Little Talks” brought back those California memories immediately. The drives, the open windows, living in Berkeley, and being in my twenties with so much still ahead of me.

Now I’m 38, standing in a concert venue in Iceland, exploring another possible direction for my life.

It was a really fun thing to connect. These songs already belonged to a chapter I loved, and now I have another memory attached to them.

The next time they come on, I’ll still think about the Golden Gate Bridge. I’ll also think about that rainy night in Hafnarfjörður.

04The Detail I Missed

The following morning, I learned something I hadn’t realized when I bought the ticket: this was the finale of The Mouse Parade Tour.

They were finishing their world tour at home, on the first anniversary of All Is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade.

I had gone to see a band I’d wanted to see for years and accidentally caught their homecoming finale.

I’m still a little amazed by that.

05Another Memory of Iceland

I’m really enjoying this time in Iceland and the chance to explore whether I could eventually live here.

It’s becoming easier to picture what that life might look like. There are ordinary routines, things I’m still learning, and practical questions I need to answer. Alongside all of that, I get nights like this.

I finally saw Of Monsters and Men. The music sounded incredible. I was close to the stage. And songs I loved in California became part of my experience in Iceland, too.

It took me more than a decade to get to that concert. I’m glad this was the one.

Sjáumst næst — see you next time.