Sigur Rós, Iceland’s biggest musical export since Björk, arrives in Columbus today as part of the Wexner Center’s fall black box concert series.

Undoubtedly the series’ most anticipated show, the event sold out the first day tickets were available.

“I was certainly aware that they had a significant following, but I wasn’t aware of just how big it actually is,” said Charles Helm, director of performing arts at the Wexner Center.

In order to meet the remaining demand for tickets to the event, the Wexner Center has changed the show’s location.

The performance will still take place in Mershon Auditorium, but rather than having both the audience and the band on stage in the series’ black box format, the audience will now be seated in the auditorium’s 2,500 seats while the band performs.

This change allowed for an additional 2,000 tickets to be sold. Over half of those seats have already been filled and location of the seats is determined by when the tickets were purchased.

“We’re taking care of the people who bought tickets early,” Helm said.

“The people who bought tickets in the first round will be seated front and center,” said Karen Simonian, spokeswoman for the Wexner Center.

The Wexner Center’s fall series has been highly acclaimed for its black box format, which creates a more intimate atmosphere for the audience and the band than typical concerts at Mershon. The Wexner Center was concerned about changing this aspect, but remains confident the audience will be pleased.

“I’ve been to two of the shows – Clinic and Electroclash – and I thought the (black box) set-up was great … but I think more people will be happy just to be able to get tickets (for Sigur Rós),” said Andrew McClain, a senior in art history, who bought his ticket after the additional seats were made available.

This show is part of Sigur Rós’ second American tour. The previous tour hit only four cities, making this tour the first in many cities, including Columbus.

“I think they’ve made it a very special fall for those coming to these shows,” Helm said.

The music Sigur Rós creates can’t really be classified. For starters, the band’s lyrics are sung in a language that isn’t quite English and isn’t Icelandic – it’s seemingly made-up.

“To me the most interesting thing about Sigur Rós and bands that come out of Iceland and Scandinavia is that their relative isolation has nourished very unique approaches,” Helm said.

“There’s a majesty to the music and a touch of melancholy, a kind of spiritualism and a feel of spaciousness,” he said.

The band formed in 1994, while the original members were just teenagers in Reykjavik, Iceland. The name Sigur Rós translates to “Victory Rose” and was taken partially from the name of one of the band member’s sisters.

Sigur Rós gained popularity outside of Iceland when the band opened for Radiohead during its 2000 European tour. The band’s second full-length recording, “Ágætis Byrun,” was released internationally in 1999. A new album, released under a title that is simply two parenthesis, came out last week.

Sigur Rós will be accompanied by the Amena String Quartet at tonight’s show. Tickets are $22 for general audiences and $18 for Wexner Center members and students. The show starts at 9 p.m. at Mershon Auditorium.