Translation. Seeing Bon Iver immediately after James Blake was a bad move--for James Blake. I went to the Bon Iver show with expectation bias. I expected the show to be enjoyable, even really good--these days (and by these days I mean, we are living in an age where people are touting Rebecca Black as a good performer, it hurts me to even write her name) good alone is high expectations. What I didn't expect, at all, was for this show and this man, to completely blow my mind. Bon Iver was astounding, incandescent, influential, penetrating, and a word I used at the show of which I can't seem to remember, because apparently I have an emotional attachment to the memory and or show description amnesia. He quieted an enormous crowd of people. A grouping of people, one might say, that has an entire generation's worth of self-righteous opinions and enough bravado to talk during and in between sets. No, no, no, not at this show. This crowd was silent, aside from the few obligatory I love yous and the deafening applause and opera-style screaming afterward. It was the silence that caught me off guard in the first place, and that is now I think the tell-tale sign of not only respect and admiration for the performer, but a sign that a show is going to blow your mind. If you'd like and want to understand as much as possible the experience of which I'm failing to describe...then watch these below. But do me one solid and go see Justin Vernon in person. You will not regret it, no matter what the price. His voice alone, which is even more hauntingly romantic up close and personal, is worth all the pesos, euros, and dolla bills ya'll--in the world.
BON IVER at the Shrine Auditorium on September 19, 2011
Justin Vernon is a force to be reckoned with. (Still not good enough! I'll think of the word. It'll bubble up I promise.) EDIT** I remembered the word I used at the show that seemed to encompass every feeling I had about Bon Iver at his show. It was PROLIFIC--but, now that I've looked prolific up in my handy dictionary/thesaurus, I may have misspoke when using the word prolific. Several times. Oh well, at the very least I've remembered it, and regained the synapse I might have lost if it weren't for my love of words I apparently misuse.
Afton's "Bon Iver" Outfit
Dress--Vintage
Shoes--Jeffrey Campbell "Litas", Solestruck
Purse--Vintage, The Loved One
Jewels--Vintage
No comments:
Post a Comment