via madeablog

Being one of the last people to start avidly listening to Bon Iver in the past year, I took it upon myself to be one of the first to buy tickets for last night's show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. It was a good strategy since I'm told the show sold out in less then half an hour. This was the last of three shows that Bon Iver played in NYC and the only one that wasn't seated. I've always loved the intimacy of the Music Hall so it seemed like the perfect venue.

Still, I'm not sure the setting would have mattered that much (unless it was the Masonic Temple). Bon Iver, lead by brilliantly bearded Justin Vernon, opened with Babys from the new Blood Bank EP. The constant patter of pianos and electric guitar filled the air with a soft flurry of sound before Vernon even opened his mouth to sing, and once he did, we were also greeted by the voices of the whole band who seemed to have been hand picked to emulate Vernon's own.

The show was over surprisingly quickly, and I'm sure it was partly because I lost myself and never looked down at my watch. The great/ridiculous cover of I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love Tonight had me brimming with joy, and a solo performance of my favorite tune, Re: Stacks, had the whole audience in perfect silence. Throughout the show, Vernon effortlessly wailed in his falsetto, and a few occasional sliding guitar notes came off as light sobs.

It should be obvious by now that I loved the show. Even the opener, The Tallest Man on Earth, gave me chills. I've loved Bon Iver's recordings for almost a year now so it was great to see the band do both the new and old albums justice in a live set. Truth is, however, I'm a sucker for this sort of folk, and if you are as well, go see Bon Iver.

Bon Iver - Re: Stacks.mp3