Bon Iver - Concert "Review"

I've been starring at my computer screen, trying to find the right way to start this post. I'm still feeling a bit "floaty" from the show last night. As in...cloud 9.

For those of you who may not know, Bon Iver is an indie-folk group, lead by Justin Vernon. That's not to take away from the other eight members of the band...they are all incredible musicians. But, in my opinion, Justin Vernon is a bit of a genius. I know, I know. Bold statement. Blame it on the cloud 9 brain if you must, but if you'd been there....

Let me explain.

There is too much. Let me sum up. (Anyone?)

I attended this concert with 3 of my favorite girls. Brittany (it happened to be her birthday!), Katelyn and Lindsay. When we pulled into the parking garage, we all immediately starting talking about how beautiful the building was. That only increased as we walked inside. It is a gorgeous facility. We took the elevator to the upper grand tier and found our seats. There is not a bad seat in the place, although I'd be lying if I said we didn't experience a bit of vertigo at first.

Our view of the gorgeous opera house.

Soon, Kathleen Edwards (the opener...who also happens to be Justin's girlfriend) took the stage. She was really good. Her tone was so pure, and the acoustics served her well. After her 45 minute set and a 30 minute intermission, we settled back into our seats just in time for the lights to dim.

The group took the stage and seemed to take it all in for a moment before Justin strummed the first few chords. Within seconds, we were all captivated. It's seems that a common misconception (for a few of my friends) is that Bon Iver is a dude with a computer. WRONG. And hearing this nine piece band play all its parts in an opera house known for its uncanny acoustics...well, I'm going out on a limb here, but it was a bit life changing. Their sounds just filled up the room and you realized exactly how complex the music was, and how talented the musicians were.

This is a crappy iPhone picture. But, you get the gist.

As the set went on, it only got better. He played all of my favorites and based on my friends' reactions, they aren't just my favorites. They were also so gracious. Justin kept thanking us for "letting" him play for us, and seemed to sincerely mean it. I truly respect that in an artist. On the ride home, we discussed where it ranked in our concert history. At first I said "Top 5"...but soon realized I could only name a couple of concerts that came close. Last night was Top 3, for sure.

I did not take this picture. It's from a friend's Facebook. They had better seats. ;)

And as I try desperately to concentrate at work, my mind keeps going back to last night...and I'm cool with that.