Geography and land is a constant in Bon Iver’s studio work, and it was nice to see it reflected in their live show as well. The stage setup was restrained and subtle but extremely effective, with strands of tapestry hanging down from above the stage, illuminated by a projector to be anything from leaves to falling snow. Predictably, Perth opened proceedings on both nights, introducing the packed Opera House to just what the band was capable of. ![]() The result is nothing short of spectacular. Gone- at least for the most part- is the silence and the sparseness, only to be replaced with impeccable, intricate, and triumphant arrangements blending ten men and many more instruments into one. Instead, Bon Iver have moulded their gorgeous and impossibly powerful music into a live show that is equally unique and beautiful as their recorded music, but yet in an entirely different way. Bon Iver’s studio music thrives on sparseness and silence almost as much as it does sound, particularly their first album, and attempting to convey this through a live show that features two saxophonists and two drummers is an impossible task. If it were anybody else playing the gig, I would have been slightly worried about what the two nights where I was attending may hold. But really, the most remarkable thing about Bon Iver and Justin Vernon in particular is how they have grown so much as a band and as a person respectively but yet have maintained their identity how they have kept the essence of what made their early music so very special and imprinted it into everything they do, whether that be their sophomore album or playing at the Sydney Opera House in front of thousands of people with a ten-piece band. For one thing, now everyone knows that it is a ‘they’, not a ‘him’. ![]() The Bon Iver of 2012 is an entirely different beast to the Bon Iver of 2009.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |