Date with Bon Iver

A month ago today I was lucky to have the chance to see BON IVER live at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn.   It was absolutely wonderful!

Ever since I heard the album, For Emma, Forever Ago,  I have considered it a classic.  I have listened to the album over and over again.  I love all the songs and never get sick of them.

I would use my own words to describe how I felt/feel about the show and about Justin Vernon (the singer for Bon Iver) but I came across a quote in an article written by Jake Mohan for Reveille Magazine that expressed my thoughts perfectly.  He said:

"I can only surmise that Justin Vernon connects with something in people that's more than musical, more than even the emotional string that gets plucked inside us when we're truly moved by our favourite music. It goes beyond even that. He connects with something deeply interior and private in us, which makes it all the more incongruous when that connection is made so publicly, over and over, in so many people at once - it's beautiful, yes, but in an almost unsettling, voyeuristic way. Like you've stumbled upon something secret you weren't meant to see."

Oh man, I just love that!  It is a brilliant explanation of what I feel when I listen to Bon Iver.   This quote might also explain why there almost seemed to be a reverence at the show.  At times in the filled, sold out venue, the entire crowd would become completely silent.  It was the first show I ventured to attend alone, but I think that almost made it more intense.  It was extremely moving and worth every penny.

If you are interested in reading the full article where I discovered the quote, click here.  Even though it is a review from a different venue I feel like it applies to the show I attended in Brooklyn.

Also if you want to hear a new song by Bon Iver that I recorded at the show click here.