*Bon Iver
Coachella, Weekend One
4 paws*
While many may think that a live performance by Bon Iver would be the equivalent to listening to a bedtime lullaby, it was pleasantly surprising to witness how intense and absorbing the band’s performance was.
Listening to the songs from the band’s albums, it’s hard to discern what instruments are playing or to identify what’s being played at all. At Coachella, the audience could visibly as well as audibly experience what instrumentals were at work in each song.
The result was consuming, almost menacing, as different horns and saxophones blared alongside Justin Vernon’s soothing melodic voice. Backup singers also supplemented Vernon’s vocals with a new energy that invigorated the stage and further pushed the sound past what fans have heard on the album.
Bon Iver performed songs from its 2007 debut album “For Emma, Forever Ago” and its self-titled Grammy-winning second album, “Bon Iver” beginning with “Perth” and ending with “The Wolves (Act I & II)”.
Bon Iver was not afraid to deviate from its quiet sound, especially with more known songs like “Calgary” and the Grammy-nominated “Holocene,” and the result was exciting and enthralling.
The highlight of its set was undoubtedly their performance of “Skinny Love,” which, upon the first familiar guitar strums, got the audience screaming and singing along.
Vernon’s voice was almost heartbreaking as he sung about love, loss and obscure cities, (“Minnesota, WI,” “Hinnom, TX” and “Lisbon, OH” were all performed). His gentle voice made the lyrics connect to each other as if they were a single word, making it a little difficult to understand exactly what he was singing.
However, Bon Iver’s collective performance was nothing short of enchanting, as it played each song with an exaggerated, almost orchestral style that created a powerful and haunting experience for fans familiar with the band’s music.