Bon Iver @Bowery Ballroom, July 29th

A last minute call by Shana allowed me to tag along for the wonderfully exciting Bon Iver show at the Bowery Ballroom. We got there nice and early to be front center. Unlike my last visit to the Bowery Ballroom, this show reminded me why I love this venue -- Bon Iver capitalized on the Bowery's generally great sound and intimate setting and made me an overnight fan. They, led by Justin Vernon and his beautiful soaring falsetto, were an accomplished group, taking us through melodically complex songs with layer upon layer of harmony. The songs at times reminded me of the first time I caught Grizzly Bear, but perhaps with more oomph to their beats. I really dug the mostly mellow vibe with the occasional rock out on the guitar thrown in. The songs really engaged the audience with building crescendos. At times, Vernon's falsetto reminded me of Coldplay's Chris Martin, but perhaps with the profundity that Coldplay's music often lacks.


Here's a gorgeous solo by Vernon called "Re: Stacks":

The opener, Bowerbirds, were a perfect complement to Bon Iver. This quiet trio also sang beautiful songs that might not reach headliner status but still managed to hold the attention of the crowd. Rather straightfoward folksy sounding tunes full of harmony and without gimmick.

I videoed a nice tune by them called "Teeth of Life."

For the encore, Bon Iver called Bowerbirds back onto the stage and performed a cover by Nashville singer Sarah Siskind called "Lovin's for Fools":


All in all, a gorgeous night for music!