As you all may know, SCOPE loves Bon Iver. We've been talking about him since before his official Jagjaguwar release. You probably also know that SCOPE loves Mission Creek. We've been talking about them and the ridiculously large solid they do for Iowa City every year with the Mission Creek Festival. And, lastly, perhaps most obviously, you may also know that SCOPE loves the live concert settings. Well, this past Saturday, April 5th, SCOPE's three great loves came together into one glorious show. To top it off, it was the inaugural use of SCOPE's brand new venue, the Black Box Theatre. And, to be honest, the experience could not have been any more memorable. First, we'd like to thank all our openers, Caleb Engstrom, Mit'n, and Sam Locke-Ward, for their excellent performances. They all performed phenomenally and are great bands in their own right. Should you ever get a chance to see any of these guys and gals play, please do. It was an honor and a pleasure for us to host them. But on to the meat of this review.
Let me start off with a disclaimer: nothing I write will come close to describing this experience. In my almost four years on SCOPE and nearly a decade of intense concert going, I don't know if I've ever quite experienced anything like this show. The extremely polite, gracious, and unassuming members of Bon Iver took to the stage at just a little after nine. The small but inviting Black Box was illuminated by white Christmas lights hanging from the rafters and lining the stage. The sold-out show saw the front half of the crowd seated while the back half stood. The anticipation was palpable. Not a single voice to be heard. Not a single breath to be exhaled.
The first gentle strums of album opener "Flume" began. Release. His voice as haunting and beautiful live as it is on the album. The other two members of the band (drummer and second guitarist), made the songs even more beautiful, if that can possibly be imagined. Gorgeous and complex harmonies at every turn. And, what's more, for as soft and beautiful as the songs can be, Bon Iver brought the fucking noise (such as on "Creature Fear" outro song "Team")! And the rest of the show followed in much the same way. The band, very carefully walking the line between beautiful balladry and brain shaking noise, never lost the crowd's attention, not even for a second. Each song a highlight in and of itself.
However, there was one moment that is worth recounting, and that moment came in the form of "The Wolves (Act I And II)." Justin prefaced the song by asking the crowd to help out for Act II, saying that, thanks to the cavernous nature of the room, the louder the crowd was, the better of an experience it would be. He wasn't kidding. The song started off as gentle and tender as it does on the album, and Act I finished with Justin singing of those beautiful Sinatra blue painted eyes. Then he started the "what might have been lost" refrain. He beckoned the crowd to join in and do their part. They did. And then, just like that, the song changed into something else. It was the same song. But it wasn't just a song anymore. 303 voices shouted out in unison, surging past the lights, charging at the ceiling, trying to break free. The crowd continued the refrain, and each member of the band belted out their parts, words and melodic bellows. The drums were coming fast and furious, the guitars harsh and melodic, and it just kept building and building and building until it was almost unbearable, moving some to tears. It wasn't a song anymore. It was something bigger, something that seemed more important than a few simple chords and words could convey. Something deep. Something that connected us as people. Something indescribable.
Words can't describe this show. It was more an "experience" than a "concert." If there is any way in the world for you to witness one of these shows, make it happen. You would be doing yourself a great disservice to miss it. At this point in my life, not having a wife or kids (that I know of), if I was to have every single memory erased from my brain save one, it would be this show. Seriously.
5 comments:
amazing review.
amazing show.
great job brown bear :)
i believe the eyes are painted "sinatra blue." cilantro is green. i expected better CK.
reading this gave me chills about the wolves all over again.
ummm i just cried reading this.
you explained all of my thoughts that I had about the show that I myself couldn't explain. It was by far the greatest concert experience i've ever had.
I was experiencing some serious concert let down Saturday. I mean, I'm just now getting my voice fully back from the ridiculously energetic Poison Control Center/The Blacks/Capgun Coup/Cursive show. I'm talking seriously wonderful rock music (as per). I didn't know if anything could ever match up and I think that's exactly what I needed for this show. I needed to have no expectations because I've been hearing Bon Iver get built up for a while now. So I was totally ready to listen to this band I just heard of and see if my skepticism would be quelled. Not to mention the possibility my excitement about the Black Box would be confirmed (shout out to SVP).
This was the perfect following act to the PCC/Cursive experience. I unfortunately missed Caleb Engstrom, whom I absolutely enjoy. I showed up for Mit'n and it was a nice warm up for the ears. The simple lyrics and fun style of the two fellows told us all how much they were dgaf-ing it. I don't think the crowd was right for the band on that one but that's just me. Great potential for a fun experience with the right audience.
You could say that I was entertained by Sam Locke-Ward. It was interesting to see the people from the Hamburg (you know what I'm talking about) and the guy from 12 Cannons, you know, do their thing. The singer was hilarious and it reminded me of The Show is the Rainbow, to a degree. Musically, I think the crowded nature of the stage made it difficult to discern what was really going on during the messier songs. This is not to disrespect the chore it must have been to get all 12 people on stage and plugged in. There were a few gems in there that shined and made me question my judgments of Sam Locke-Ward.
Now Bon Iver. I was actually frightened that this was going to be horrible. I did a little YouTube research and his high voice was hit or miss (that's too be expected with that kind of falsetto and it is sort of out of the performer's control) and I wasn't sure what I felt about it on the album as a whole. I also had questions about the acoustics in the Black Box and how that would affect things. Apparently, SCOPE did their work well. I was already convinced of the Black Box's ability to, ahem, "handle the rock" by the time Bon Iver took the stage.
I feel like I should include a disclaimer first, a la Kappy, in the interest of full disclosure. I like post-rock. I won't miss a chance to see the Appleseed Cast or Unwed Sailor or The One A.M. Radio. It won't happen. I live and die by the build-up (example, Appleseed Cast's first two tracks on Low Level Owl Vol 1; The Waking of Pertelotte & On Reflection) and the sparse vocals (The One AM Radio has the most beautifully smooth and clean vocals you will ever hear live or on an album). I do not get that fascinated feeling with many bands.
Bon Iver was fascinating. The vocals succeeded after I got used to the height in comparison to the openers. They were falsetto'd but with a little raspiness at times. That dynamic succeeded. The layers of vocals and guitars were completely comprehensible. The harmonies fit well and were executed perfectly. The banter wasn't drawn out or forced but felt legitimate. And my god Skinny Love and The Wolves (Acts I and II). I wanted to tough-indie-guy ignore the crowd participation portion in The Wolves but I COULDN'T. It was physically impossible for me to not join in. The build up of the participation, the continued recitation throughout the band's utter instrumental meltdown (I mean that in the good way). To say it was moving would be an understatement. I could only imagine the complete experience of having listened to this band more than just a couple weeks in advance and getting attached to the songs, knowing the lyrics, knowing the way they come together and unravel.
I honestly cannot say that I have ever been to a concert where the crowd is silent and captivated by the performer during their songs. There's always someone talking. I've heard rumors that shows like this exist. I've seen evidence in live recordings of Final Fantasy shows. This was my first. And I couldn't have asked for a better experience to go along with it. Thank you, SCOPE and Mission Creek and especially Bon Iver, Sam Locke-Ward, Mit'n and Caleb Engstrom.
chirs...thank you for this review. it just brought me right back to saturday night. and i got chills all over again. This was by far the most incredible show i've ever witnessed.
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