Bon Iver performed an eerie, enchanting set at the sold-out Santa Barbara Bowl on Wednesday. The show was emotionally powerful, leaving audience members stunned.
Bon Iver is an indie band founded by Justin Vernon, the lead singer and main songwriter.
The band’s debut album For Emma, Forever Ago, was recorded after Vernon spent a winter in solitude in his father’s hunting cabin. Since then, Bon Iver has been known for the band’s emotionally introspective sound.
The opening act was Perfume Genius, which started playing at 7 p.m. as audience members were still filing in. Perfume Genius is the alter ego of Mike Hadreas, a Seattle-based indie pop singer.
The set did help set up Bon Iver rather well. Though Perfume Genius did not have quite the same emotional intensity as Bon Iver, audience members were drawn in by the the band’s music, which alternated between blissful and anguished.
The most memorable part of the set was Hadreas’s flamboyant dancing, which at times seemed more like interpretative dance than anything you’d expect from a rock band frontman.
Bon Iver took the stage at 8:15 p.m. as the sun was setting, and the band preceded to give a spellbinding performance as the night set in.
Vernon’s voice is powerfully mesmerizing even without the use of vocal effects.
In concert, Vernon often takes advantage of The Messina, a piece of equipment made by his engineer Chris Messina, which is capable of harmonizing instruments and vocals.
The resulting sound is a unique mix that is between the rough soul of folk music and the digital futurism of auto-tune. Audience members have the opportunity to witness past and future colliding into something entirely new and hauntingly beautiful.
Bon Iver’s music was supported by minimalist, surrealist visuals. The lighting choices accentuated the emotion of the songs flashing during moments of turmoil and turning off in moments of introspection.
Vernon took a break between songs to speak in support of Standing Together to End Sexual Assault (STESA), a private nonprofit based in the Santa Barbara area formerly known as the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center.
According to the STESA’s website, the organization is “committed to empowering survivors and eliminating all forms of sexual violence in our community.” Vernon encouraged audience members to take the time to visit the organization’s booth set up at the Bowl and to donate money.
The Santa Barbara show at the Bowl was Bon Iver’s last scheduled solo stop in the United States this year.
The band will be performing at Outside Lands festival in San Francisco this weekend before heading off to Europe in October.
— Noozhawk intern Dhiraj Nallapaneni can be reached at news@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkSociety, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.