Jusin VernonLast night a gaggle of us rode my purple BMW into the fog to see Bon Iver (name is corruption of the French words for good winter – bon hiver) perform at the Fillmore in SF. The venue was jam-packed! Usually I covertly finangle my way close to the stage, but as late-comers we were elbowed to the outer margins of the crowd of 1,200. While our 6’0 volleyball compatriot peered coolly across the broad crowd, the rest of us stubby field hockey players bobbed and weaved from one clear line of sight to the next trying to get a glimpse of Justin Vernon who wrote the band's first album after a breakup and a bought with mono while living alone in a isolated cabin in Northern Wisconsin. Whew.
There was one big surprise for me last night; while famed for his falsetto, the lead singer, Justin Vernon, has a Barry White-esque oh so deep speaking voice. Who knew? Despite his calm baritone, he was a witty Wisconsinite. At one particularly pungent moment in the smoke-filled room, he noted wryly that he “smelt some weed earlier” and earned hearty cheers from the crowd. To top it all off, Icouldn’t help but love his frizzed out bowl hair cut – it reminded me of Harry from Dumb and Dumber.
There was one big surprise for me last night; while famed for his falsetto, the lead singer, Justin Vernon, has a Barry White-esque oh so deep speaking voice. Who knew? Despite his calm baritone, he was a witty Wisconsinite. At one particularly pungent moment in the smoke-filled room, he noted wryly that he “smelt some weed earlier” and earned hearty cheers from the crowd. To top it all off, Icouldn’t help but love his frizzed out bowl hair cut – it reminded me of Harry from Dumb and Dumber.
Overall, two thumbs up for Bon Bons. The rhythm section was pulsating heartbreaking emotion the whole night, and although Vernon’s vox weren’t as on the spot as his recordings, it was perhaps more emotionally powerful that way and the Bon Iver experience is all about emotion.
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