Just as few people bought For Emma, Forever Ago before its proper Jagjaguwar release, few people may remember Bon Iver’s D.C. area debut. Justin Vernon performed alone in a half-full (if that) Jammin’ Java, his songs as stark, chilling and beautiful as the snow falling outside. However, Vernon’s star has taken a meteoric rise and the production and instrumentation on his self-titled album creates a very different sort of dramatic effect. Similarly, his live show is no longer merely a man in a chair with an acoustic guitar — it’s well-lit big band extravaganza that justifies two sold-out nights at the 9:30 Club.
Even before the openers, The Rosebuds, gave the eager 9:30-goers a taste of the sweeping cinematic tunes to come, yellow and orange lights bathed the audience, as if mentally preparing them for some sort of aural high. It seems to have worked. Couples kissed, dudes sang along with fervor and one guy in the back of the club yelled “I’ll make out with you!” when Vernon introduced “Beach Baby” as a song about “making out on a beach…in your dreams.” Furthermore, during two of the show’s more subdued moments, I got shushed for sneezing and shushed louder for thanking the person next to me for offering me a clearer sight line. Clearly, the dedication of Bon Iver fans can never be questioned.
For the most part, their taste was also unquestionable. The songs off of his self-titled release (which constituted most of the set) blew the audience away with its epic swoop. Yes, they had moments where the synth-ier aspects of the new album shed a Phil Collins-esque spectre over the show, but for the majority of the set, Bon Iver’s band was as tight as they were spellbinding. The impressive light show and skilled horn section made for some of the more jaw-dropping moments, but those were not necessarily the most memorable. Vernon’s excited open mouthed drop to his knees during “Calgary” revealed the kid-in-a-candy-store aspect of Vernon’s persona…an aspect not as celebrated as his signature falsetto.
Yet, for all of the stadium-sized production, the most heart-rending moment came when the band took a break and left Vernon to impress the audience with just his voice and his guitar for “Re: Stacks”. It was just as chilling and beautiful in front of 1,200 people as it had been in front of 20 and served as a reminder of why people loved Bon Iver in the first place. But four years ago, Vernon could not have also asked for a sing-a-longs to “Skinny Love” and “The Wolves (Act I and II)” and expected the outpouring he received last night. Vernon can likely never go back to the barebones sound which defined his breakout — but he may never need to.
