So prolific is Justin Vernon – whether he is producing music, appearing as a guest vocalist for artists from Taylor Swift to Kanye West, or contributing to projects such as Big Red Machine or Volcano Choir – that it can be easy to forget that Bon Iver is not Vernon’s stage name but a fully-fledged band. Bon Iver’s music is the product of collaborative creativity, and this was evident at a phenomenal concert at Manchester Arena. The gig was part of Bon Iver’s European tour; delayed multiple times by the pandemic, it was undoubtedly worth the wait.
To listen to a Bon Iver album is to float through an unpredictable sonic landscape. You never quite know what you are going to hear next, or what instrument you are listening to, or what snatches of sound are going to appear. This is true of Bon Iver’s live music too, with the result being an enthralling hour and three-quarters.
Each of the six band members was bordered by a diamond shape that lit up throughout the show. Overhead, a series of panels moved into strange geometric patterns, as well as reflecting and emitting light which meant that the dreamlike quality of the music was enhanced by a stunning set of visuals that made the whole spectacle even more engrossing. The lights show complemented but never crowded out the music, resulting in a seamless sonic and visual spectacle.
The music itself encompassed all four of Bon Iver’s albums, but drew particularly heavily from 2019’s i, i; nearly half the songs performed came from that album. Despite tracks such as Hey, Ma or Naeem, (both of which featured in Manchester, and were stunning), it is the Bon Iver record I have struggled with the most and listen to least. But suddenly, in a live setting, the songs made sense. They were brightened and sharpened, the sound rich, the lyrics still as cryptic and undecipherable as they are on the record but packing an intense emotional punch by way of Vernon’s vocal delivery, every note keenly felt. I listened to i, i the following day and suddenly there was a moment of: ah, yes, I understand. These are not songs to be deciphered or understood. They are dense and intricate songs to be newly felt and experienced with each listen. It was this sudden realisation that will perhaps leave the biggest mark on me after Manchester, and which will shape my listening to Bon Iver in the future.
You can have a look at the setlist below to see what else was played. It feels somehow wrong to pick out particular highlight tracks from the concert, because the whole thing felt like a complete experience rather than a collection of songs that you might get at another gig. The music flowed about you, immersed you within it. It cast a spell that bound everybody together, and made the sizeable Manchester Arena somehow feel very intimate.
It was this combination – of the visual spectacle, of the music itself, of the realisation that it brought me – that made this a truly stunning experience.
2. 666 ʇ
3. Calgary
4. Jelmore
5. U (Man Like)
6. Hey, Ma
8. 715 - CREEKS
9. Speyside
10. Skinny Love
11. Perth
12. iMi
13. Faith
14. Salem
15. Holocene
16. 33 “GOD”
17. 22 (OVER S∞∞N)
18. Naeem
Encore
19. Flume
20. RABi
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