Friday, 15 Aug 2008
Last night’s Bon Iver + AA Bondy performance will forever be a very special night for me personally. It definitely takes the cake in terms of shows I’ve seen Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) play over the past year on his continuous path to greatness. If you thought he was good back in November, he’s that and so much more thanks to his complimentary backing trio of stars, who only enhance the already beautiful compositions that make up For Emma, Forever Ago.
The band played everything in their catalog, performed new songs “Blood Bank” and “Babys“, and who can forget their jaw-dropping, show stopping, a capella cover of Sarah Siskind’s “Lovin’s For Fools.” The crowd was filled with family and friends. Old fans mingled with brand new ones and for over an hour the entire crowd belonged to the four men on stage. Pretty great night, and probably the show of the year for me so far.
Also gotta mention just how great AA Bondy’s solo opening set was. If you haven’t had a chance to pick up a copy of his American Hearts please do so. It’s a favorite of mine and will definitely make my end of the year list of favorites.
AA Bondy
Bon Iver
Once again MoB friend and photographer Daniel Brielmaier was on hand to assist with providing you beautiful photographic memories of last night. What did you guys think of the show? Was it the show of the year? How did you like the new material? What were your highlights? Did you enjoy AA Bondy’s set? Share your thoughts/reviews in the comments.
Photos: Daniel Brielmaier
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Myspace: Bon Iver
Myspace: A.A. Bondy
MP3: Bon Iver – “Skinny Love”
MP3: A.A. Bondy – There’s A Reason
August 15th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Show was really good. Happy I made the trek and incurred the $8+ service fees that cost almost as much as the ticket. “Blood Bank” was phenomenal. Not too keen on “Babys.”
August 15th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Blood Bank is amazing. They played that one in Nashville on Monday night. Really enjoyed it. I liked that the songs from the album translate a bit differently in the live selling and I really like the addition of the bass. It rounds things out really well. Justin is a great lead guy as he’s very gracious on stage. I always appreciate that.
We actually had Sarah Siskind come up on stage and sing her tune with Bon Iver. Justin was visibly emotional at the end of the song after he gave Sarah a big hug. He talked about the song and artist before they started and it was clear how special that song is for him so it was really cool to witness and even better having them do the tune with Sarah.
Great pictures!
August 15th, 2008 at 10:41 am
oh and I think AA Bondy is great. He reminds of Bob Dylan and Nicolai Dunger.
August 15th, 2008 at 11:16 am
AA Bondy was definitely special. He’s got a great sense of humor and a carefree attitude…just the type of thing to see in an up-and-coming artist. He paved the way for a great Bon Iver show. Big props to my boy Mike Noyce who sang a solo in the a capella version of “Lovin’s for Fools.” He’s got a great voice and I think he’s a good compliment to Vernon. All in all, it was a heart-warming and triumphant return to Wisconsin. I can’t wait to see them on their way back.
August 15th, 2008 at 11:41 am
When your night opens with AA Bondy claiming “I just ate the last of my peyote, we’ll see how this goes” you know you are in for a good one. His set was a pleasant surprise and his witty banter between songs got him connected with the HUGE audience.
After hearing Justin as Mount Vernon in college at UWEC and getting a Bon Iver teaser at Pitchfork, I was really anticipating last night and it far surpassed my expectations. Sometimes you think of Bon Iver as only Justin but last night showed me a new respect for the 4 as a group. Their humbleness is truly amazing…not often do you get musicians taking pictures of the crowd. Quite possibly show of the year but top 3, no doubt, and Blood Bank was great.
August 15th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Wow…
Seeing him in Indianapolis as the opening act for Wilco and now at the Pabst really emphasized how crucial the environment is to the overall concert. I feel like this show will remain special for all of Bon Iver. He said it was their biggest audience as a main act, and I’m proud WI made that happen. I think we were very appreciative and cognizant of what we were witnessing, and Justin and band were very gracious in return. People were going crazy all night, and went especially hog wild for Skinny Love. It may be the “hit,” but it was my favorite song of the night. Blood Bank is an exceptional song, and I’m anxious to see how Babys will evolve. The Sarah Siskind cover was beautiful, and I would have liked to hear what it would have sounded like entirely unplugged…could the Pabst have remained quiet enough…WI show of the summer for me. AA Bondy rules. His Tom Waits cover, Hang Down Your Head, was sweeeet.
August 15th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Don’t you work at the Pabst now?
August 15th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Actually, my first day is Monday! Thank Ankur @ Madison Music Review/Matador Consulting.
OrgName: 5Nines Data, LLC
OrgID: 5DL
Address: 222 W. Washington Ave.
City: Madison
StateProv: WI
PostalCode: 53703
Country: US
August 15th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
That was a very special show. It sounded great even in the highest balcony! The harmonies were amazing, and whoever did the vocal part arranging should be given a medal of some kind. Very very impressed overall. He said he hoped to see us all again before the end of the year, and if he’ll be back, I’ll be there. The word I kept saying exiting the Pabst was “wow.” Great night.
Ryan — congrats on the new gig! We’ll be in touch!
August 15th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
This show is definitely one that will stick around in my memory forever…..
August 15th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Definietely the best show I have been to in a long time, and there have been a lot of good ones this summer!
I really enjoyed “Lovin’s for Fools” at the end, the 4 of them really do compliment each other. I’m already looking forward to their next performance…he said by the end of the year, I’ll be holding my breath.
August 15th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I seen Justin a handful of times in sold out coffee shops in Eau Claire but this was a different kind of homecoming for him. As others have said it was obvious that it was a very special evening for the Justin as well of the rest of the band. (Drummer Sean Carey seemed to have lots of family and friends there). I am really glad MKE welcomed him as graciously as they did, I was glad I was there last night.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
It was a beautiful show and highlighted how much the band has grown since the Mad Planet show in January. I thought it translated well to the Pabst, and the final cover was one hell of a cap to the evening. Can’t wait to see Justin et al again soon.
October 7th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
I saw this tour in Portland, Oregon where I’m from and AA really gave me goosebumps.
Not sure why, not my regular style, but it was his prescence that I really enjoyed alot.
However I have not been faithful enough to score some of his music since then, but It did make quite the impact at a show I was expecting to be mostly bon iver.