Bon Iver Serenaded Prospect Park [photos]

This past week I took my first ever trip to NYC, and on my last night there, was treated to Celebrate Booklyn!’s Bon Iver show. Swarms of people piled in as openers, The Rosebuds (@therosebuds), took the stage. The rhythmic, low-key rock made for good ambiance as everyone settled in to their spots, and the set ended as the sun faded into the night. When Justin Vernon and the rest of Bon Iver (@boniver) took the stage, though, the eager crowd packed in as close to the front as possible.

The set consisted of a balanced mix of material from the first album (For Emma, Forever Ago), the newest album (self-titled, Bon Iver) and even a song from the Blood Bank EP. Throughout the performance, Vernon played conductor to a mini-orchestra of nine, each a crucial piece to the ensemble. While I was pleasantly surprised with how well the new material translated live, the older songs were still what took my breath away.

The show closed perfectly with a double encore featuring “Skinny Love”, “Wolves” (with some beautiful crowd interaction), “For Emma, Forever Ago” and a rad cover of Bjork’s “Who Is It?” The audience definitely experienced more than they could have imagined with such a powerful ending. Simply amazing.

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