The final tour? The beauty of Bon Iver

Bon Iver, 5th November, Berlin Arena

We stand in a cavernous hangar, lit only in the gaping rafters. The blank acoustic space slowly amasses sound-absorbent bodies, its atmosphere increasingly electric with the anticipation of seeing one of the best bands of our generation.

I kept looking longingly at the beams above our heads, presenting the impossible temptation to perch monkey-like above the hordes and receive the full impact of the sound. But even without this height, subsumed instead within the pulsing crowd, the liquid beauty of Bon Iver’s music seeps into your (very sweaty) skin.

Opening with the soft electric guitar riffs of Perth, the virtuosity of the whole band was showcased from start to finish. Every member of this behemoth group is humblingly multi-talented. Special mention for drummer/singer/one-man-band Sean Carey, whose soaring falsetto is one of the most exultant vocals I have ever heard (and that while he is drumming in perfect unison with Bon Iver’s other percussionist Matthew McCaughan). The set grew through other tracks from the band’s second album, Bon Iver, swelling into the ecstatic nostalgia of Towers and the emotive 80s homage Beth/Rest.

As always with the ‘famous’ single, there is a risk of disappointment, but For Emma, Forever Ago’s Skinny Love evolved seamlessly from initial understated delicacy to climactic, heart-thumping power. The pared-back acoustic recording is replaced in the live set with a throbbing leviathan of a song, from the first unadorned chords to the punctuating bass drums in the chorus which compel you to stamp your feet in time. And this is how I would characterise the whole gig – a perfect balance of fragile beauty and stomping euphoria.

From their heartfelt folky roots to their experimental impressionism, Bon Iver get it all right. Justin Vernon’s elemental, resonant bass and sinewy upper register perfectly complement a band whose tonal subtleties arise out of skilful layering, a respectful fusion of synths and acoustic sounds, and a genuine emotion that pervades every note – the instruments and their players metamorphose into one ecstatic sphere of sound.

All of which brings me to lament the fact that Bon Iver are having some down-time after this tour. Justin Vernon has said ‘I need to walk away from it while I still care about it. And then if I come back to it – if at all – I'll feel better about it and be renewed or something to do that’. So, if you haven’t yet, listen to Bon Iver and revel in their exquisite musical beauty. And hope that their renewal comes quickly to grace the stage again. In the meantime, this is a good place to start.

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