Bon Iver 5.31.2012

OUR BLOG

Bon Iver 5.31.2012

Callie Lardas
Jun 1, 2012
Belly Up Aspen, Bon Iver, Feist, Flume, Leslie Feist, Red Rocks Amphitheater

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Callie Lardas

Callie Lardas lives for the funk. If she isn't daydreaming through class at CU Boulder or working as a PR intern at The Outdoor Industry Association, she is most likely blowing off the real world to snowboard, rock climb, hike, swim, dance or play in the sunshine. If you don't like kittens, oysters, disco balls, awkward tan lines, dancing like a grandma, two martini lunches, cut copy, hot yoga, copious amounts of chocolate chip cookies, laughing uncontrollably, and raging the 2-5 AM time slot (yes, in that order), you probably wouldn't get along. But hey, if you'd like to try, next time you see her out and about in the Denver/Boulder area, buy her a Paloma and she might just decide to keep you around forever.

The Scene/The Crowd: Is it even possible to put into words how amazing and magical Red Rocks is? Probably not, but I guess I'll try my best, kids. Bon Iver just so happened to be my first show of the summer at the venue, and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect way to start the season. There's just something in the air around that place that brings out the best in people, and last night this was true for what seemed like every person there. Artists, crowd, fellow photographers, security, everyone, it was so friendly in that place it was almost weirding me out. Attendees were definitely feeling the love but I would guess this probably had a little something to do with the fact that Bon Iver made it evident this year (via his explosive rise to fame and grammy win) that feelings and expressing yourself are back in style in a big way. I must say, the crowd of cute girls in maxi-dresses, boys in bow ties, and old hippies in 80's windbreakers all swaying together and singing along to Bon Iver's beautiful ballads was a pleasant change from the rowdy rock and electronic shows I've seen more recently.

The Stage: The most striking thing I noticed from the set was the stage design. The setup included huge hanging burlap curtains of sorts above and behind the artists and also had a bunch of blue light cones on stands that looked really strange and out of place during Feist's daytime set. However, once night fell and Bon Iver took the stage, the out-of-place burlap seemed to transform red rocks into this intimate little cave, complete with low lighting reminiscent of candles compliments of the flickering blue light stands. The simple, yet effective set design perfectly mimicked the band's earthy, woods-y sound and made the 10,000 person venue feel about as small as the 450 person capacity of The Belly Up in Aspen.

Favorite Moment: Needless to say, the whole show was just great, but getting to see Justin play Flume up close from the photo pit was the coolest thing in the whole world. It felt like he was singing directly to me and I had to fight the urge to sing along while I was shooting.

FYI: I have a huge girl-crush on Leslie Feist after finally seeing her live!

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