Bon Iver, Bowerbirds - Wexner Center

Who knew Bon Iver could rock out?

Justin Vernon—the man behind the Bon Iver moniker—is known for the moody, ethereal songs he recorded during a winter spent secluded in a Wisconsin cabin. (If you’ve heard of Bon Iver, chances are you’ve heard the back story.) The woodsy retreat resulted in For Emma, Forever Ago, an album that will probably be perched atop more than a few Best of 2008 lists, including my own.

I knew Vernon had recruited a full band for the tour that stopped at the Wexner Center Sunday night, but I didn’t realize that band would be utilized to its full extent so often. There was a bassist borrowed from the openers, Bowerbirds, along with a drummer and guitarist, all of whom added backing vocals.

The band accompanied Vernon emphatically on familiar numbers like “Creature Fear” and “The Wolves (Act I and II),” filling the jam-packed performance space with powerful arrangements. It was wonderful.

The full-band mentality carried over to a couple of new tunes, too, both of which featured Vernon on the keys instead of guitar. “Babies” was a slow burner built around a repeated keyboard melody, dynamically adding more instruments as it developed. There was no verse, no chorus, just mood. Really lovely. “Blood Bank” was a rocker that found Vernon ditching his trademark falsetto for some deep, blue-eyed soul.

The new tunes proved Bon Iver is a different animal than the average flavor-of-the-month buzz band. And if the sold-out crowd wasn’t already an indication, the artistic yet accessible new songs suggested Bon Iver’s next release will increase his fan base far beyond a cult following.

It doesn’t hurt that Vernon is such an unassuming, affable guy. Oozing genuine humility, he couldn’t stop thanking the crowd for being so great. He was right, too—the audience was exceedingly respectful and attentive, as Wex crowds usually are.

The night had some hushed, spare moments, as well. The band left the stage for “re: Stacks” so that Vernon could convey the intimacy of the song on his own, and the selection was none the worse for it.

The set climaxed with a version of “The Wolves (Act I and II)” that had the entire crowd singing “What might have been lost” at the top of their lungs along with the band, followed by a stirring encore cover of Sarah Siskind’s “Lovin’s for Fools” with the band joined by Bowerbirds around a single mic.

For those who have yet to check out Bon Iver, it’s probably becoming annoying how many superlatives are thrown around about the bearded minstrel of the forest. But Vernon is one of those rare artists who actually live up to, and surpass, the hype.

I can’t think of many bands that would be fitting openers for Bon Iver, stylistically speaking, but Bowerbirds filled the role just fine. The trio played songs off its debut, Hymns for a Dark Horse (which was re-released this year on Dead Oceans), but it also played quite a bit of new material. It all sounded pretty similar, but fortunately Bowerbirds’ brand of folk doesn’t get tiresome.

Singer/guitarist Phil Moore used his full, slidey voice to accompany the casually creative strums of his nylon strings. Beth Tacular played accordion that was as awesome as her name, and multi-instrumentalist Mark Paulson handled bass notes on some sort of floor contraption, along with violin. Drum pieces were split among the three.

The trio’s harmonies were the best part of the set, but I welcomed the new song in which Tacular handled a verse on her own, just to spice things up. The song also had a quicker tempo, something I hope to see more of on the band’s next record.