On a sun-drenched Thursday in June, Bon Iver steps onto the stage at the festival Syd for Solen. A long-awaited concert from the band, who in recent years have only played in neighboring countries. And such is the case with many American artists: once they cross the Atlantic, there’s no doubt that you have to act fast and buy a ticket. Because when will you get the chance to hear them again?

It didn’t take long after they entered the stage for the first notes to fly over the hill and out toward the trees. And from the first beat of the drum to the gentle imprint on the piano, you feel that this will be a magical evening. An evening where you’ll witness musicians who have perfected their craft—and their art.

For Justin Vernon har med sit debut-album For Emma, Forever Ago (fra 2007) cementeret sig selv på scenen med sin helt egen lyd. En lyd der kun er hans og sit band. 

A sound that touches the heart so gently, and so uniquely, that nothing else can replicate it. It is a song about the heart, a nostalgia for a heartbreak that isn’t even yours. You are guided along, on this journey of music, and you feel the pain that they/he has experienced. You feel with him, you sense with him, and you sing with him. And while the sun sets in accompaniment to the music, you begin to reflect on what kind of magic is taking place in this moment.

If life can’t be found here, then where? And why does it feel so right? What is it about this that helps us so much, and creates such a deep longing to listen with full intention? 

You feel the tears on your cheek, and how memories are released in your body—memories you had long forgotten. Balancing on your heels in time and space, you sway back and forth, grounded by the grass beneath you, and feel yourself moving through the excavations of time. 

This music releases something within you that has been stuck for so long. Something that otherwise felt unreachable. And you look up at the sky while the sun sets and think about all the love that has passed through your heart. All the love you’ve felt, and been honored to experience. 

And then you look down again, and deep within your cells, you feel this music being played out to the trees, to the birds, and to the people listening—quietly, gently swaying.

Breathless, you watch as the instruments intertwine, dancing playfully and joyfully, and in the shifting hues of light, they present themselves in all their glory. 

You want to stay in this universe they’re painting, and you wonder where you’ve been all this time. What place was that? Because you now face this universe of gentle dance. Of cheek to cheek. Of love that is felt down to the bone and refuses to let go.

And you cry, because you think of who and what you might have been without it. What if you had never experienced this?

The desire that everyone might get to have the same experience runs through you. This privilege you feel between your hands, this absolute sense of connection with your heart. The inner heart that longs for an embrace so close, it leaves no room for doubt.

An embrace so near it cannot be misunderstood. An embrace so intimate that you can feel the other person’s heartbeat just as clearly as your own. 

The music pulls you gently back to reality, and you hear how the four albums—played interchangeably and widely throughout the concert—now carry a new dimension and weight. A memory now tied to their smiles, and to who they are. And slowly, your eyes drift toward the vinyls on the shelf, which now, in your gaze, hold a deeper gratitude and joy. Because you’ve seen them perform this extraordinary music, and felt why this music matters so deeply.

These musical harmonies, like a gentle breeze on a sunny day, reveal the kind of love that is possible. These are people who care for each other and the art they create together. 

It is this sharing, of Bon Iver, that one will forever be grateful for. Now and always. Because something has been created here that is true, deeply felt, genuine, and beautiful—and to leave the concert untouched would be a blasphemous lie. This is, and has been, a reminder of how beautiful life can be.

Thank you. There’s nothing more to say than thank you.

The song you can’t get enough of: For Emma (from For Emma, Forever Ago)

Band members:

Justin Vernon – vocals, guitar

S. Carey – drums, keyboards, vocals

Matthew McCaughan – drums, bass, vocals

Andrew Fitzpatrick – guitar, keyboards, vocals

Mike Lewis – vocals, baritone guitar, guitar, violin, saxophone

Jenn Wasner – guitar, keyboards, vocals