Bon Iver, Lord Huron, Julien Baker- American Family Amphitheater, Summerfest 6/29/19

photo by Brian Norman

Bon Iver is nothing if not a unique, one-of-a-kind act. When asked to describe the band, there is not one sole description that works.  Sometimes folk, sometimes electronic, sometimes driven by heavy drums, and at other times driven by simple acoustic riffs on piano or guitar, Justin Vernon and his cracker-jack set of musicians are, at their best, a mesmerizing ensemble.  Bon Iver, while no stranger to Milwaukee, made their first Summerfest appearance in front of a very well-attended amphitheater crowd.  Only the side sections of the bleachers were empty.  The band played a healthy eighteen song set which included tunes from across the Eau Claire native's career with this group.  While over a third of the set came from 22 A Million, Bon Iver's most recent release from 2016, plenty of tracks from 2011's Bon Iver record and 2007's For Emma, Forever Ago made it into the set, along with some cuts from 2009's Blood Bank E.P. as well.

The performance was noteworthy for its production as well, especially as the band is not currently on a tour.  Each song contained a wide array of visual imagery, unique lights, and oftentimes sweeping soundscapes.  Justin Vernon looked like a cross between a musical mad scientist and a guy who you'd have a beverage with at the neighboorhood block party, wearing a  Christian Yelich shirt with cut off sleeves and donning a set of headphones as he jumped between keyboard, sampler and guitar throughout the band's set.  Vernon, of course, fluctuated from falsetto to his natural voice throughout the set and even in the middle of individual songs.  Highlights included the debut of Bon Iver's latest single, "Hey, Ma" a track off of their forthcoming record set for release later this year.  Other stand-out tracks included a beautiful set opener of "Perth," the lead-off song from 2011's Bon Iver release, a reimagined mid-set, "Minnesota, WI" also off of Bon Iver, a moving set-closing combo of "22 (OVER S∞∞N)" into "Creature Fear" from For Emma, Forever Ago.  Sean Carey, Bon Iver's longtime drummer, was on fire in the amphitheater and his well-nuanced licks and pounding rhythms drove the show.

photo by Brian Norman

Opening for Bon Iver were two stellar acts, Lord Huron and Julien Baker, each of which was deserving of a Summerfest headling slot on a ground's stage.  Lord Huron performed a thirteen song, hour-long set before the headliner.  The Los Angeles rock/Americana band fronted by Ben Schneider has evolved quite a bit since we last saw them as the headlining act at the Rock the Green Sustainability Festival in 2017.  Lord Huron has a new record out, 2018's Vide Noir which pushes the band's sonic boundaries the most in its career to date.  In addition, Schneider and company have really honed in on creating jams and soundscapes within their songs that hook the listeners and propel their songs in different directions.  Coupled with enhanced visual production and with band members stretching their musical range, Lord Huron delivered a stellar performance of emotive folk-rock, county, and blues that even channeled an emo rock vibe at times.  Like Bon Iver, Lord Huron kept their set close to their most recent release while also performing noteworthy tracks from their back catalog.  "The Night We Met," from 2012's debut "Lonesome Dreams" LP got a more folksy reworking live and received renewed acclaim after appearing in the Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why in 2017.

photo by Brian Norman

Julien Baker lead off the triple-bill concert.  The young twenty-three-year-old singer-songwriter was perhaps the most crazily emotive artist of the evening.  Singing and playing guitar to a scattered crowd in the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, Baker delivered the most on the big stage with body language that echoed the often heavy sentiments in her songs.  Make no mistake about it, Baker has a message and is not always a happy camper, but yet presents her songs in such a relatable and genuine way.  Baker's prophetic guitar work coupled with her imperfect yet angelic vocal delivery made her early performance noteworthy and memorable.  For the latter half of Baker's set, she brought on stage a violin player who helped create richer timbres and textures to accompany the emotions of Baker's songs, the majority of which came from her 2017 Turn Out The Lights release.

THE SET LIST 

1. "Perth"

2. "10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⚄ ⚄"

3. "715 - CR∑∑KS"

4."666 ʇ"

5. "Heavenly Father"

6. "Towers"

7. "Blood Bank"

8. "Beach Baby"

9. "Hey, Ma"

10. "Minnesota, WI"

11. "8 (circle)"

12. "____45_____"

13. "33 "GOD""

14. "Skinny Love"

15. "22 (OVER S∞∞N)" 

16. "Creature Fear"

Encore

17. "Holocene"

18. "The Wolves (Act I and II)"