Bon Iver Waited for Sunrise at Hollywood Forever

Most concert nights end before dawn. Bon Iver made dawn the destination at Hollywood Forever on September 27, 2009. The band’s performance began around 6 a.m., after an overnight programme that brought listeners to the cemetery hours earlier.

The Daily Trojan’s contemporary report describes midnight admission, DJ sets and screenings that included Bottle Rocket and Planet Earth. A blessing by Buddhist monks preceded the concert.

The schedule changed the audience’s relationship to the setting. This was an outdoor cemetery performance reached through a shared night of waiting, watching and listening. By the time Justin Vernon and the band appeared, the concert had already occupied several hours of the audience’s lives. The sunrise was part of the event’s structure, not simply a backdrop.

Explore Hollywood Forever on CouchLot.

Sources: dailytrojan.com.