Ink on the Back of Bon Iver
Having played baseball since I was old enough to hold a bat and toss a ball, there ’s one thing that the game’s taught me about live music; it’s that noticing and appreciating the “little things” makes all the difference.
And when you notice the hidden nuances about your surroundings during the show, you also begin to discover what separates an average show from a great show and why certain shows have stronger subtexts and significance than others.
In the case of singer-songwriter Bon Iver, it was his “that was then” tattoo on the back of his neck that added meaning and helped me understand what made his performance at Pitchfork Music Festival last summer one of my favorite in 2008.
But it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I began to discover this.
When my wife Colleen showed me this picture she took of the back of Bon Iver’s neck, it was then that I began to connect the story of the subtext of that tattoo with what I experienced during the show, a connection that I didn’t initially see during his set at Pitchfork Music Festival.
Ever since Colleen showed me this picture I’ve been on the lookout for other little details about that show and others shows I’ve been to. I’ve been looking for the little things that make some concerts more memorable that others. Because when I saw that tattoo I wondered “What did it mean? Why did he have it on the back of his neck?” Was it inspirational to his music? Did it mark a transition in his songwriting or personal journey?”
I continue to wonder about that tattoo and the other “little things” I’ve noticed at concerts. Because I’ve begun to realize that they have an immense power to quietly influence the show and send the emotional fervor flowing strong and furious from the artist’s heart to our hearts unsuspectingly–during or even months after a show.
What “little things” have you noticed about a show? What did they reveal to you that you didn’t noticed before? Was it a tattoo? A piece of jewelry? A comment the artist said in between songs?
Update: Jade, a gracious Live Fix reader, reminded me to note that Bon Iver is the band/stage name of Justin Vernon.
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I googled for “Bon Iver tattoo” and found your site and read this.
I have seen some of his other tattoos (by looking reeeeeaaally closely at the videos up on YouTube) and some of them seem to be like some sort of assurance to himself that he’ll move on from something bad. For example
“That was then”
“I said remember this as how it should be”
I like that. It’s like the lyrics for Skinny Love that seems to be a speech to himself.
I also really like the fact that you can’t see any of his tattoos until he moves his arms. Makes the man even more cool.
Errr… sorry, just my two cents. Good writing by the way, I’ll continue reading here.
Cecilia, Stockholm
Thanks for stopping by Cecilia! I really appreciate you sharing your insight about Bon Iver’s tattooes because it adds to the thought I had about the collective subconscious that’s very present during a live show, but most fans don’t realize it’s there. I’ll be doing more Little Things post in future posts so I hope you enjoy those too!
His name is Justin Vernon. The stage name/band name is Bon Iver.
Thanks Jade for contributing to the conversation on Live Fix! I appreciate the additonal and more specific info on Bon Iver. I’ll make the update ASAP.