It is one of my biggest (and most first world problems-y) regrets that I missed Bon Iver when they played at the Galway Arts Festival in 2009 a couple of weeks after I saw this performance from Glastonbury on the BBC coverage. I had hit the peak of my Justin Vernon love at that point and was completely evangelical about For Emma, Forever Ago. I didn't know how popular the album was at the time (my house was still living in the stone age with no internet) so it's nice to know that I wasn't the only person who was quite literally in love with the music, with that performance in particular.
I did finally make it to the festival to see some music this year. My boyfriend got tickets to the RTÉ Concert Orchestra playing classic film scores (sort of the polar opposite of Bon Iver's folky, acoustic vibe) and we brought along a blanket and settled in on the grass under the giant, circus-like tent of the Big Top. I was a bit sceptical; I listen to a fair amount of orchestral music and scores (I keep the Skyrim soundtrack on repeat while I'm studying for exams) but I didn't know if it would hold my attention when I was seeing it live. I was completely hooked though! It was such a beautiful experience to realise all the individual elements coming together to create these massive, wildly evocative pieces of music. I was pretty overwhelmed by the time they finished the first piece, which was the Superman March. I was also experiencing endless squee over the two adorable little kids sat in front of us who pretended to be composers throughout.
It makes me think that I should get out and see more music, more art, even if it's not huge bands or plays that I know inside out. It's a better experience, I think, to find that something you were expecting to be pretty okay is actually spectacular. I wish I had more experiences like that.
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