When it comes to music — in most cases — the sheer message and sound can do one of two things. They can either entertain me or move me. On Sunday, Sept. 11, I went to the Bon Iver concert at The Pageant. This specific concert is a prime example of the exception to my musical philosophy.

Okay, I’ll say it. This was the best concert that I have ever been to.

The previous statement is not meant to be taken lightly. I’ve been to more than 30 concerts in my life ranging from Slipknot to Fall Out Boy, and I enjoy myself at every single event. But there was something different about Bon Iver.

Justin Vernon, Wisconsin native and creator of Bon Iver, is a musical genius (especially live). Justin and his nine member group played the most magnificent and well-rounded set that I have heard in recent memory.

The really special thing about them is their hidden talent to manipulate an audience’s feelings on a dime with their sound. Throughout the course of the night, I’m pretty sure I had about 10 out of body experiences. The constancy of their music was one thing; each song was threaded together elegantly, and by the end of the night I was on a musical high.

The group would also take songs such as “Creature Fear,” and let the song slowly drift away for a couple minutes as the band picked a specific moment and emotion in the song and really hammered it in their miniature jam session. Then, slowly but surely, they brought the song back and it washed over the audience like a wave of sound. It is the greatest feeling I have ever felt.

I’ve come to the realization that for the most part, no one will ever quite understand the way I felt that night, and I’m all right with that. When they come back into town though, I encourage each and every one of you to go be hipster for a night. You’ll thank me later.

If you’ve never listened to Bon Iver (shame on you), go pick up their first album, “For Emma, Forever Ago”, or listen to “The Wolves (Act I & II).” Contact me at [email protected] for questions, comments, concerns.