Success = Fail

Alone, you record an album of delicate mournful tunes in a cabin in the woods. It is released to virtually universal acclaim. You become a pop culture figure, mixing it up with celebrities. When it comes time to do your follow up, you explode the notion of isolation that has surrounded you by recording with a full band of percussion, horns and strings, yet still constructing gentle atmospheric songs. The hype grows, and now you're winning awards and touring stadiums. The fact that you've done all this seemingly without compromising your artistic vision is a remarkable feat. Congratulations.
This has been the trajectory of Justin Vernon, the man behind the moniker Bon Iver, who played in Barcelona last night. And it led to a dilemma for the concert. Songs built on subtle soundscapes, be it a single accoustic guitar or several fluttering saxaphones, lose their intimacy in front of thousands. I don't begrudge an artist I like their success, but when on one side of me stood a girl texting through the entire set, and on the other, a full-on sorority party, complete with hands waving in the air, whooping and grinding WHETHER THERE WAS MUSIC PLAYING OR NOT, I found myself wishing he'd stayed a little more secret, a little more special. Only for the song re: stacks did the crowd SHUT THE FUCK UP and pay attention to what was actually happening on stage. I haven't hated an audience that much since a drooling pack of morons talked all the way through The Sixth Sense in Kansas City. I clearly was not alone, as people were audibly shushing during the show, but it only had the effect of dividing us into jerks and scolds.
So while the musicians were incredibly tight, the music impeccably played, the lights and set impressive, and Vernon likable and chatty onstage, the show ended up being a triumph for the band, but a failure for me.