photos by Darren Kim

"Those of you reading outside of Los Angeles might need a primer on the cemetery. It's situated in the middle of Hollywood, shares a southern border with the Paramount Studios lot, is this incredibly peaceful and quiet place a five minute drive from downtown Hollywood. Among the American royalty enshrined on the grounds are Charlie Chaplin, Mel Blanc, Cecil B. DeMille, John Huston, Art Pepper, Yma Sumac, Johnny Ramone and Eva Tanguay. Amidst the tombstones are gorgeous mausoleums, quiet ponds, elegant statues and a building with a vast white wall the exact size of a movie screen. For much of the year the ownership opens its gates for film screenings.

So starting at midnight the cemetery and Bon Iver's founder, singer and songwriter, Justin Vernon, programmed an all-night event that culminated in a two-hour performance by Bon Iver. The evening went as follows:

12 a.m.: Doors
12:30 a.m.: Bon Iver DJ Set I (see full set list below)
2 a.m.: The Feature Film: Bottle Rocket
3:30 a.m. Bon Iver DJ Set II (see full set list below)
4 a.m.: Documentary Film: Planet Earth (Jungles)
5:15 a.m.: Blessing of Audience and Stage by Buddhist Monks
5:45 a.m.: Bon Iver Performs
[LA Weekly]"

Darren Kim (our photographer) arrived at 4:15am Sunday morning (9/27). It was "foggy as hell". As you can see in the pictures, people were spread out on blankets and in sleeping bags on a large grass field like a giant slumber party. Before 5:00, Darren wandered over to visit Johnny Ramone. Amazingly, there at the grave was a black cat just hanging out (you can see in the pics). At 5:15 the monks came on like like a giant alarm that woke everyone in time for the sunrise show, though you couldn't actually see the sun ("it just got whiter").

As the fog slowly cleared and daylight began to break, Bon Iver played an absolutely perfect set, hitting all of their songs. I have to believe even the dead people buried nearby appreciated the resonating beauty of his music, mostly from For Emma, Forever Ago, and some newer work. Justin made a disclaimer that unlike most bands, he would not be playing an encore. "We're a young band still. We don't have that many songs yet." And sure enough a few songs later, about an hour and fifteen minutes after the set began, he said, "This is the last song we know how to play. I'm a little embarrassed," before launching into a beautiful, eerie version of "Wolves," with everyone joining in on the chorus. [Indie Muse]

Megafaun was in the house and also joined Bon Iver on stage.

More pictures, some videos, and the three Bon Iver setlists, below...

Continue reading "Bon Iver @ sunrise, monks, a black cat & the ghost (grave) of Johnny Ramone in a Hollywood cemetery - pics, video, setlist "

Depeche Mode - Hollywood & Vine - April 23, 2009 (charlie.salazar)

Depeche Mode's new album Sounds of the Universe dropped on April 21st.

On Thursday, April 23rd (late last night on the East Coast), the band played a big outdoor show in LA for Jimmy Kimmel Live...

[The band] drew more than 12,000 people to Los Angeles' famed corner of Hollywood and Vine, the largest crowd gathered there since the show first launched in 2003 with a performance by Coldplay. The band played seven songs in just under 45 minutes, including "Wrong," the first single off their latest album, Sounds Of The Universe, along with fan favorites "Personal Jesus," "Enjoy The Silence" and the set's closing number "Never Let Me Down Again," during which singer Dave Gahan led a sea of Depeche devotees to reach for the sky before humbly bro-hugging his right-hand man of nearly 30 years, Martin Gore. [Rolling Stone]

Depeche Mode have a North American tour with Peter Bjorn and John scheduled for this summer. That includes a pair of Madison Square Garden shows on August 3rd and 4th. The band is also headlining Lollapalooza in August.

Videos, official and unofficial, from the LA show, below...

Continue reading "Depeche Mode played on Hollywood & Vine (videos)"