For the tenth anniversary you want to do something special. In the music world that could mean playing the album live from start to finish, or releasing bonus tracks, both, or throwing a party for the album.
The only requirements for how to throw a proper anniversary party are you have to make it an event that feels special and fun. Bon Iver hit that nail on the head this past weekend when they took over the new state of the art YouTube Theater at L.A.'s five billion dollar SoFi Stadium to commemorate ten years of the band's Grammy-winning sophomore effort Bon Iver, Bon Iver.
To mark a decade of the album, Justin Vernon enlisted the help of L-Acoustics, the French-based sound maestros, to create an immersive sound bath to share the album with the 6,000 fans for each of the two nights.
Vernon started the show, presented in L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound technology, with Bon Iver, Bon Iver's opening tracks, "Perth" and "Minnesota, WI." But unlike many anniversary shows, where the album is played in sequential order, Vernon wove the original 10 tracks throughout the nearly two-hour set, moving the album's biggest single, "Holocene," to the fourth to last song, between the debut album's "re: Stacks" and Bon Iver, Bon Iver's "Calgary."
The set came full circle though by closing out with the second album's final two tracks, "Lisbon, OH" and "Beth/Rest."
The night was as much a vehicle for the new theater and L-Acoustics as it was a return to live music for Bon Iver. And the combination of the three proved to be as winning a team as the Splash Brothers version of the Warriors.
Watching the show in the dazzling immersive soundscape got me thinking about other albums that should be given the immersive L-ISA treatment. Here are five of them.
Portishead, Dummy
One of the seminal albums of the '90s, the trip-hop band's debut is a flawless work, including the remarkable production, which influenced a decade of sonic instrumentation. As one of the greatest sounding albums of all time, hailed by critics as "virtuoso, special, brilliant," and more, this album in full immersive sound would change your life and make any music geek reach nirvana.
Sade, Diamond Life
Thirty-seven years after its release, Sade's classic debut feels as vibrant, sonically invigorating and musically relevant as it did when Sade became a global superstar in 1984. If "Smooth Operator," "Your Love Is King" and any of the other seven songs were released today, she would be rightly hailed as revolutionary and inspired. She is also an incredible live performer. So bringing this album to the stage with state of the art sound would make for an iconic night of music.
Craig Armstrong, The Space Between Us
An absolutely gorgeous collection by the Scottish composer, who's worked with everyone from Baz Luhrmann to Massive Attack, this mix of orchestral, electronic and sublime vocal performances from the Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser and the Blue Nile's Paul Buchanan is one of the most sublime-sounding records you will ever hear. And in immersive sound it would be next level.
Dr. Dre, 2001
Just as Portishead achieved production perfection on Dummy, Dre showed why he is considered one of the greatest producers of his generation with the masterful beats on this chart-topping collection. The 22-track work, highlighted by Eminem's presence on "Forgot About Dre," Snoop Dogg on "Still D.R.E." and many more of Dre's friends and musical disciples, is a classic of the era. That would only be accentuated in the L-ISA sound.
NIN, Downward Spiral
You cannot talk about the great sonic works of the last 30 to 40 years without including Trent Reznor, who has been hailed by everyone from Dave Grohl and Dave Navarro to Mike Shinoda as a musical genius. This brilliant 1994 collection took Reznor from alternative hero to rock god. It shows Reznor's musical versatility, covering an array of styles, from the haunting ballad "Hurt," which would be covered later on by the legendary Johnny Cash, to the fury of "March Of The Pigs." Songs like "I Do Not Want This" and "The Becoming" would be ear-gasmic in immersive sound.
Bon Iver And Five More Albums, Including NIN, Sade, Dr. Dre That Need To Be Experienced Live In Immersive Sound - Forbes
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