Bon Iver Debut New Album in Concert: Live Blog
Tonight at Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner’s Eaux Claires Music Festival in Wisconsin, Bon Iver will perform their first new album in five years in its entirety. Few details have emerged about the follow-up to 2011’s Bon Iver, with only a few murals, social media posts, and an oblique teaser video for clues. It remains a mystery what the title is, when the record will be released, what’s on the tracklist, and who, exactly, plays on the album (other than Justin Vernon). But when Bon Iver take the stage tonight, we’ll finally get some answers.
Pitchfork is on the ground at the festival, and this live blog will contain play-by-play updates. Bon Iver’s set is scheduled to begin at 9:20 p.m. Central / 10:20 p.m. Eastern.
Update: The album is called 22, A Million and it’s out September 30.
Read “What’s Justin Vernon Been Up to Since the Last Bon Iver Album? A Lot.”
9:20 p.m.: Here’s what the stage looks like:
What does this mean? #eauxclaires #boniver
A photo posted by Cam Stanley (@cam_lemon) on Aug 12, 2016 at 7:20pm PDT
9:27 p.m.: Michael Perry introduces the band: “Thank you for blooming up as wonderful as we thought you would… I remember thinking what that boy needs to do is carry that fire.”
9:32 p.m.: Bon Iver begins their set. The opening line to the first song is “Where you gonna look for confirmation.” The song features a delicate saxophone solo.
22, a million. #eauxclaires #boniver
A photo posted by Greg (@gbblank) on Aug 12, 2016 at 7:33pm PDT
9:34 pm.: The second song has a percussive intro, with an ominous, scratchy beat, reminiscent of Kanye West’s Yeezus. It features a healthy amount of Auto-Tune.
9:40 pm: The third song contains lots of auto and is reminiscent of James Blake’s “Linderfarne II.” It’s sparse and mostly vocal, pitched both low and high. The songs are noticeably short.
9:42 pm: The forth song has a wiggly rhythm underpinning it with a big splashy rhythm section. There’s a pitched up Auto-tuned vocal sample. It’s a stark contrast from the usual, unadorned Vernon vox.
9:45 pm: The fifth song has a strong Hornsby influence, resembling “Every Little Kiss.” Vernon: “So that’s the end of side A.”
9:48 pm: Side B begins. Opens with plinky Casio rhythm and strumming intro. It’s spacious and gorgeous. There’s another big build with a drunken brass section behind Vernon. The song is built around a simple but effective riff.
9:53 pm: The show has been stopped. Someone needs medical attention. “Somebody’s hurt out here. Need somebody here right away. Medics.” Lights go on.
9:55 pm: Show is back on. Next song: Long organ intro with little flickers of percussion and vocals. Long, pointed vocal drone intro punctuated by looped sample of a higher pitched voice. It has strong Kid A and Yeezus vibes. There’s a scraping, almost industrial segment.
10:00 pm: The next song is mostly synth wash with Justin singing in a slightly lower than normal register. It’s closest to “Beth/Rest” and has the clearest vocals of the set thus far.
10:08 pm: The next song features a sax playing through heavy effects against unadorned Vernon vocals. Harmonies gradually build as he sings “I’ve been carved in fire.” It’s a yearning, bluesy number.
10:13 pm: Vernon: “Just wanna say thank you to every single person that’s in this fucking place.” Sam Amidon comes out to join him on stage.
10:14 pm: This song is one that’s in the programs that were given out to attendees.
10:17 pm: Vernon asks attendees to sing along. The song is very unadorned and gorgeous.
10:19 pm: Vernon has left the stage. The house lights are on.
10:20 pm: Vernon is back on stage with an electric guitar. He’s playing “Beach Baby.”
10:25 pm: They’re now playing a plinky, keyboard-heavy version of “Minnesota WI.”
10:28 pm: The band at Vernon’s back are called the Sad Sax of Shit: “Just wanted to shout these guys out…these are the Sad Sax of Shit back here.” The band members are Nelson Devereaux, Matt Douglas, Jess Fox, Dustin Laurenzi, Clay Pufahl, Cole Pulice, Chris Thomson, Stephanie Wieseler
10:30 pm: Vernon: “Made another short record, so I’m playing some old songs up here.”
10:37 pm: Bruce Hornsby is now on stage playing piano.
Bruce Hornsby performing with @boniver at @EauxClairesWI (via Paul Thompson) pic.twitter.com/8pOkc1X855
— noah yoo (@noahyoo) August 13, 2016
10:40 pm: They’re now performing a version of “Beth/Rest” that is very different from the studio recording.
10:44 pm: The stage has gone dark.
10:45 pm: The lights are coming back.
10:47 pm: Chants of “one more song” from the crowd.
10:50 pm: The crowd can’t tell if they’re returning or not. Stage lights are down again.
10:55 pm: The show has ended.
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