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Review: Bon Iver returns to the road with a blend of experimentation, emotional intensity

MESA, Ariz. – Justin Vernon was four songs deep into opening night of Bon Iver's first U.S. tour since the pandemic shut things down in early 2020  when he paused coming out of a mournful "Jelmore" to share what he was feeling in that moment.

"I can't tell you what it feels like to be up here playing for you guys right now," he told the crowd at Mesa Amphitheatre. "It's been a minute." 

Their last big concert before the shutdown was, in fact, in downtown Phoenix, where they headlined McDowell Mountain Music Festival with an equally stunning display of intensely emotional vulnerability filtered through a wide array of digital manipulation.

Vernon's vocals, in particular, were frequently run through a combination of software and assorted gear that not only allows him to alter his pitch like Auto-Tune or an old-school vocoder but also to create a wall of harmonies in real time.

The effect is otherworldly and yet it somehow only underscores the raw emotion of the songs themselves and Vernon's awe-inspiring singing voice, especially when he hits that sweet spot in the upper register of his three-octave range. 

It doesn't hurt that the man has surrounded himself with a team of stellar multi-instrumentalists – Sean Carey, Jenn Wasner, Mike Lewis, Matt McCaughan and Andy Fitzpatrick.

Each musician performed in his or her own geometric lighting pod under a diamond-shaped lighting rig. 

'We can achieve something good': Bon Iver is committing 5% of annual publishing royalties to nonprofits fighting for gender equity

Vernon and his bandmates set the tone for a set that put the focus squarely on 2019's "I,I" with a haunting rendition of "22 (OVER S∞∞N)" from their previous album, "22, A Million," before diving into the soulful experimentation of "iMi" and "We," the first two proper tracks on "I,I."

From there, they made their way through highlights as ambitious as the gospel-flavored "U (Man Like)," the heavy bass of "10 d E A T h b R E a s T," the drama of "715 - CRΣΣKS" and "Heavenly Father" before reaching back to the album that started it all, 2007's "For Emma, Forever Ago," for a dreamy rendition of "Blindsided."

A wash of cymbals underscored Vernon's guitar lick as they followed the magic of "Blindsided" with "Perth," a song whose instrumental break was so electrifying, you could feel it in your chest. 

After a meditative yet noisy performance of "Marion," Vernon took a moment to see if there were any people from his home state of Wisconsin in the audience. When a handful of people responded, he took the opportunity to tease them. 

"Couple of snowbirds here," he said. "You guys are really missing out on a great winter. We call you guys cheaters."

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The saxophonist harmonized with Vernon's keyboard on an epic  "____45_____," which gave way to the sampled vocal loops of "33 'GOD' ” and the speaker-rumbling bass tones of "8 (circle)" as the set made its way to a crowd-pleasing finish. 

Then, after a gorgeous, acoustic-guitar driven “Holocene,” Vernon admitted that the tour launch was not going off without a hitch, regardless of how good it sounded. 

"I brought the wrong keyboard," he said, as he struggled to figure out what chord he was supposed to play. "I guess I've been outed as a person who only plays in C and transposes all the keyboard part." 

He apparently got the chords all sort out before leading his bandmates in a super-soulful version of "Sh'Diah," a ballad whose title is an abbreviation for “(Expletive) Day in American History”, referring to the day after Donald Trump’s election in 2016. 

"Sh'Diah" had an almost Prince-like vibe and was followed by the final number of the proper set, "Naeem," which built to an explosive climax with Vernon inserting profanities in his gritty shouts of "I can hear."

They returned to start the encore without Carey, who was in the bathroom backstage but returned in time to join his bandmates on the first song of the encore, "Blood Bank."

Then, Vernon told the crowd, "In March of 2020, we played in town and then a month later, we had to make this song" by way of introducing “PDLIF (Please Don’t Live In Fear),” a song whose proceeds benefited healthcare workers on the COVID-19 frontline through Direct Relief.

They signed off on an existential note, with Vernon reminding the crowd as he introduced "RABi" that "This song's about death."

As songs about death go, "RABi" has an oddly life-affirming quality. And it served as a suitably haunting conclusion to a tour launch that found Vernon and his bandmates reasserting themselves as modern masters of pushing the experimental envelope with music that resonates on a profoundly emotional scale.

Bon Iver tour launch setlist

"22 (OVER S∞∞N)"

"U (Man Like)"

"10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⚄ ⚄"

"715 - CR∑∑KS"

"Heavenly Father"

"Blindsided"

"____45_____"

"8 (circle)"

"Blood Bank"

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Published: 2021/10/25

Bon Iver Announce 2022 US Tour Dates

Photo by Graham Tolbert

Today, Bon Iver announced their return to the road with a U.S. tour that will span 23-dates. The tour will kick off on March 30 and traverse through the spring and summer from a vast array of amphitheaters. The run of live shows will mark the first time Bon Iver has seen stadiums since selling out arenas like Barclays Center on the heels of their acclaimed 2019 album,  i,I .

The 2022 Tour will include venues like Forrest Hills Stadium in New York City, Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville, two nights at Austin’s Moody Amphitheater and many more. The tour will feature support from Dijon and Bonny Light Horseman. 

The upcoming shows will feature the newest iteration of the Bon Iver live band: Justin Vernon, Sean Carey, Jenn Wasner, Mike Lewis, Matt McCaughan and Andy Fitzpatrick. This past weekend the musicians played together live for the first time in nearly two years. They broke the seal by honoring the 10th Anniversary of   Bon Iver, Bon Iver, with two concerts at LA’s YouTube Theater .

In a press release, the band shared that, “ Throughout 2022, the group will continue to offer growing audiences even greater moments of gratitude, gathering in celebration of community and togetherness; an opportunity for healing and reflection on the path towards a brighter future.”

Like their previous tours, each show will highlight the work of a charitable partner via Bon Iver’s 2 A Billion campaign, which raised support, awareness, and connection to end domestic violence, gender inequity, and sexual abuse.

Bon Iver will release  Bon Iver, Bon Iver (10th Anniversary Edition)  on March 25; pre-order the album here .

Tickets to Bon Iver’s 2022 Tour will be available this Friday, Oct. 29 at 10:00 a.m. local time. Find them here .

Bon Iver – 2022 Tour Dates

March 30 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Amphitheatre*

April 1 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Greenway*

April 2 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Greenway*

April 3 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory*

April 5 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall*

April 8 – New Orleans, LA – Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square*

April 9 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park*

April 12 – Wilmington, NC – Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park*

April 14 – St. Augustine, FL – The Saint Augustine Amphitheatre*

April 15 – Miami, FL – FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park*

June 3 – Queens, NY – Forest Hills Stadium**

June 4 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE**

June 7 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark Amphitheater**

June 8 – Essex Junction, VT – Champlain Valley Exposition**

June 10 – Portland, ME – Thompson’s Point**

June 11 – East Providence, RI – Bold Point Park**

June 12 – Richmond, VA – Virginia Credit Union LIVE!**

June 15 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre**

June 17 – Maryland Heights, MO – Saint Louis Music Park**

June 18 – Lincoln, NE – Pinewood Bowl Amphitheater**

June 21 – Newport, KY – PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION**

June 24 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater**

June 25 – Asheville, NC – Rabbit Rabbit**

Oct. 16 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena^

Oct. 19 – Leeds, GB – First Direct Arena^

Oct. 20 – Glasgow, GB – The SSE Hydro^

Oct. 24 – Manchester, GB – AO Arena^

Oct. 25 – London, GB – SSE Arena Wembley^

Oct. 26 – London, GB – SSE Arena Wembley

Oct. 31 – Berlin, DE – Mercedes–Benz Arena^

Nov. 2 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome^

Nov. 3 – Antwerp, BE – Sportpaleis^

Nov. 5 – Milan, IT – Mediolanum Forum^

Nov. 7 – Barcelona, ES – Palau Sant Jordi^

Nov. 9 – Madrid, ES – WiZink Center^

Nov. 11 – Lisbon, PT – Altice Arena^

**w/ Bonny Light Horseman

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Bon Iver Map Out Spring 2022 U.S. Tour, First Trek in 3 Years

By Daniel Kreps

Daniel Kreps

Following a weekend where Bon Iver fully returned to the stage for the first time in over two years, Justin Vernon and company have mapped out a U.S. tour that will begin in spring 2022.

The southern half of the amphitheater trek kicks off March 30th in Mesa, Arizona, through an April 15th gig in Miami, with the second leg beginning June 3rd at Queens, New York’s Forest Hills Stadium and concluding June 25th at Asheville’s Rabbit Rabbit.

Bon Iver — featuring Vernon alongside current bandmates Sean Carey, Jenn Wasner, Mike Lewis, Matt McCaughan, and Andy Fitzpatrick — performed a pair of concerts this past weekend at Los Angeles’ YouTube Theater to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bon Iver, Bon Iver; a reissue of that 2011 album is due out March 25th, 2022, complete with five songs from Bon Iver’s AIR Studios session and an essay penned by noted fan Phoebe Bridgers.

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Dijon will serve as the opening act for the first half of the trek, with Bonny Light Horseman onboard for the second half. Bon Iver last toured in 2019 in support of their 2019 LP i, i , with the band playing arenas like Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

Bon Iver Tour Dates

March 30 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Amphitheatre April 1 – Austin, TX @ Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Greenway April 2 – Austin, TX @ Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Greenway April 3 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory April 5 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall April 8 – New Orleans, LA @ Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square April 9 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park April 12 – Wilmington, NC @ Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park April 14 – St. Augustine, FL @ The Saint Augustine Amphitheatre April 15 – Miami, FL @ FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park June 3 – Queens, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium June 4 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE June 7 – Lewiston, NY @ Artpark Amphitheater June 8 – Essex Junction, VT @ Champlain Valley Exposition June 10 – Portland, ME @ Thompson’s Point June 11 – East Providence, RI @ Bold Point Park June 12 – Richmond, VA @ Virginia Credit Union LIVE! June 15 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre June 17 – Maryland Heights, MO @ Saint Louis Music Park June 18 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinewood Bowl Amphitheater June 21 – Newport, KY @ PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION June 24 – Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater June 25 – Asheville, NC @ Rabbit Rabbit

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Bon Iver  

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Bon Iver is a highly acclaimed, Grammy Award winning American indie-folk rock band, formed around the creative prowess of Wisconsinite Justin Vernon in 2007.

Justin Vernon’s journey as Bon Iver grew out of the embers of his previous band DeYarmond Edison. After DeYarmond Edison’s disbandment, the breakdown of a relationship, a stint with mononucleosis hepatitis, and a marathon intake of the ’90’s TV series “Northern Exposure”, the groundwork for Vernon’s new project was laid. The musician then moved into his father’s cabin in Dunn County, Wisconsin, U.S., and with very modest recording and musical equipment, began crafting a collection of introspective and emotionally-intense songs.

Bon Iver, the name derived from a misspelling of the French for “cold winter”, initially intended the songs to form a demo, however after hearing feedback from his manager and friends, decided to self-release the recordings. “For Emma, Forever Ago” was released in 2007 initially limited to 500 CDs, however popularity for the album grew exponentially when the record, and its story, hit the blogosphere. With exposure granted by the likes of CMJ Music Marathon and a glowing Pitchfork review, Bon Iver signed with Jagjaguwar in October 2007, who reissued “For Emma, Forever Ago” in January 2008. The release subsequently became one of the most popular albums of 2008, both among music fans and music critics, and led to Vernon becoming a prized-cow in the industry.

After embarking on an extensive U.S. and Canadian tour alongside members Sean Carey and Matt McCaughan among others, Bon Iver released the EP “Blood Bank” in 2009. A year later Vernon was enlisted by Kanye West to provide vocals to the tracks “Woods”, “Monster”, and “Dark Fantasy”, from Kanye’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”.

Bon Iver’s full-length follow-up proved to be far more ambitious than the debut with luscious and textured orchestration, thanks to the involvement of bass saxophone player Solin Stetson and pedal-steel guitarist Greg Leisz. The self-titled sophomore album was released in June 2011 on Jagjaguwar and recorded at Vernon’s own April Base Studios in Fall Creek, Wisconsin. “Bon Iver” utilises a vast selection of musical accompaniments and earned Vernon two Grammys, for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album in 2012.

Live reviews

Thursday 22nd February. Apollo Hammersmith, London. Bon Iver. It’s not without a little trepidation that we head out to the Odeon tonight. Since the low fi beauty of ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ Justin Vernon has experimented with sounds, auto tune, loops, etc. but not to the extent of last album ’22, A million’ which I think is fair to say has divided opinion. This is the second of an eight night sold out residency. On the first he played the whole of the latest album in order and the second set a sprinkling of tracks from his other three releases.

Tonight though he switches it around and plays the whole of his second full release, the eponymous ‘Bon Iver’. It’s not played straight by any means with many tracks reworked to a degree but the OTT auto tune only made an appearance on set one closer ‘Beth/Rest’

It was an exhilarating set. Vernon backed by five piece horn section, drummer, percussionist and a couple of multi instrumentalists produced a crisp sharp clear sound usually missing in a larger venue. The stage was dressed in flowing feathers from the overhead rig and fake candles to provide an eerie haunted house type feel. Enhanced by dramatic staccato light show it was one of the most striking audio visual sets I have seen reminiscent of Sufjan Steven last tour with his cathedral like backdrop.

After a 22 minute interval, do you see what he did there, it’s onto the second set which aside from ‘Blood Bank’ it’s the majority of the new album. Personally I thought the set lost its way a bit here. I think ’22, A million’, has some good songs trying to get but they are often obscured by the electronic trickery and whilst live both audibly and visually it certainly brought these tracks more to life it still felt a little disjointed.

After another brief interlude Vernon comes back on stage to deliver a masterful, no frills, no tricks version of the Leon Russell ‘A Song for You’ (a good spot by Mr Berry on the night) and then finally ending the night with his hit ‘Skinny Love’.

So a game very much of two halves with the band going two nil up, really nailing it for the first forty minutes especially the horn section adding that special sauce to the dish accentuating and enhancing Vernon’s voice. A patchy second half with the odd own goal but finishing with an injury time winner of an encore.

Till the next time keep on rockin’ y’all

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Seeing Bon Iver live is a real treat. I remember my first Bon Iver show in San Francisco, at The Independent. His album had just come out on Jagjaguwar, although the initial, un-mastered album had already made its way around the internet and garnered high praise. Back then, Bon Iver was only a three piece: Justin Vernon, Sean Carey, and Mike Noyce, and they were considered "co-headliners" with Phosphorescent.

These three guys created a sound that I never knew existed. To put it in a word, it was magical. When they played "Blindsided," it blew me away. They brought together acoustic sounds with electronic sounds, along with a crazy, distorted, acoustic guitar solo. Sean Carey, only on drums at the time, played the whole night without a hi-hat. They explored ambient textures and free-form improvisation on "Flume." They got the entire crowd involved in cathartic fashion with "The Wolves." And they quickly ran out of material. With only nine songs at the time, they played a short set that I won't ever forget. Justin ended the set by himself, playing "Re: Stacks." When he began, the room became hushed to the point where you could hear a pin drop in the 400 capacity venue. It was spellbinding. And "spellbinding" is a word I haven't really seen fit to use in any other context since. You can see the performance for yourself on YouTube. My buddy was the videographer who was lucky enough to be capturing a few songs that night for a music blog he was doing at the time. In the video, you can see it go dark for most of the song, of which the audio was captured from the soundboard feed. And his only explanation for not doing his job of filming on that song was simply that it was too heavy, too special to simply be an observer, and not a participant.

I've since seen the band at Outside Lands, The Fox, and Coachella. And although Bon Iver have since grown to include new bandmates, and their live sound has grown in dynamic range, their music always invites you to be a participant, not an observer. You're in it. And you're not going anywhere but somewhere beautiful.

Bon Iver, the indie folk band fronted by Justin Vernon are considered to one of the most critically acclaimed artists of the last decade. The sweeping, cinematic sounds that they create on albums 'For Emma, Forever Ago' and 'Bon Iver' has won them a huge following globally as well as two Grammy awards.

Despite playing in a large arena, Justin Vernon and his accompanying musicians were able to make the entire experience feel intimate and low key. With guitar proudly in hand, the shivering opening tones of 'Perth' fill the arena and captivate the crowd instantly. A beautifully designed stage illuminates the musicians and creates a wonderful ambient setting in which they perform and the audience are entranced from song to song. The only respite to the ethereal atmosphere is the rapturous cheers and applause that the group receive at the end of each track. Playing the self titled second album in full, the band maintains the wondrous, spine chilling atmosphere for the entirety of the show.

Vernon thanks his huge crowd and admits his confusion at the sheer reputation the band has amassed in its short career. The cheers the opening riffs of 'Skinny Love' and 'Beth/Rest' receive are credit enough to the adoration the crowd has for Bon Iver.

Bon Iver, an indie folk band fronted by the legendary Justin Vernon, are one of the biggest and most successful indie bands of all time. They have an enormous cult following and their fans are some of the most dedicated in the world. Many of their songs have been covered in the past few years, leading to the band gaining even more fame as people seek out the originals. Bon Iver deserves every praise they get. The band is spectacular on stage, harmonising beautiful melodies with such ease that they just seem to flow seamlessly, and Justin Vernon’s voice… there is nothing else like it. He has such a distinctly unique and beautiful voice that is even more magical to listen to live than it is on their albums. The band performed a number of classics, such as ‘Skinny Love’ and ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’, with Vernon also performing on the piano as he sang. He can reach notes that many female singers are unable to achieve, and the whole crowd was in awe of his voice throughout the night. The atmosphere all night was just incredible.

Hammersmith Apollo, 22nd February, 2018.

Bon Iver played a show that is genuinely one of the best things I have ever seen. Not just gigs, literally one of THE best things.

Every note was perfect. Even more perfect than they are on the album versions, if it were possible.

I am 31 years old and have no shame in saying I cried about 5 times. Even at a song like Creeks, in which Justin's voice is so modulated it barely sounds human. Because that exactly what the recurrent theme is throughout all his songs; Humanity. Emotion. It takes a very special kind of musician to make people feel that way. The rest of the audience were just as spellbound.

Justin Vernon is a bona fide genius - there are only a handful of current artists that can create such beautiful art as him. Go and see Bon Iver if you ever get the chance to, it will be something to remember forever. I promise you that.

I had the distinct FORTUNE to be able to get a ticket to

the December 4th performance at the Kings theater in Brooklyn.  And the only word I can use is astounding.  Completely collaborative, it was a perfect marriage of outstanding modern dance and music.  The dancers were amazing, the ways they made their bodies float, pierce the air, evoke the lyric meaning, whoa. 

The finale was "Naeem" and it blew my breath away...STANDING OVATION, NO SHIT.   

What I will say is that I believe that the people up in the mezzanine near me were expecting "A greatest hits/fan favorite" kind of setlist.  Me, the only thing that could

have topped Naeem, would have been to have heard Holocene.

The show yesterday at Allstate Arena, Rosemont IL was good. The stage with its incredible light show was amazing and the sound was perfect even at the very back seats. On the other hand this was not my Bon Iver. I missed all my favorite songs! I grew up with the album "For Emma, Forever Ago". Maybe this is (once more) a sign that I'm getting old. I totally understand Artist getting bored while playing the old songs over and over, but clicks and views tells you that some people want to hear some of those songs. In my point of view, it needs a good mix of new and old songs and definitely less effect on a such beautiful voice.

To sum up: This was more a show than a concert to me.

This was a magical show. I was surprised at the length of the set...pretty sure Justin Vernon played everything off the current album and most of the highlights of his old stuff. The version of "Woods" that he played in the encore was breathtaking. Also, highlights of the show were "Holocene" and a very interesting version of "Calgary" that sounded nothing like the original recorded version. Venue was great from a sound standpoint, but it was unfortunate all the people who wanted to stand in the aisles were marshaled off by an overzealous security staff. I'm pretty sure he played "re: stacks" in the encore, but it's hard to recall. Overall, a 5 star show....

Literally the best thing I have ever seen. The whole band sounded so tight, the light show was insane and they really played to the audience. Two full sets of material plus an encore was probably more than any of us expected. They played so many songs that I wanted to hear, even some really old material which was so unexpected.

The whole audience was buzzing with energy and love for a band that are so good, but really don't tour enough. I'd waited 10 years for a chance to see them and now that I have, I'd have waited another 10 if I knew it was going to be that perfect. It was a privilege to be in that room and witness something so beautiful.

A powerful electronic-heavy set featuring the frequent auto tuned vocals of frontman Justin Vernon. Moments of magic with contrasts of crashing drums and thumping brass with falsetto vocals and brief seconds of silence. Highlights included older masterpieces such as Blood Bank, Wash, Creature Fear and Perth and, at times, a return to the more dulcet tones of their first two albums would have been welcomed. Although not as engaging and memorable as the previous tour, the heavier sounds and incredible stage and lighting contributed to a worthy performance.

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Bon Iver review – a thrilling, magical communal experience

First Direct Arena, Leeds Justin Vernon’s sublime falsetto and robust versions of songs from i,i are met with shrieks of delight in an unusually intimate arena gig

J ustin Vernon has come a long way since he decamped to a Wisconsin log cabin to make his stunningly introspective alt-folk debut as Bon Iver, 2007’s For Emma, Forever Ago . Since then, there have been Grammy wins, chart-topping albums and collaborations with Taylor Swift, James Blake and Kanye West, and his music has shifted into hip-hop production and electronic orchestration. 2019’s i,i featured a seven-piece band and no less than 39 additional musicians and a choir. Crucially, Bon Iver songs are still strong enough to be performed with just voice and guitar. But the 41-year-old has eschewed the well-worn singer-songwriter archetype in favour of intriguing new shapes. There’s plenty of that at tonight’s gig at Leeds’ First Direct Arena, with an array of sounds ranging from percussion that sounds like an exhaling pressure cooker to robotic vocal effects. This never detracts from the gentle beauty of the songs, and for an arena gig – this one long delayed by Covid – it feels unusually intimate.

It is simply but wonderfully staged. The six musicians are encased in luminous geometric patterns, which change colour to suit the songs. At one point, another set of glowing geometric shapes descend to frame the crowd in a beautiful autumnal glow, which almost makes the audience part of the performance. They watch with a churchgoer-like reverence, which increasingly gives way to ecstatic cheering and whooping. Where most arena acts pack their sets with hits, Vernon performs no less than nine tracks from i,i, one of his most challenging records. The songs are more robust live – with long-term keyboard-percussionist Sean Carey and drumming colossus Matt McCaughan beating up a storm – but somehow more delicate. Vernon’s sublime falsetto and harmonies with Carey or guitarist Jenn Wasner provide human vulnerability amid the otherworldly electric storm. Occasionally, there are old favourites. Re: Stacks, performed acoustically, and the mesmeric likes of Holocene and Flume are met with shrieks of delight.

Vernon has struggled with success and loss of anonymity, but he explains that lockdown allowed him to reflect and here he seems to appreciate such a loyal and enthusiastic audience. He expresses gratitude throughout, virtually shadow boxes with excitement during a thrilling Hey, Ma and even pulls off a Yorkshire accent. “I love you too … luv!” he grins. “It’s great that here you say ‘luv’ to everybody.”

Gradually, the gig becomes a magical communal experience, passing the 100-minute mark by the time the band dip into electronic contemporary jazz. Conversely, first encore Blood Bank rocks like, of all things, Neil Young and Crazy Horse. “Spread the love,” Vernon beams as they exit, and you wonder where on earth his restless muse will take him next.

Bon Iver tour the UK until 26 October.

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The Blessed, Cursed Life of Bon Iver

By Jon Pareles

• Sept. 21, 2016

“What is left when unhungry?,” Justin Vernon sings midway through “22, a Million,” his third album as Bon Iver . It’s one of many questions this 35-year-old songwriter and multi-instrumentalist asks of himself in the course of the album. And it’s answered, in some ways, by the songs themselves on Bon Iver’s most diverse, noisiest, shortest, knottiest and most experimental album so far.

Due for release on Sept. 30, “22, a Million,” is one more sharp turn in a career that has carried Mr. Vernon from indie-rock obscurity in Wisconsin clubs to festival stages and the Grammys , including an improbable detour via hip-hop and Kanye West. The songwriter and pianist Bruce Hornsby — one of Mr. Vernon’s avowed influences and, lately, a collaborator — described Mr. Vernon in a phone interview as “a soul singer who creates these unique and beautiful sonic landscapes on which to perform.”

Those landscapes have grown ever more painstakingly inventive. Making the album, Mr. Vernon said earlier this month, was at times spontaneous, at times convoluted and often uncertain. “It was a long moment, these last few years, thinking: What am I doing? What do I want to do it for?” he said.

Mr. Vernon needed five years, three of them concentrated on writing and recording the new album, to clarify for himself what Bon Iver means and sounds like, now that he can count on a worldwide audience to keep him “unhungry.”

“I feel both blessed and cursed by the fact that I can do whatever I want at this point,” Mr. Vernon said in a rare extended interview in the recording studio at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, a gallery and performance space in Red Hook where he is on the advisory board. “I have more recognition than I had ever wanted to deal with.”

The pressure he felt was not commercial. “22, a Million” is a bumpier ride than Bon Iver’s previous albums. It constantly mixes distorted and manipulated sounds with natural ones, and it deliberately veers away from pop familiarity. But it also progresses toward solace, grounding its closing songs in steadfast melodies and consoling harmonies. “It’s important to me to not pay any attention to questions of, ‘What’s your legacy going to be?’ or ‘What are you going to leave behind?’ or ‘How do you work into the current scene?’ or ‘How do you relate to the chart-toppers?’” Mr. Vernon said. “I find all of that stuff not only distracting but kind of the opposite of what it all means.”

Wearing loose pinstriped pants and a dark gray T-shirt that revealed some of his many tattoos, with a neatly trimmed beard and casually tousled hair, Mr. Vernon was by no means the introvert his songs might suggest. Affable and articulate, he was eager to delve into and at least partly decrypt his work. The polite self-effacement of his Midwestern upbringing came through, but Mr. Vernon battles excessive modesty.

“I got in a friendly argument with Kanye West about the word humble once,” he recalled. “He said, ‘Have you ever looked up the word humble?’ I was like, ‘Actually I don’t know if I have.’ And he showed me the definition of it, and it’s far more self-demeaning, kind of the problematic Midwestern ‘Sorry!’ mentality, than I realized.”

He continued, “I took a lot out of that conversation. Ultimately, I think it’s great to serve others and everything, but I think there’s a certain point where it’s diminishing returns for the people around you if you’re not showing up and being who you are.”

“22, a Million” — the title reflects Mr. Vernon’s numerological whims — is the much-anticipated successor to the 2011 album “Bon Iver, Bon Iver,” which sold more than half a million copies in the United States and won Grammy Awards for best alternative album and best new artist.

Grammy recognition “didn’t change anything about me,” he said. “It did make me realize that there are people out there that really care about monetary success and recognition for the commodity that is music, like way more than I do. Not to say I don’t care about recognition. I like when people like a song, but I certainly don’t care as much as some folks out there.”

The first Bon Iver album, “For Emma, Forever Ago,” was a nearly solitary work. Mr. Vernon wrote and recorded it after the breakup of both his longtime band and a relationship, in his father’s chilly hunting cabin in Wisconsin during the winter of 2006-7, and it was full of pensive ballads with translucent layers of guitars and vocals.

“For Emma” quietly won hearts, eventually selling half a million copies. It also brought Bon Iver to the attention of Mr. West, who sampled “Woods,” a song from a 2009 Bon Iver EP, and went on to feature Mr. Vernon at concerts and as a songwriting collaborator on “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” “Watch the Throne” and “Yeezus.”

The second Bon Iver album, “Bon Iver, Bon Iver” was both more expansive and more ambiguous. Mr. Vernon built his own studio, April Base, in his hometown, Eau Claire, Wis. The music was still gracious, mostly guitar-centered indie-rock, as Mr. Vernon welcomed a broader range of collaborators and instruments, bringing a lapidary detail to the arrangements, while the lyrics posed new riddles. In the interview, Mr. Vernon noted that “Perth,” which opens that album, and “Beth/Rest,” which concludes it, rhyme with “birth” and “death.” The cross-references continue: A song title on the new album, “10 Death Breast,” rhymes with “Beth/Rest.”

Mr. Vernon found plenty of distractions before settling in to work on “22, a Million.” He toured the world with the large band he needed to recreate “Bon Iver, Bon Iver” onstage, an elaborate and demanding project. “I didn’t ever plan on having that much popularity, and being from Wisconsin, whatever amount that I could have dreamt about, I was not prepared for any of that,” he said.

One thing that weighed on him was being photographed constantly, he said; his face is noticeably absent from the artwork of the new album.

“I felt very exposed, with scarred skin from the whole experience. Not that it was all bad, but it wore down these outer layers, and everything kind of hurt.”

When the tour ended, he turned to collaborations: producing albums for the Blind Boys of Alabama and the folky English group the Staves, and regrouping and touring with his on-and-off band Volcano Choir. He started and closely curated a festival, Eaux Claires , with Bon Iver headlining alongside its influences and favorites.

And, gradually, he pushed himself to write new songs. Instead of having his guitar at their center, they largely relied on a portable synthesizer and sampler along with a customized Vocoder and thoughts of the heady blend of Duke Ellington’s saxophone sections; one new song, he said, weaves about 150 saxophones into its mix.

A turning point came when Mr. Vernon traveled to Greece, alone and off-season. He found himself singing the line “It might be over soon” into the sampler, hearing it as a kind of mantra that could suggest relief, loss, mortality or a reason to get to work. “The bad stuff might be over soon, but maybe the good stuff might be over soon,” he said. “So you’d better figure out how to enjoy this life and participate in it.”

Back in Wisconsin, Mr. Vernon worked like both a singer-songwriter and a hip-hop producer. He improvised with musicians in his studio, then culled snippets that might engender songs; he toyed with loops and effects; he let samples lead him to ideas. Where he had organized “Bon Iver, Bon Iver” around places, he decided to unify his new album with numbers.

Each song title on “22, a Million” begins with a number that holds a private significance for Mr. Vernon. He has always been drawn to the number 22. While growing up and playing sports, he chose it as his jersey number; he also, he said, sets wake-up alarms to 22 minutes after the hour. As he chopped up the phrase “It might be over soon” in the sampler, “soon” began to turn into “two, two”: 22.

The album opens with “22 Over Soon” and concludes with the hymnlike “1000000, a Million.” “Being 22 is me,” he said, “and then the last song being a million, which is this great elusive thing: like, what’s a million? The album deals a lot with duality in general and how that works into the math. I was big into Taoism in college, and the paradox of duality, and how it’s always one thing and the other — you can never have one thing without the other. So it’s 22 being me and a million being the Other. That was a way to look at it as a circle.”

He also delved into sonic manipulation. “A big thing for me on the album was, how do we get something to sound accidental or new or fresh,” he said. When he was dissatisfied with the overly digital sound of “22 Over Soon,” he and his engineer took a cassette (Neil Young’s “Unplugged”), pulled out the tape and crumpled it and wrote on it with a marker. Then they recorded the track onto it, creating distortion and dropouts. Other songs toy with recording speed, ending up between standard pitches.

The soul-searching that runs through all of Bon Iver’s songs emerged anew in lyrics and song titles that draw on thoughts of consecration, prayer and God. A spacious yet fragile ballad, “666 Upsidedowncross,” presents the singer as an uncertain pilgrim, musing, “I don’t know the path.” The album booklet cites the anguished Psalm 22 — “Why are you so far from saving me?” — alongside the song “33 ‘God’,” which includes samples from a gospel choir.

“When you use enough of that language, it perks some people’s ears up,” Mr. Vernon said. “I do love those words, I love the word consecration, these holy words so to speak. I like using them in a way people haven’t heard before, or right next to a bunch of swear words. It’s just fun — it puts a smile on my face.”

But there was also a more serious undercurrent. He added: “For me from a very early age, music has been my religion. It’s been my way of understanding, it’s been my way of celebration, it’s been my way of contemplation.”

As Bon Iver re-emerges, Mr. Vernon is thinking hard about self-preservation. “When I made the last record, actually both records, I very much felt like I’d healed myself,” he said. “Oh, I got done, and oh! now I’m better. And this one, I’m smarter than that. Now that this album’s done, as much as I healed a lot of things by making it, I know that it’s an ongoing thing. The river does not end.”

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Taylor Swift and Bon Iver Perform ‘Exile’ Together in Person for the First Time 

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Taylor Swift made a surprise appearance during Bon Iver ’s Oct. 26 concert at London’s OVO Arena Wembley, during which she and frontman Justin Vernon sang their duet “ Exile ” together in person for the first time. 

They were also joined on stage at Thursday’s show by “The National” musician Aaron Dessner, who produced Swift’s 2020 albums “Folklore” and “Evermore.” 

While Swift and Vernon collaborated on “Exile,” they had only previously performed it together virtually for Disney+ documentary concert film “Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions.” 

Taylor Swift just came out with Bon Iver in London and it was honestly epic. pic.twitter.com/vNNmjY60ie — Emily Zemler (@emilyzemler) October 26, 2022

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Over rapturous applause at the end of their duet on Thursday, Vernon quipped, “The most talented person in the world, Taylor Swift,” to which she responded, “The most talented person in the world, Justin Vernon,” before adding, “Also the most talented person in the world, Aaron Dessner!” 

It’s been a busy week for Swift, who released her tenth studio album “Midnights” on Oct. 21. The release made history almost immediately, breaking the Spotify  record for the most-streamed album in a single day. 

“Midnights” has been met with critical fanfare, with  Variety ‘s Chris Willman writing : “Worth noting is that “Midnights” marks her 10th grand slam in a row (not counting re-recordings), a record you’d be hard-pressed to find matched among the singer-songwriter greats that influenced or otherwise came before her, almost any one of whom had their duds by this point. The rest of the charting music sphere isn’t often rising to the same occasion, to the point that you’re often thinking this is anything like pop’s golden age. But the arrival of each new Swift album as a bona fide musical event can lull you into thinking we’re living in the good old days, or nights, after all.” 

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Everything Justin Vernon Has Done Since Bon Iver’s Last Album, 22, A Million

By Quinn Moreland and Noah Yoo

When Bon Iver returned from a half-decade hiatus with 22, A Million , Barack Obama was still the president of the United States and the Chicago Cubs had not won a World Series in over a century. Needless to say, a lot has changed since then. Over the past three years, Justin Vernon has started a duo project with the National ’s Aaron Dessner , composed music for a modern dance piece, hosted two different festivals, and much more. The man simply doesn’t rest.

Now that new Bon Iver music is on the horizon—the project returned this week with two tracks and extended tour dates —it’s a good time to revisit what Vernon’s been up to (aside from touring) since 22, A Million dropped.

October 1-2, 2016: In the days following the release of 22, A Million , Vernon and the Dessners decamp to the Funkhaus complex in Berlin, partnering with the nearby Michelberger Hotel to hold the first, then-unnamed edition of what would eventually become their PEOPLE Festival. Hosting over 80 artists—including Damien Rice, Erlend Øye, Fionn Regan, Boys Noize, and more—the two-day event saw the artists collaborate and deliver a slew of different performances. (Read more about the festival in our feature on it .)

At one point, Vernon sits down with a randomly selected fan to serenade them with “8 (circle),” a performance that was captured by La Blogothèque and released in 2016 as part of their “One to One” series.

October 27, 2016: In early September 2016, Vernon gathers over two dozen journalists at a small hotel in his hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to play 22, A Million and answer questions. A month after the album’s release, he shares the full video recording of that press conference on YouTube, which shows him fielding questions about the album’s inception and prevailing philosophy.

November 15, 2016: Though reticent to show his face during the 22, A Million press cycle, Vernon makes a rare appearance in the PBS documentary series “Soundbreaking,” a show focusing on telling the stories behind iconic recordings. Vernon revisits some of the old Pro Tools sessions for songs off For Emma, Forever Ago and Bon Iver .

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July 2017: In keeping with the collaborative spirit of the PEOPLE Festival, Vernon is seemingly everywhere during the summer of 2017, popping up to cover Prince ’s “Erotic City” alongside the Revolution (!) in Minneapolis and singing in a Bill Withers cover band supergroup with Hiss Golden Messenger and Natalie Prass just days later at the Newport Folk Festival. During John Prine ’s headlining set, which closed out Newport, Vernon joins the ranks of Roger Waters , Margo Price , and others to help sing Prine’s 1971 classic “Paradise.”

January 29, 2018: The 60th annual Grammy Awards come and go, with Bruno Mars sweeping Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and more. Vernon is less than pleased (we weren’t exactly thrilled , either). “Looks like Grammies are still something serious musicians should not take seriously! Absolutely NO offense to Mr Mars, but you absolutely have to be shitting me,” he tweets, later going on to highlight other artists like Kendrick Lamar and SZA . “I’d say move on from this shit show.”

March 25, 2018: “Come Through,” a two-night performance series, debuts at MASS MoCa in North Adams, Massachusetts. The collaboration between Vernon and the Minnesota-based contemporary dance group TU Dance features a “work-in-progress score” commissioned by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Liquid Music Series.

June 6, 2018: PEOPLE—now an artist collective in addition to a festival—previews a digital platform that will host the group’s content. This beta version of the site teases two new Vernon songs with great titles: “Shittiest Day in American History” and “Thoughts on People 1.” There’s also four new songs from Big Red Machine , the collaborative project between Vernon and Aaron Dessner, and unreleased music from other PEOPLE members.

June 23, 2018: Vernon appears with Dead & Company at a show in East Troy, Wisconsin. He joins the band for “Bird Song,” “Friend of the Devil,” and “Black Muddy River” and shreds with John Mayer .

July 6-7, 2018: The fourth iteration of Vernon and Aaron Dessner’s Eaux Claires festival has a twist: the lineup isn’t announced until the gates of the fest open. The bill ends up featuring a bunch of collaborative jam sessions from frequent Vernon cohorts, including (naturally) the National, Sharon Van Etten , Julien Baker , and Phil Cook . The response was mixed, with many attendees feeling that the mysterious buildup left them underwhelmed.

August 29, 2018: Vernon releases a song called “Agasteen” via his PEOPLE platform. The track is “a long piece of music that seems to relax me,” Vernon says on Twitter.

August 31, 2018: Vernon joins Eminem on “Fall,” a song off the rapper’s Kamikaze . The track features Eminem dissing copycat rappers and attacking Tyler, the Creator with a homophobic slur. Vernon addresses the song on Twitter: “Was not in the studio for the Eminem track. Came from a session with BJ Burton and Mike Will. Not a fan of the message, it’s tired. Asked them to change the track, wouldn’t do it.” He adds, “we are gonna kill this track,” though it is unclear what that means since Vernon remains on the song.

August 31, 2018: That same day, Big Red Machine releases its self-titled debut . Featuring songs originally previewed on the PEOPLE platform, Big Red Machine is a sprawling collection of genre-defying abstractions. Vernon’s lyrics veer dangerously close to beat poetry: “We met up like a ski team/Well we rose up outta G-League/In a Teepee gloss/Where your tea leaves, boss?”

November 16, 2018: Bon Iver appears on the Creed II soundtrack with a new, Mike WiLL Made-It-produced song called “Do You Need Power? (Walk Out Music).”

December 11, 2018: For the first time since its 2015 founding, the Eaux Claires festival announces that it will take a year off in 2019 before returning in 2020. “While it will be hard for us to break the chain of momentum and the positive impact the festival has had on our community, we have fresh, clear ideas of how to make it better,” reads a statement on the festival’s site. “We want to celebrate EVEN MORE about this REAL TOWN we call home by extolling and imagining things we haven’t seen or experienced to date.”

March 21, 2019: Vernon co-writes and sings on “Cast-Off,” a song from pianist Bruce Hornsby ’s record Absolute Zero . His valiant efforts to usher in the Hornsbyssance only continue.

May 3, 2019: The PEOPLE Festival (now dubbed 37d03d Festival) touches down at Brooklyn’s Pioneer Works, where Vernon and the Dessner brothers perform, along with Boys Noize , Anaïs Mitchell , and more. Vernon performs a full set of Bob Dylan covers, including “All Along the Watchtower” and “Angelina.”

June 3, 2019: During a set at London’s All Points East festival, Bon Iver debuts two new songs, “ Hey, Ma ” and “ U (Man Like) .” At the end of the performance, a screen directs fans to a website called “ icommai ,” which lists other collaborators including the National’s Bryce Dessner, Moses Sumney , Bruce Hornsby, and Wye Oak ’s Jenn Wasner. A press statement elaborates: “This project began with a single person, but throughout the last 11 years, the identity of Bon Iver has bloomed and can only be defined by the faces in the ever-growing family we are.”

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