Conrad Brittenham August 22nd, 2017 - 11:50 AM
Bon Iver announced plans to return to the stage in l’automne of this year. Justin Vernon, the man behind the mask, made these plans public by way of his Instagram account. Things will ignite in Nashville on October 29th and extinguish (but not fizzle) in Durham on November 13th. Bon Iver will stop at as many southern cities as they can get to in the time they have.
Earlier this year, let’s say early January, Vernon and company pulled out of their European tour for “personal reasons.” The band gave no intent to reschedule the dates, but they of course refunded their fans. Promoters can hardly call the upcoming southern tour a rescheduled version, as it is in another part of the world than originally planned. However, it’s good to see those personal problems resolved, at least enough for another quick tour.
Music history will remember Bon Iver as a bastion of the indie genre. Their music helped catalyze the transition of indie music into the mainstream while defending against the compromises musicians have to make to gain popularity. Arcade Fire and Vampire Weekend can also be credited with the same praise. Every now and then a band holed up within a fringe genre will make music powerful or catchy enough to pop the bubble in which they reside. People who wouldn’t generally listen to indie music would hear Bon Iver and think; hey, this is pretty good. Then, through recommended videos on YouTube or related artists on Spotify, these people find other indie music that they might like. Just like that a genre emerges from the shadows and finds itself glowing from legitimate recognition.
The southern U.S. tour will seek to promote Bon Iver’s third album, 22, A Million. The album, often considered weirder than Bon Iver’s previous work, is the kind of record a growing artist in transition puts out. It is definitely still the Bon Iver fans know, but perhaps less safe than his other work, a crowd pleaser because it’s not a crowd pleaser. Vernon had become a sort of indie icon by the time of his third album, and was often criticized for embodying the stereotype of white bearded men making timidly folky songs. Vernon, as anyone who listens to his music, is no stereotype. Stereotypes are usually rooted in something that was once novel, anyway. Tour dates can be found on the flyer below.
