Wednesday afternoon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, a three-piece Bon Iver — Justin Vernon on guitar and vocals, Mike Lewis on bass and backing vocals, and Sean Carey on drums — performed a four-song set at the rally for Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Following opening speeches by dignitaries including Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, Bon Iver took the adjacent stage and performed “Towers,” “666 ʇ,” and “Flume,” providing a cross-section of songs from the albums Bon Iver; 22, A Million; and For Emma, Forever Ago, respectively. To close out the set, Bon Iver covered a song from 1862, “Battle Cry of Freedom.” The song, written to rally Union troops during the Civil War, includes the lyric, “we'll rally from the hillside, we'll gather from the plain,” which complemented the rolling, rural environs of the Eau Claire Event District, where the rally was held.

“I appreciate you,” Vernon told the crowd. “We’re here for the right reasons and we all know what we’re here for, so we’re going to do our thing, make this music, and make way for the people that we need to hear from.”

Later, when Vice President Harris took the stage, among her opening remarks was a shout-out to Bon Iver and his Wisconsin bona fides.

Rally attendee Janet Weix of Eau Claire was proud Bon Iver featured in the day’s lineup. “I think it’s a great use of local resources,” Weix said. “He’s our Grammy Award-winning human from this area, so it makes sense.

“[Justin Vernon] is one of our friend’s son’s godparents,” Weix added. “They went to high school together, so he’s local legend to us.”

Attendee Krista, from Anoka, Minnesota, who preferred not to share her last name, said of Bon Iver, “We know who he is, and he’s a good singer,” noting she learned of Bon Iver through Taylor Swift’s music. “We didn’t come here for him, though,” Krista laughed. “He was just a little bonus.”

Meanwhile, Jack Sanda from Edina, Minnesota, was enthusiastic for two reasons: first, as an 18-year-old, this is the first time he’ll participate in a Presidential election; second, he is such a Bon Iver fan that he has a 22, A Million tattoo on his thigh. “It’s awesome,” Sanda said. “Bon Iver has been using his platform for political good for a pretty long time. I’m a big fan of that, and I’m glad that my favorite artist is doing the good fight.”

Bon Iver Gallery

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Music played a critical role throughout the rally, keeping attendees engaged and entertained for the stretch of time before the event. A DJ spun a playlist of upbeat tracks featuring a lot of R&B favorites, including songs by Prince, Mary J Blige, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Dusty Springfield, Bill Withers, Cher and many others. Perhaps appropriately for Wisconsin, Katy Perry’s “Firework” also featured in the playlist. At one point, a group of people in the crowd were not only dancing but singing every single word to “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + the Machine.

A fair amount of attention is being paid to walk-in and walk-out music at these rallies. On Wednesday in Eau Claire, Gov. Walz took the stage to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born To Run,” and Vice President Harris exited to Beyoncé’s “Freedom” feat. Kendrick Lamar.

External Link

Bon Iver – official site