Music

Bon Iver Event in Eau Claire Wednesday Night Sets Off Global Listening Party

Eric Christenson |

Update: Check out our live Periscope stream from the event...

Bon Iver's much anticipated new album, 22, A Million releases to the world on Friday, but hundreds of fans got their first full listen of the album Wednesday evening at 6:30pm in front of the Bon Iver mural outside The State Theatre at the corner of Eau Claire Street and Farwell Street. Check out some photos.

As we now know, there are ten other murals related to 22, A Million across the globe in cities like London, Berlin, Mexico City, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Minneapolis – each representing one of the ten tracks on new album, with different obscure iconography and abstract numerals by artist Eric Timothy Carlson. These all seem to point back to the eleventh mural right here in Eau Claire, which is one of the collection’s largest and depicts the album’s actual artwork. 

Photo: Nick Meyer
Photo: Nick Meyer

So here's what's happening ...

Starting Wednesday evening, the album is being played out in full – via boombox and cassette – at the site of each mural in each city’s respective time zones, starting with Eau Claire. So we're basically the kickoff to a global listening party. 

Fans who showed up to the listening party in Eau Claire got their mitts on a sweet new Bon Iver zine – a collection of poster-sized artwork from 22, A Million printed on broadsheet newsprint. Some of the artwork in the zine mirrors the art found on murals around the world.

It’s a pretty cool way to roll out a record, a strategy that mixes visual art, viral marketing, music, community … the list goes on. Justin Vernon and company are definitely doing things differently with 22, A Million, an album which marks a turning point in the Bon Iver saga, musically, aesthetically, and metaphysically. And we’re all along for the ride.

The album is out on Friday Sept. 30, and you can pick up a copy at The Local Store (where you’ll enjoy 15% off your entire purchase when you scoop up the vinyl), online at boniver.org, or through many major retailers digitally and physically.


Listen: New Bon Iver Tracks

33 “GOD”

22 (OVER S∞∞N) [Bob Moose Extended Cab Version]

Bon Iver - 10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⚄ ⚄ (Extended Version)