Taylor Swift‘s Folklore collaboration “Exile” never made it onto the fixed setlist for the Eras tour, but on the rare occasions that she selected the record as a surprise song, her stadium audiences filled in for Bon Iver, who never got a chance to perform it with her during the extensive run of live shows. Still, even watching the crowds sing from afar was a surreal experience for him.
During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Justin Vernon described hearing the audience sing “Exile” as “out of body,” adding: “I saw those clips and I’m like, ‘Gosh, they sound better than one of me can sound.’ No really, it was pretty powerful to just see that and to hear how that sounded. It was amazing.”
“Sadly, I didn’t ever get to sing it with her on her tour,” Vernon said. But Swift did make a surprise appearance at a Bon Iver concert in London in 2022 to perform “Exile.” They were also accompanied on stage by the National’s Aaron Dessner, with Swift describing them as “the most talented men in the world.”
That night in London, after Swift made her exit, Vernon followed up the frenzy-sparking moment with “Skinny Love.” On Fallon, the musician shared a recent voicemail he received from a neighbor back in Wisconsin telling him a contestant on The Voice would be performing the classic For Emma, Forever Ago song.
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“Hey, Justin. This is Brian, your neighbor. Just thought I’d let you know on ‘The Voice’ tonight, there’s a couple of girls singing ‘Skinny Girl’ on there,” he said. ‘Just thought I’d let you know if you’re around. It’s on ‘The Voice’ tonight. Channel 13. Talk to you later. Have a good day. Bye.” Brian’s wife texted Vernon shortly after to apologize for the “Skinny Girl”/”Skinny Love” mixup.
On April 11, Vernon will release his fifth album as Bon Iver, the first since 2019. “The previous four albums were a cycle of seasons that is now complete,” he shared in a statement when announcing the new record earlier this year. “SABLE, fABLE is a canvas for truth laid bare.”
