Vulnicura Tour

The Vulnicura Tour was the eighth concert tour by Icelandic musician Björk. The tour centered on her critically acclaimed 2015 album Vulnicura which chronicled the singer's breakup with American contemporary artist Matthew Barney.

Vulnicura Tour
Tour by Björk
Promotional poster for the Berlin concert at Zitadelle
Associated albumVulnicura
Start date7 March 2015 (2015-03-07)
End date3 November 2017 (2017-11-03)
No. of shows
  • 12 in North America
  • 14 in Europe
  • 1 in Asia
  • 27 total
Björk concert chronology

The first half of each show featured the first six songs from the album, performed uninterrupted. Following an intermission, Björk returned to the stage to perform a collection of songs from her past, newly rearranged to take advantage of the 15 strings players, percussionist and hang drum player Manu Delago, and Arca on electronics. On festival dates The Haxan Cloak performed on electronics, debuting his remix of "Mouth Mantra" at the Governor's Ball in New York.

To date the Vulnicura Tour remains the second Björk concert not to receive a corresponding DVD release, following the Greatest Hits Tour in 2003. None of the 27 concerts are known to have been professionally filmed but a concert in Iceland on 8 November 2016 was, though no plans have been announced for a home video release or TV broadcast.

Background and concert synopsis
Björk performing at the New York City Center, accompanied by Alarm Will Sound, Arca and Manu Delago

On 7 January 2015, Björk was announced as one of the performers of the 2015 Governors Ball.[1] It was her first confirmed appearance since the conclusion of the Biophilia Tour and her first concert in New York City since 2012.[2][3]

On 16 January 2015, the singer confirmed the upcoming Vulnicura Tour by announcing six dates through March and April in New York, where she performed at the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall and the New York City Center.[4][5] On Twitter, Björk confirmed that Arca would play with her on selected dates.[6][7] She later added 2 shows at Brooklyn's Kings Theatre sandwiched in between the Carnegie Hall and City Center shows. Alarm Will Sound, a New York-based chamber orchestra, joined Björk and Arca on stage,[8] as did Austrian hang drum player and percussionist Manu Delago, who previously toured with Björk on Biophilia.[9] The Haxan Cloak took over electronic duties from Arca on festival dates in New York and later in Europe, playing a total of six Vulnicura Tour shows.

On 8 August 2015, Björk officially announced the abrupt end of the Vulnicura Tour, stating, "These have truly been some of my most sublime moments!! Singing this album has been intense and the internal clock of it different to the other ones. It has sort of had to behave in its own little way. Both the urgency of the leak and now this sudden closure for reasons beyond my control is characteristic of that. I hope through the years I have earned enough tourkarma points to get your support for this."[10] She added, "I have started writing new songs and feel the best most natural pathway to go is to let this beast flow its natural course and start anew."

Follow up acoustic concerts

On 21 September 2016 Björk gave her first acoustic Vulnicura concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and then later at Harpa in Iceland. These strings only shows follow the general format of the original Vulnicura Tour with the first six songs from the album performed uninterrupted with the second half of the show featuring mostly songs from her back catalogue. Of her back catalogue songs, only "Bachelorette" was played during both the original tour and these strings-only shows; all other songs made their Vulnicura era debuts. She continued the acoustic concert experience in Mexico City on 29 March 2017. Björk made her debut at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles on 30 May 2017 to coincide with the west coast premiere of Bjork Digital. She performed with the LA Philharmonic[11] and during the show announced that it would be her last concert in support of her 2015 album, Vulnicura.[12]

Björk headlined the Ceremonia Festival in Toluca, Mexico on 2 April 2017[13] where she and Arca played a strings and electronics set and debuted Arca's remix of Björk's 1995 song, "Isobel".[14] She performed a similar strings and beats show in downtown Los Angeles at FYF Fest on 21 July 2017[15] and at Fuji Rock in Japan.[16]

On 20 October 2017, 2 concerts were announced in the country of Georgia, at the Tbilisi Concert Hall on 31 October and at Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater on 3 November.[17] Backed by the National Symphonic Orchestra of Georgia, both nights saw Björk perform songs from her 2015 album Vulnicura despite announcing the end of the tour in Los Angeles back on 30 May 2017. Although the first single from her new album Utopia, "The Gate", had already been released at the time (on 15 September 2017), the song was not performed.[18]

Reception

The Vulnicura Tour was universally acclaimed by critics. It opened on 7 March 2015 at Carnegie Hall; Björk walked on stage to thunderous applause wearing a dress with motorized fabric chest wound by Iris Van Herpen and sporting a headpiece designed by Maiko Takeda.[19] Billboard.com wrote of the show, "Björk has not been shy about the personal woes that inspired Vulnicura, and to see her declare "I am not hurt" to a sold-out audience made for a truly inspiring moment."[20] Patrick Ryan of USA Today said, "Although her face wasn't visible for the first hour, she couldn't have been more expressive as she worked her way through Vulnicura, starting with the sweeping, reflective "Stonemilker"; and proceeding into the exotic, slithering strings of "Lionsong"... Starting with "Pleasure is All Mine" off 2004's Medúlla, the subsequent "Come to Me", "Undo" and "I See Who You Are" were all met with bursts of knowing cheers from the crowd. Bjork returned without a mask and wearing a custom lilac latex dress by Geoffrey Mac for the second act. If the first half felt like a soundtrack for the chilly, winter's day outside Carnegie Hall, these more vibrant numbers were like spring creeping around the corner." He added, "For this reviewer (who was only minimally familiar with Björk's catalog and Vulnicura before the concert), it didn't feel like anything was lost being a relative newcomer to her work. She's just that dynamic of a live performer."[21]

The tour received equally glowing reviews when it moved to Europe months later. Writing about Björk's European debut at the Manchester International Festival, The Telegraph wrote, "Björk doesn't do (a) break-up (album) like anyone else" and that the singer "proved that she's capable of transmuting despair into a very singular form of rapture."[22] Similarly, The Guardian wrote, "Vulnicura contains the sort of personal thoughts and details that few stars would confide to their psychiatrist, never mind perform to more than 5,000 people in an open-air urban amphitheatre. Her lyrics hit home like nails in the coffin of something that was precious. "Maybe he will come out of this loving me," she muses, as doubt bleeds into fury. "I honoured my feelings. You betrayed your own heart," she snaps in the bleakly devastating "Black Lake", as percussionist Manu Delago drops what sound like sonic bombs."[23]

Opening Acts

Songs performed

The following is a list of songs performed by Björk during the Vulnicura Tour. A typical set list from the show consisted of the first 6 songs from the Vulnicura album during the concert's first half, and a second half consisting of songs from her back catalogue.[24] As she often does, the festival dates featured more of her greatest hits, including "Army of Me" and "Bachelorette".[25]

Song Album
"Stonemilker" Vulnicura
"Lionsong" Vulnicura
"History of Touches" Vulnicura
"Black Lake" Vulnicura
"Family" Vulnicura
"Notget" Vulnicura
"Pleasure Is All Mine" Medúlla
"Come to Me" Debut
"Undo" Vespertine
"I See Who You Are" Volta
"Quicksand" Vulnicura
"Mouth Mantra" Vulnicura
"Harm of Will" Vespertine
"Wanderlust" Volta
"All Neon Like" Homogenic
"All Is Full of Love" Homogenic
"Sun In My Mouth" Vespertine
"Atom Dance" Vulnicura
"Hunter" Homogenic
"Bachelorette" Homogenic
"Army of Me" Post
"5 Years" Homogenic
"Mutual Core" Biophilia
"Hyperballad" Post
"Possibly Maybe" Post
"Where Is the Line" Medúlla
"Unravel" Homogenic
"One Day" Debut
"Aurora" Vespertine
"I've Seen It All" Selmasongs
"Jóga" Homogenic
"Pagan Poetry" Vespertine
"The Anchor Song" Debut
"Pluto" Homogenic
"Vertebræ by Vertebræ" Volta
"You've Been Flirting Again" Post
"Isobel" Post
"Mouth's Cradle" Medúlla

Tour dates
List of 2015 concerts
Date (2015) City Country Venue
7 March New York City United States Stern Auditorium
14 March
18 March Kings Theatre
22 March
25 March New York City Center
28 March
1 April
6 June[A] Randalls Island Park
5 July[B] Manchester England Castlefield Arena
11 July[C] Trenčín Slovakia Trenčín Airport
16 July[D] Ostrava Czech Republic Dolní oblast Vítkovice
20 July[E] Lyon France Ancient Theatre of Fourvière
24 July Barcelona Spain Poble Espanyol
29 July[F] Rome Italy Auditorium Parco della Musica
2 August[G] Berlin Germany Spandau Citadel
7 August[H] Charlbury England Cornbury Park
List of 2016 concerts
Date (2016) City Country Venue
21 September London England Royal Albert Hall
24 September Eventim Apollo
5 November[I] Reykjavík Iceland Harpa
8 November[J]
List of 2017 concerts
Date (2017) City Country Venue
29 March Mexico City Mexico Auditorio Nacional
2 April[K] Toluca Foro Pegaso
30 May Los Angeles United States Walt Disney Concert Hall
21 July[L] Exposition Park
31 July[M] Yuzawa Japan Naeba Ski Resort
31 October[N] Tbilisi Georgia Tbilisi Concert Hall
3 November[N] Georgian National Opera Theater

Notes

Cancellations and rescheduled shows
4 April 2015 New York City, United States New York City Center The fourth show at the New York City Center was cancelled for undisclosed reasons. Instead, 2 shows at the Kings Theatre were added to the schedule.[29]
August 15, 2015 Saint-Malo, France La Route du Rock Cancelled due to scheduling conflict.
October 29, 2015 Paris, France Pitchfork Music Festival Paris Cancelled due to scheduling conflict.
November 4, 2015 Reykjavík, Iceland Harpa Cancelled due to scheduling conflict.
November 7, 2015 Iceland Airwaves Cancelled due to scheduling conflict
April 1, 2017 Toluca, Mexico Foro Pegaso Due to inclement weather damaging a stage at the Ceremonia Festival, the entire festival was initially cancelled[30] before it was later announced that a condensed version of Ceremonia would take place the following day.[31]

References
  1. "Black Keys, Drake, Bjork to Headline 2015 Governors Ball". Rolling Stone. 7 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  2. Brandle, Lars (7 January 2015). "Drake, Black Keys & Deadmau5 Lead Governors Ball Line-up". Billboard. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  3. Lipshutz, Jason (7 January 2015). "Governors Ball Lineup Takeaways: Lana Del Rey's NYC Return, Drake Is Festival King & Björk Is Back". Billboard. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  4. "vulnicura tour dates". bjork.com. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  5. DeVille, Chris (16 January 2015). "New Björk, New Björk: She's Playing Intimate NYC Shows Throughout March & April". Stereogum. Spin Music. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  6. "Björk announces New York tour dates". Fact. The Vinyl Factory. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  7. Pelly, Jenn (16 January 2015). "Björk Announces New York Tour Dates". Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media Inc. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  8. "Alarm Will Sound". Brooklynvegan.com. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  9. "Manu Delago Performing with Björk in NYC". Musicexport.at. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  10. "Björk Canceled Tour Dates Because Singing Vulnicura Songs Was Too Hard And Because She's Working On New Music". Stereogum. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  11. "Björk will bring her VR exhibition to Los Angeles this spring". Factmag.com. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  12. "Björk brought strings — but no beats — to her sold-out gig at Disney Hall". Los Angeles Times. 2017-05-28. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  13. "Björk, M.I.A., Underworld to headline Mexico's Ceremonia Festival". consequence.net. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  14. Slingerland, Calum (2017-03-23). "Björk Teases Arca Remix of "Isobel"". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  15. Young, Alex (2017-03-21). "FYF Fest reveals 2017 lineup: Nine Inch Nails, Frank Ocean, and Björk to headline". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  16. Young, Alex (2017-03-31). "Fuji Rock reveals 2017 lineup: Gorillaz, Björk, QOTSA, Aphex Twin to headline". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  17. "Bjork to visit Georgia's regions to explore local music".
  18. "Björk Setlist at Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre, Tbilisi". setlist.fm. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  19. "Bjork Sports Headpiece Designed by Maiko Takeda for the Cover of Her New Album Vulnicura =". Fashion Headline Japan. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  20. "Björk Unveils 'Vulnicura' During Emotional NYC Matinee Show". Billboard. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  21. "Review: Björk astounds at Carnegie Hall". USA TODAY. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  22. "Björk, Manchester International Festival, review: 'very beautiful indeed'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  23. Simpson, Dave (6 July 2015). "Björk review – singer shines in achingly personal, stripped down performance". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  24. "Free download of Björk and Arca's New York gig emerges – NME". nme.com. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  25. "Björk balances power with vulnerability as Vulnicura reaches Manchester International Festival". thelineofbestfit.com. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  26. "Björk hace conferencia de prensa desde Londres para hablar de su exhibición digital en México". Warp.la. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  27. "FYF Festival 2017: Missy Elliott Brings the Bling, Bjork Delivers Flawless Set". Billboard. 22 July 2017.
  28. "Fuji Rock Festival: It may not make sense on paper, but the end results are glorious". August 2017.
  29. "Bjork cancels April 4 City Center performance but adds two shows at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn". Brooklyn Vegan. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  30. Cosores, Philip (2017-04-01). "Ceremonia Festival canceled after inclement weather damages stage". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  31. Young, Alex (2017-04-02). "Ceremonia Festival organizers announce scaled-down event taking place on Sunday". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
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