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.
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 of The Heritage Orchestra, 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.
The Vulnicura tour is 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
On 7 January 2015, Björk was announced as one of the performers of the 2015 Governors Ball. It was her first confirmed appearance since the conclusion of the Biophilia tour and her first concert in New York City since 2012.
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. On Twitter, Björk confirmed that Arca would play with her on selected dates. She later added two 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, as did Austrian hang drum player and percussionist Manu Delago, who previously toured with Björk on Biophilia. 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 announced the temporary stop of the 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." 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 and during the show announced that it would be her last concert in support of her 2015 album, Vulnicura.
Björk headlined the Ceremonia Festival in Toluca, Mexico on 2 April 2017 where she and Arca played a strings and electronics set and debuted Arca's remix of Björk's 1995 song, "Isobel". She performed a similar strings and beats show in downtown Los Angeles at FYF Fest on 21 July 2017 and at Fuji Rock in Japan.
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. 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.
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. 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." 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."
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." 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."
Opening acts Arca Lotic
Set list 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. As she often does, the festival dates featured more songs from her discography.
2015 shows
This set list is from the 25 March 2015 concert in New York City, United States. It is not intended to represent all concerts for the year.
"Stonemilker" "Lionsong" "History of Touches" "Black Lake" "Family" "Notget" Intermission "Pleasure Is All Mine" "Come to Me" "All Neon Like" "I See Who You Are" "Quicksand" "Mouth Mantra" Encore "Sun in My Mouth" "Wanderlust"
Festival shows
This set list is from the 31 July 2017 concert in Yuzawa, Japan. It is not intended to represent all concerts for the year.
"Stonemilker" "Lionsong" "Come to Me" "Jóga" "Unravel" "Mouth's Cradle" "You've Been Flirting Again" "Isobel" "Bachelorette" "5 Years" "Wanderlust" "Notget" "Mouth Mantra" "Quicksand" "Mutual Core" Encore "History of Touches" "Hyperballad"
Acoustic shows
This set list is from the 3 November 2017 concert in Tbilisi, Georgia. It is not intended to represent all concerts for the year.
"Stonemilker" "Lionsong" "History of Touches" "Black Lake" "Notget" "Mouth Mantra" Intermission "Aurora" "I've Seen It All" "Jóga" "Vertebræ By Vertebræ" "Quicksand" "Pagan Poetry" "Bachelorette" Encore "The Anchor Song" "Pluto"
Other songs performed
On select dates in 2015, Björk added the following songs to the set list.
"Undo" "Harm of Will" "All Is Full of Love" "Atom Dance" "Hunter" "Army of Me" "Possibly Maybe" "Where Is the Line" "One Day"
Tour dates
+ List of 2015 concerts Date (2015) City Country Venue Players Electronics7 MarchNew York CityUnited StatesCarnegie HallAlarm Will SoundManu DelagoArca14 March18 MarchKings Theatre22 March25 MarchNew York City Center28 March1 April6 JuneRandalls Island ParkThe Haxan Cloak5 JulyManchesterEnglandCastlefield ArenaHeritage OrchestraManu Delago11 JulyTrenčínSlovakiaTrenčín Airport16 JulyOstravaCzech RepublicDolní oblast Vítkovice20 JulyLyonFranceAncient Theatre of FourvièreArca24 JulyBarcelonaSpainPoble Espanyol29 JulyRomeItalyAuditorium Parco della Musica2 AugustBerlinGermanySpandau CitadelThe Haxan Cloak7 AugustCharlburyEnglandCornbury Park
+ List of 2016 concerts Date (2016) City Country Venue Players Electronics21 SeptemberLondonEnglandRoyal Albert HallAurora Orchestrarowspan=4 24 SeptemberEventim Apollo5 NovemberReykjavíkIcelandHarpaIceland Symphony Orchestra8 November
+ List of 2017 concerts Date (2017) City Country Venue Players Electronics29 MarchMexico CityMexicoAuditorio NacionalOdilón Chávez Orchestra2 AprilTolucaForo PegasoArca30 MayLos AngelesUnited StatesWalt Disney Concert HallLos Angeles Philharmonic21 JulyExposition ParkArca31 JulyYuzawaJapanNaeba Ski ResortKoichiro Muroya Strings31 OctoberTbilisiGeorgiaTbilisi Concert HallGeorgia Philharmonic Orchestrarowspan=2 3 NovemberGeorgian National Opera Theater
Notes
Cancellations and rescheduled shows 4 April 2015New York City, United StatesNew York City CenterThe fourth show at the New York City Center was cancelled for undisclosed reasons. Instead, two shows at the Kings Theatre were added to the schedule.15 August 2015Saint-Malo, FranceLa Route du RockCancelled due to scheduling conflict.29 October 2015Paris, FrancePitchfork Music Festival Paris4 November 2015Reykjavík, IcelandHarpa7 November 2015Iceland Airwaves1 April 2017Toluca, MexicoForo PegasoDue to inclement weather damaging a stage at the Ceremonia Festival, the entire festival was initially cancelled before it was later announced that a condensed version of Ceremonia would take place the following day.
References
External links 2015 gigography at bjork.com 2016 gigography at bjork.com 2017 gigography at bjork.com