Joined by special guests including Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch, and Iris DeMent, the trio previewed the entirety of the unreleased 3LP project.
The Bottom Line
- The Event: Big Thief played a 29-song setlist at the Ryman Auditorium consisting entirely of their upcoming triple album, Horsepower.
- The Star-Studded Stage: The band shared the stage with guest collaborators including Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, and Iris DeMent.
- The Context: The performance follows their 2025 trio album Double Infinity and precedes their upcoming North American tour.
Inside the Ryman Auditorium’s Track Reveal
When Adrianne Lenker took the stage at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, she didn’t bother easing the crowd in with familiar cuts. Lenker explicitly warned the audience, “If you had some hopes of hearing some of the songs you might know—those can also be discarded.” What followed was a 29-song journey through Horsepower, a triple album.
The night bypassed traditional touring logic. Instead, fans experienced a preview of the upcoming 3LP, which weaves together brand-new compositions alongside live staples that have circulated in sets for years.
A Collaboration Behind the 3LP
Big Thief didn’t just debut the tracks alone. They brought out the musicians who helped make the record in the studio.
The live ensemble expanded to include pedal steel and guitar players Russ Pahl and Greg Leisz, alongside a fiddle section featuring Hannah Read, Richard Bowden, and Zosha Warpeha.
| Guest Artist | Role / Contribution | Track Count / Appearance |
|---|---|---|
| Iris DeMent | Guest | 12 tunes |
| Gillian Welch | Guest | 9 songs |
| Lucinda Williams | Guest | 1 song (Encore) |
| Greg Leisz & Russ Pahl | Pedal Steel & Guitar | Full-band ensemble |
| Hannah Read, Richard Bowden, Zosha Warpeha | Fiddle Section | Full-band ensemble |
Bridging Solo Work and Full-Band Evolution
The setlist offered a look at how fluid the boundary has become between Lenker’s solo catalog and Big Thief’s collective output. Among the 29 tracks were live debuts alongside songs like Lenker’s solo track “Sadness as a Gift,” as well as “oldest” and “happiness,” which previously appeared on her Live at Revolution Hall album but lacked studio versions. Meanwhile, Buck Meek took lead vocals on a new track titled “No Matter What.”
This live experiment arrives after Double Infinity, the trio’s 2025 release. With a North American tour kicking off next month—culminating in a final stop at Denver’s Red Rocks on October 6—Big Thief is redefining the traditional album campaign cycle.
What do you make of artists playing entirely unreleased albums live before fans have heard the studio versions? Drop a comment below and let’s argue about it.
