TL;DR
Kurt Vile brought Ethan Buckler onstage at Headliners in Louisville on Friday, Nov. 6, for a performance of King Kong’s “Old Man On The Bridge.” Buckler, a member of Slint and King Kong, also contributed backing vocals to Vile’s latest album. The appearance followed a recent late-night performance by Vile and a past Jimmy Fallon segment about the King Kong song.
Kurt Vile brought Ethan Buckler onstage at Headliners in Louisville on Friday, Nov. 6, to perform “Old Man On The Bridge,” a song by Buckler’s band King Kong. The guest appearance linked Vile’s current work with a local musician associated with Slint and King Kong, and took place in Buckler’s hometown.
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According to Stereogum’s report, Buckler joined Vile during the Headliners show for the King Kong song. The outlet identified Buckler as a Louisville local and described him as a figure in the city’s music scene. A video of the performance was shared by Drew Mihans, though the source report does not provide further details about the recording or the song’s place in the set.
The appearance also reflects a connection between the musicians beyond the concert. Buckler contributed backing vocals to “Chance To Bleed,” the lead single from Vile’s latest album, Philadelphia’s been good to me. The source does not specify when Buckler recorded his contribution or whether he joined Vile for any other songs at Headliners.
The Louisville performance came days after Vile and his band, the Violators, played “99 BPM” on The Tonight Show. Stereogum reported that the televised performance took place Monday, Nov. 2. The two appearances brought Vile’s recent album activity and Buckler’s King Kong work into the same week, though the source does not say whether the Louisville guest spot was planned in response to the television appearance.
A Louisville Link Across Two Bands
The guest spot put a King Kong song in front of the audience at a Kurt Vile show while giving Buckler a prominent role in his hometown. It also connected the performance to Vile’s current album: Buckler had already contributed backing vocals to “Chance To Bleed,” making the appearance part of an existing musical relationship rather than an unrelated cameo.
The song carries an additional point of recognition for viewers familiar with late-night television. As Stereogum noted, Jimmy Fallon previously devoted a segment on The Tonight Show to joking about “Old Man On The Bridge.” The Louisville performance offered a different setting for the track: a live rendition with its band member joining Vile onstage. The source describes that sequence as a full-circle moment, but does not report that the musicians or audience framed it that way during the show.
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From Fallon’s Joke to Headliners
The report connects the Louisville performance to an earlier Tonight Show segment in which Fallon poked fun at “Old Man On The Bridge.” According to Stereogum, the song soon won over both Fallon and Questlove. The source does not give the date of that segment, so its timing relative to the Nov. 6 concert cannot be stated more precisely here.
Vile’s own late-night appearance was more recent. He and the Violators played “99 BPM” on Nov. 2, four days before the reported Headliners show. That performance was separate from Buckler’s appearance in Louisville: the source does not say Buckler took part in the television set.
““Old Man On The Bridge””
— Stereogum
Setlist and Performance Details
The available report confirms that Buckler joined Vile for “Old Man On The Bridge,” but it does not provide a full setlist, the performance’s length, or details about how the guest appearance was arranged. It also does not establish whether Buckler played an instrument or sang during the song; the report identifies the performance but gives no specific account of his role onstage.
A video was credited to Drew Mihans, but the supplied material does not include a transcript, recording duration, or further description of what it shows. The source likewise does not state whether the musicians have plans to perform together again. Those details remain unconfirmed.
No Further Dates Reported
The supplied report does not announce another joint performance, a release connected to the Louisville appearance, or additional dates involving Buckler and Vile. The immediate record of the event is the reported Headliners performance and the video credited to Drew Mihans. Any future collaboration or further account of the show would need to be confirmed by the artists, venue, or another report.
Key Questions
What song did Kurt Vile and Ethan Buckler perform?
They performed “Old Man On The Bridge,” a song by Buckler’s band King Kong, at Vile’s Louisville show.
Where and when did the performance take place?
The performance was reported at Headliners in Louisville on Friday night, Nov. 6. The source gives no year in the supplied report.
Who is Ethan Buckler?
The source identifies Buckler as a member of Slint and King Kong and a Louisville local. It also reports that he contributed backing vocals to Kurt Vile’s “Chance To Bleed.”
Had Buckler worked with Vile before the show?
Yes. Stereogum reports that Buckler sang backing vocals on “Chance To Bleed,” the lead single from Vile’s latest album, Philadelphia’s been good to me.
What other recent performance did Kurt Vile give?
Vile and the Violators performed “99 BPM” on The Tonight Show on Monday, Nov. 2, according to the report. Buckler’s participation in that television performance was not reported.
Source: stereogum.com
