Bon Iver performed at a campaign rally for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, August 7. The event aimed to rally support for Harris’s presidential campaign, and Vernon captivated attendees with a serene rendition of “The Battle Cry of Freedom” on guitar.
In a video shared by Harris’ campaign on social media, Justin Vernon referred to the historic song as one that had been on his mind recently. He expressed the importance of their purpose, saying, “We’re here for the right reasons. We all know what we’re here for, so we’re gonna do our thing, make this music and make way for the people we need to hear from,” as the crowd cheered.
Wearing a trucker cap from the Harris-Walz campaign, Vernon delivered an emotional performance on electric guitar before joining in on vocals. “Yes we’ll rally round the flag, we’ll rally once again/ Shouting the battle cry of freedom,” he sang. “We will rally from the hillside, we’ll gather from the plain/ Shouting the battle cry of freedom!”
Billboard initially reported on Bon Iver’s participation in the rally in Eau Claire, the hometown of the two-time Grammy-winning band. Vernon has been dedicated to promoting his community, co-founding the Eaux Claires Music Festival in 2015 with Aaron Dessner of The National.
Following Vernon’s performance, both Harris and Walz addressed the crowd and even interacted with children who attended the rally, despite a brief interruption from a plane displaying the message “Trump-Vance.” This event marked one of the first campaign activities for Harris and Walz since the announcement of their partnership earlier in the week.