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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 also sang backing vocals on Vile’s latest album, and the song had recently been featured in a Jimmy Fallon segment that turned from mockery to appreciation.
Kurt Vile brought Ethan Buckler onstage at Headliners in Louisville on Friday, Nov. 6, for a performance of “Old Man On The Bridge”, a song by Buckler’s band King Kong. The appearance connected Vile’s concert with Louisville’s local music history and followed Buckler’s contribution to Vile’s latest album, Philadelphia’s been good to me.
Buckler, a member of Slint and King Kong, joined Vile during the Louisville show to perform King Kong’s “Old Man On The Bridge.” A video of the performance was shared by Drew Mihans, according to Stereogum’s report. The available account identifies the song and performers but does not provide a set list or further details about how the collaboration came together.
Buckler had also worked with Vile on Philadelphia’s been good to me, contributing backing vocals to lead single “Chance To Bleed.” His appearance in Louisville therefore brought together a recent studio collaboration and a song from his own band’s catalog, performed in his hometown.
The Louisville show came just days after Vile and the Violators performed “99 BPM” on The Tonight Show on Monday, Nov. 2. Stereogum linked the two appearances through the recent history of “Old Man On The Bridge,” which had been discussed on Fallon’s program in an earlier segment.
A King Kong Song Returns Home
The performance mattered as a hometown appearance by Buckler and a meeting of musicians whose work had already intersected on Vile’s album. It put a King Kong song in front of Vile’s audience while giving Buckler a prominent role at a Louisville concert, rather than limiting their connection to the recording of “Chance To Bleed.”
The moment also gave “Old Man On The Bridge” a markedly different setting from its recent late-night television discussion. Stereogum described the song as moving from the target of a joke to a celebratory live performance. That framing is an interpretation of the sequence, not a statement from the performers about their intentions.
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From Late-Night Segment to Headliners
Earlier in the week, Vile and the Violators performed “99 BPM” on The Tonight Show. The report notes a separate, earlier segment in which Jimmy Fallon made “Old Man On The Bridge” the subject of a “Do Not Play” bit. The song reportedly won over Fallon and Questlove during that segment, changing the tone from the joke’s initial premise.
The two television appearances were not the same event: Vile’s Nov. 2 performance was “99 BPM,” while Buckler joined him in Louisville on Nov. 6 for King Kong’s song. The connection is the song’s earlier appearance in Fallon’s segment and its subsequent performance in Buckler’s hometown.
Details Beyond the Video
The source report does not give the song’s exact position in the Louisville set, whether Buckler joined Vile for any other material, or whether the two musicians plan further live performances together. It also does not quote either artist about the choice of song or the relationship between the television segment and the Louisville performance. The report attributes the performance video to Drew Mihans, but offers no additional production or venue details beyond the show’s location at Headliners.
No Further Dates Reported
No additional joint appearances or follow-up plans were included in the report. The confirmed development is the Nov. 6 performance itself; whether Vile and Buckler will play together again remains unknown. Readers can refer to the video shared by Drew Mihans for the performance, while any future dates or comments from the musicians would need to be confirmed separately.
Key Questions
What song did Kurt Vile and Ethan Buckler perform?
They performed King Kong’s “Old Man On The Bridge” at Vile’s show.
Where and when did the performance happen?
The performance took place at Headliners in Louisville on Friday, Nov. 6.
Who is Ethan Buckler?
Buckler is a musician associated with Slint and King Kong, and he contributed backing vocals to “Chance To Bleed,” the lead single from Vile’s latest album.
What is the song’s connection to Jimmy Fallon?
Stereogum reported that Fallon previously featured “Old Man On The Bridge” in a “Do Not Play” segment. The report says the song went on to win over Fallon and Questlove.
Have Vile and Buckler announced more performances together?
No further joint performances or plans were included in the source report.
Source: stereogum.com
