One of the most satisfying elements about Divers, Joanna Newsom’s fourth LP, is the instrumentation and arrangements. But when she made her first appearance on TV to promote it—performing “Leaving The City” on Jools Holland—the approach was wonderfully bare: just voice and harp.
Last night, on Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Newsom decided to present the fully arranged version, which includes the Mellotron, piano, and drums heard in the studio release—and it’s a knockout. The only thing that could’ve made it better would be Larry King showing up to play a solo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE-uK67PGjo
You can catch Newsom’s live act for yourself on her current tour, which is just getting underway. Those dates are below.
Joanna Newsom tour dates
December
09 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer *
10 – Washington, D.C. – Lincoln Theatre *
11 – New York, NY – Apollo Theatre *
12 – Munhall, PA – Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall *
13 – Buffalo, NY – Asbury Hall @ Babeville *
14 – Toronto, Ontario – Queen Elizabeth Theatre *
15 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre *
16 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre *
17 – St. Paul, MN – The Fitzgerald Theater *
18 – Madison, WI – Orpheum Theatre *
March
26 – Los Angeles, CA – Orpheum Theatre
27 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
28 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
29 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
30 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Vogue Theatre
31 – Spokane, WA – Bing Crosby Theater
April
01 – Boise, ID – Egyptian Theatre
02 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
03 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
* = with Alela Diane and Ryan Francesconi
Divers is out now via Drag City.
