Livestream concerts have become increasingly common since the start of the pandemic, and while getting ready to check out a virtual concert isn’t as big a deal as going to an in-person show, there’s still usually some warning that it’s happening. That wasn’t the case with Adrianne Lenker this weekend, who decided to hop on Instagram Live and play a quick set of songs without any prior announcement (as NME notes).
Over the course of about 17 minutes, Lenker, wielding an acoustic guitar, ended up playing four songs, all from her 2020 album Songs: “Not A Lot, Just Forever,” “Forwards Beckon Rebound,” “Half Return,” and “Anything.” There was no chatting between songs or any talking at all from Lenker, who decided to let her delicate guitar-playing and singing carry the broadcast.
Perhaps this surprise set is Lenker’s way of practicing for her upcoming in-person concerts: Last month, she announced a brief tour consisting of a dozen shows over the course of a couple weeks in November. Lenker has certainly gotten a lot of performing in during 2020 and 2021, as she has appeared on The Tonight Show, The Late Show, and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series. Elsewhere, Lenker has helped her Big Thief bandmate Buck Meek with his solo album and working on a new Big Thief record, which is apparently “pretty much done.”
Watch Lenker’s livestream set above.