Recaps of each day: Day One: Thursday • Day Two: Friday • Day Three: Saturday • Day Four: Sunday
Curiosity.
That’s the theme of the panel I’m sitting in for while I put together our day-three recap. Only at Big Ears would you find a talk labeled “What is deep taste?” And it seemed fitting to crawl out of bed and get at it for, basically, an explanation of why we’re all here.
Here are most of our favorites from day three. – Rusty Odom
Hailey Heyndrickx
Honoring a longstanding tradition, I arrived about 20 minutes late to my first Saturday show. Settling into the balcony at The Point, my bustling energy from hustling to the show was quickly soothed by Heyndrickx’ delicate guitar play and heartfelt lyrics. Performing in a church gives an extra bit of gravitas to any artist, and the space matched Heyndrickx’ tone just right.
She spoke between songs about overcoming her own shyness and at one point encouraged the audience to speak to their neighbors while she tuned her guitar – a useful prodding to her target demographic and a direct extension of the idea of music as community, which is a pillar of my understanding of Big Ears. More than anything, her set had a solemnity to it that made you more present. The urge to check the schedule or a text drifted away, replaced by an honest appreciation of the moment, the space and the artist. – Daniel Britt
Tim Heidecker & the Very Good Band with Neil Hamburger
Perfume Genius
After stopping by Sami Stevens’ set following an onstage endorsement from Hailey Heyndrickx, I made my way over to the Mill & Mine for one of my most anticipated shows of the festival. Michael Aiden Hadreas took the stage with a full band, diving straight into his trademark vulnerable art-pop. His distinct dancing and slow, dramatic bends were certainly captivating, and the vocals matched the albums perfectly, oozing a curious and fragile sentiment. The real stars of the show, however, were the band, who propped up the vocals with a daintiness in the needed spots and an aggressive edge at others. The guitarist, who was introduced as Meg, provided a backbone for the tracks while also lending backing vocals to Hadreas’ croons. The Mill & Mine has sounded fantastic all weekend, but this show especially had a phenomenal audio mix, bouncing between the jangling pop of “On the Floor” and the earnest whine of “Me & Angel” with ease. The crowd mostly lingered until the end of the show, a rarity for Big Ears, so I feel confident that I am not the only one whose lofty expectations were exceeded. – DB
Richard Thompson
From his beginnings in the British folk band Fairport Convention in the late 1960s, Richard Thompson has become one of the music’s most accomplished singer-songwriters and guitarists. He’s been a recurring act at Big Ears, and prior to that, his tours regularly came to town, most often with concerts at the Bijou. His packed show Saturday at the Tennessee proved why he’s been such a local favorite. During his 75-minute set, Thompson, with only his acoustic guitar for accompaniment, touched on his most beloved songs from across his career.
His style is modest with no vocal fireworks. His lyrics are uncomplicated, and his subjects are common. His presence is personable and confident, but he isn’t loaded with charisma. Yet that style is deceptive. His songs pack a punch. A good example is 1982’s “Walking on a Wire,” written during his impending divorce from his then-wife and musical partner Linda Thompson. Even with Thompson’s easy delivery and cheerful between-song banter, he made you feel the devastation in the song. Then there’s his guitar style, a combination of finger-style and flatpicking that only occasionally is flashy enough to make you really notice how amazing it really is.
For the last several songs, Thompson was joined on vocals by singer-songwriter Zara Phillips (the two have been married since 2021), which added a nice element and made you remember how many special songs – including “Withered and Died” and the show’s closer, the great “Wall of Death” – he has contributed.
You don’t really need big ears to appreciate an artist like Thompson, but it’s good that this festival realizes that not every artist presented needs to on the fringes. – Wayne Bledsoe
Electrical Field of Love (Harriet Tubman & Georgia Anne Muldrow)
With generous west-facing windows lining the rear of Jackson Terminal, golden hour is a beautiful time of day at the venue, and this organic collaboration Saturday evening between artists that share a similar aesthetic supplied the ideal accompaniment. While the legendary trio’s expository jam suggested that a special mysticism was afoot, the first dulcet notes from guest vocalist Muldrow suggested that liftoff was imminent.
And so it was, as her commanding vocals soared soon after the second number commenced. The bass-heavy track grew progressively rumbly and psychedelic as it swelled to a chaotic apex before finding resolution. Without proper context, Muldrow’s statements ahead of the next song could have come across as mere platitudes; however, genuine positive vibes reigned supreme during the collective’s time onstage, both in terms of lyricism and music, and her resolute belief in humanity remained evident throughout. – Matt Rankin
Tsons of Tsunami
Guitarist and bandleader Simon Hanes hosted one heck of a rock show in the early evening at Barley’s on Saturday with his ensemble Tsons of Tsunami. With no less than seven members performing an array of instruments at any given moment, including percussion and horns, the collective blended surf rock with improvisational jazz. The time signatures it employed were complex but fitting, as each song picked up in pace, led by Hanes’ blistering guitar work. The highlight of the set came when saxophone and French horn were added to the mix, after which Hanes invited anyone in the crowd who could play to join them. Hanes then asked his father to join in, starting a chant of “Dad, Dad, Dad” before the elder Hanes joined the band to play percussion. Several audience members joined in, as well; by my count, that made 13 players onstage for the finale. Tsons of Tsunami’s set delighted the packed room and was easily one of my favorite shows of day three. – John Flannagan
Respira featuring Eucademix, azumi O E and Waldo Walle
I have to say, until 7:45 p.m. at the Blackbox Theatre, I was a little disappointed in this year’s Big Ears. Mostly it was because I chose performances that were safe by artists that I really loved, while one of the biggest joys of the festival is always finding something amazing that you knew nothing about.
The dance/music/lighting piece “Respira” filled that gap and then some. It was strange. It was powerful and mysterious. It was … well, I really don’t what the hell it was exactly. The simple Big Ears guide description is that it was a collaboration between sound artist Yuka Honda, butoh dancer azumi O E and lighting artist Waldo Walle.
“Butoh” is a Japanese style of modern dance that can be disturbing to watch. Dancers are typically painted white and make grotesque facial expressions and uncomfortable-looking, sometimes even torturous, body movements.
Saturday’s show began with Honda creating soundscapes that sometimes sounded like water and other natural sounds mixed with drones and industrial sounding noise. azumi O E walked into the center of the theater in darkness except for the eight tall light panels around her that pulsed with colors that changed through the set. At the beginning, the color was red, which flashed and flowed up and down the tubes. The dancer pushed a baby carriage, and she was dressed in something that in the darkness resembled a simple wedding gown with a veil that covered both her and the carriage. After circling the space, she pulled what looked like a bundle of lights from the carriage and, at first, I thought she treated the bundle like a baby, but then she put it on her head like an open mask and helmet made of red lights.
Her movements were intentional, slow and measured and then furious and crazed as she struggled on the floor or stretched out to peer into the faces of audience members. She fought and tore at her garment, and when she removed her top we could see that her breasts had thick long braids of hair sticking out coarsely where her nipples would have been. By the end of it all, she was nearly naked. Before that, though, colors changed, strobes flashed and she writhed and rolled while the sound created a strange music with loops and samples. Somehow it all seemed to work perfectly together. I was thankful that I had not taken some psychedelic chemical before the performance, though, because I surely would have run screaming from the venue, needed therapy or simply not believed that any of it had actually happened and blamed it all on the drugs.
Does this sound like a good time? I assure you, it actually was. It was amazing. It was not some provocative goof. It was a serious work by serious artists. I wish so many of my friends had been there to witness it, as well, because I can’t accurately describe it or explain what it felt like to be there. It was emotional in a way that I can’t quite figure out. It wasn’t for everyone. There were people who left, and I understood why, but I was riveted. EVERY Big Ears needs something that challenges and wows like this did … whatever it was. – WB
MJ Lenderman & The Wind
While I should probably be more mindful about slipping in a sit-down show on Saturdays, sometimes the schedule just does not play along. After standing for hours on end all afternoon, I headed for the balcony of the Civic Auditorium for MJ Lenderman’s set with his band The Wind. MJ and the Wind were joined onstage by Lou Turner (LT), who would also be playing later as part of Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band. My legs did not get a full break, though, as Lenderman’s Americana-tinged indie rock kept my toes tapping. Blending in psych-rock freakouts and jammy interludes, the band ran through the full gamut of influences on our Asheville neighbor’s brand of tunes, having them all dovetail on a fiddle breakdown near the end of “Manning Fireworks,” with backing vocals provided by LT. Banter was minimal, but Lenderman kept the crowd engaged with a genuine energy that seemed a tad more zestful than his usual nonchalance. Ultimately, the show was more of a musical than a physical reprieve, as I was back on my feet by the end of the set. – DB
Flying Lotus
The most anticipated show on my list was this multifaceted producer extraordinaire, who lived up to the billing. Any exhaustion I was feeling from the long day quickly faded as his infectious grooves got me dancing. Coupled with his incredible visuals, which reminded me of Oneohtrix Point Never’s mind-blowing set a few years ago, Flying Lotus’ mix was perfection personified, as each track flowed flawlessly into the next. Two of the standout songs were his collaborations with Thundercat (“MmmHmm”) and Kendrick Lamar (“Never Catch Me”) from 2010 and 2014, respectively, each of which drew an eruption from what felt close to a capacity crowd. It was obvious that the artist was having a great time, as he fed off the crowd’s energy and joked with us from time to time. As I crept closer to the front with each song, I couldn’t help but think that I was watching a masterclass in production and visuals. The set was magic from the onset, and I took solace knowing that I could end my third day on the highest note possible. – JF
Dave Harrington’s Pranksters South
I’ve already written twice previously about the ever-present guitarist this weekend, but Harrington’s final (?) contribution to the 2026 festival was a doozy. I don’t want to compare the performance to his last with Taper’s Choice on Thursday, but as great as that supergroup was, it doesn’t include Nels Cline. To experience the two axemen combining on such knotty and complex yet warm and accessible material was a treat I felt I didn’t deserve, even after three days of hoofing it to and fro all around downtown and staying up well past my bedtime for this set, which got underway at a quarter to 1 a.m. at The Standard. The all-star collective featured such notable players as Yuka Honda, Spencer Zahn, Kenny Wollesen and others, who churned out the Dead-inspired fare with both flair and precision. – MR
