Julien Baker is heading back to the kind of rooms where there is very little distance between artist and audience. Following a surprise show at Nashville’s The Blue Room that sold out immediately, Baker has announced a run of US rock-club residencies for October and November.
Rather than racing from city to city for single nights, Baker is settling in for three-show runs at six venues. The tour begins at Kilby Court in Salt Lake City on October 15, before moving through Cambridge, Carrboro, Athens and Lawrence and wrapping up with three nights at Neumos in Seattle from November 19 to 21. Longtime collaborators Matt Gilman and Calvin Lauber join her throughout, recreating the lineup that accompanied her at the Nashville show.
There is another reason that Nashville appearance has people paying attention. Alongside songs drawn from across Baker’s catalogue, the set included new material following her recent time in the studio. There is no announcement yet about where those songs might be heading, but their appearance makes these intimate residencies considerably more intriguing.
It is now more than a decade since Baker’s 2015 debut ‘Sprained Ankle’ introduced a songwriter capable of making a quiet room feel enormous. ‘Turn Out the Lights’ followed in 2017, before 2021’s ‘Little Oblivions’ expanded the scale and weight of her solo work. In between came boygenius, her collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, which grew from a 2018 EP into one of indie rock’s biggest acts.
The trio’s 2023 album ‘the record’ won three Grammy Awards and took boygenius into venues including Madison Square Garden and the Hollywood Bowl. Baker changed direction again in 2025, joining TORRES for the long-gestating collaborative album ‘Send a Prayer My Way’, a project with roots stretching back to the pair’s first show together in 2016.
Now the focus swings back to Baker’s solo work. The decision to play three consecutive nights in relatively intimate rock clubs feels particularly suited to an artist whose music has always benefited from proximity. Add the unexpected appearance of new songs in Nashville, and these autumn residencies may offer the first real indication of where Baker’s next solo chapter is heading.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, September 12 at 10am local time and will be available exclusively from the individual venue box offices.
Go HERE for ticketing information.
