Big Thief Debuts Triple Album ‘Horsepower’ With Gillian Welch, Iris DeMent, Lucinda Williams & More At Ryman

Big Thief performed their unreleased triple album Horsepower in full across two nights at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Saturday and Sunday. The band played all 29 songs from the record out of sequence both nights, backed by a rotating group of guest musicians.

Opening night began with just the band’s core members — Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek and James Krivchenia (and Joshua Crumbly) — seated around a large wooden table onstage, flanked by additional instrumentation. Lenker told the crowd the band had recorded a new album in Nashville in May and would play it in full that night.

Photography and audio/video recording were not permitted for the audience at either show. Both nights were filmed for a future release.

Night one at The Ryman saw Iris DeMent join the band starting with “Highway,” a live debut, and remained onstage throughout the evening. Gillian Welch came out for “Carry” and stayed on for a stretch that included “Sadness as a Gift,” a song originally released on Lenker’s solo album Bright Future, and the live debut “True Love.”

Pedal steel and guitar players Russ Pahl and Greg Leisz, along with a string section of Hannah Read, Richard Bowden and Zosha Warpeha, backed the performance as well.

The set also included live debuts of “Faker,” “Loneliest Boy,” “Avalanche, Hurricane” and “Gift Pleasure Joy.” Lucinda Williams joined for the encore, appearing on “Born For Loving You” and closer “Gift Pleasure Joy.”

Big Thief’s second Ryman performance followed the same 29-song set list. Rodney Crowell joined the band for “Oldest” and “Bright Future,” and Williams returned for “Born For Loving You” and “Gift Pleasure Joy.”

Both nights closed their main sets with “These Are the Days” before the encore, and both encores opened with “No Matter What,” featuring Meek on lead vocals.

Horsepower follows Big Thief’s 2025 album Double Infinity. Lenker and Meek reportedly revealed the album is being targeted for a spring 2027 release, with the band still working on finishing it.

Big Thief is scheduled to resume its Somersault Slide 360 Tour in September.