Vampire Weekend are doubling-down on their support of Vermont Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders by teaming up with Bon Iver to play a series of Sanders rallies in Iowa later this month.

The Bernie Caucus Concerts will take place on Jan. 31 at the Horizon Events Center in Clive, Iowa, with Bon Iver and Feb. 1 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at the U.S. Cellular Center where VW will play an acoustic set. 

The 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses will take place on Feb. 3, and at press time Sanders is polling three points behind former Vice President Joe Biden in the traditional kick-off event for the presidential race. It's not the first campaign event for either act; VW appeared at a number of rallies for Sanders during his 2016 run for president and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon appeared during a Wisconsin rally for the Senator in April 2016.

In a tweet annoucing the gig, Vernon wrote, "Let's do what we all should have done. See you there!" In a statement about the show, the Wisconsin-bred singer said, "I believe, unequivocally, that all people deserve support, love, and the freedom to choose how to live their own lives. There are promises in our constitutional language that are being superseded by money and greed in this country; I believe that Senator Sanders is the only one that has the pedigree, the experience, the courage, and the undying spirit to begin to put these obstacles of freedom to rest.”

Both shows are free to the public, with VIP upgrades available for Sanders volunteers who knock on 150 or more doors in Iowa. The two acts join other vocal Bernie supporters, which include rapper Cardi B and rocker Jack White, who performed a set in support of the Senator in his hometown of Detroit in October

 


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