Call

poster for event

When

Runs from Sunday July 16 2023 to Sunday July 16 2023

Approximate running time: 2 hours

Venue

Big Top Chautauqua Tent Venue
32525 Ski Hill Road
Bayfield WI 54814

Event Notes

× Nickel Creek
with special guest Aoife O’Donovan
Sunday, July 16, 2023 • 7:30 PM

$50/$68/$82

Blue Canvas Club pre-sale begins Tue, March 21, 2023 - 12:00pm CT
General Public sale begins Tue, March 28, 2023 - 12:00pm CT


Sponsored By Christopher & Bethany Owen

Nickel Creek is the platinum-selling, internationally renowned roots trio of mandolinist Chris Thile, violinist Sara Watkins and guitarist Sean Watkins. The Grammy-winning band has revolutionized folk and roots music since first performing together as children at a pizza parlor in San Diego in 1989, signing to acclaimed roots label Sugar Hill Records after wowing the bluegrass circuit for a decade. Nickel Creek quickly broke through in 2000 with their Grammy-nominated, Alison Krauss-produced self-titled LP, which showcased not just their instrumental virtuosity but their burgeoning songwriting prowess. The trio quickly followed that effort with the Krauss-produced This Side, a landmark release that earned Nickel Creek the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album and brought their progressive take on acoustic music to a broader audience, greatly influencing the sound and trajectory of roots music in the process. 2005’s Grammy-nominated Why Should the Fire Die? found the trio pushing genre boundaries even further, incorporating elements of alt-rock and indie pop into their singular brand of acoustic music. Nickel Creek’s most recent album, 2014’s critically acclaimed and joyously received A Dotted Line, ended a seven-year recording and touring hiatus for the band, during which members explored other musical and creative avenues.

Each member of Nickel Creek has taken part in many outside projects over the years, too. Thile is a 2012 recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and served as the host of the American radio variety show Live from Here (formerly A Prairie Home Companion) from 2016 to 2020. Over the course of Nickel Creek’s career, Thile has released collaborative albums alongside world-renowned musicians like Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Brad Mehldau and Stuart Duncan. His Grammy-winning band Punch Brothers has released six studio albums, the most recent being 2022’s Hell on Church Street, a re-imagining of the beloved 1983 Tony Rice album Church Street Blues. Sean Watkins has kept busy outside of Nickel Creek, too, co-founding Watkins Family Hour alongside Sara, releasing three albums with the collective and maintaining the long-running collaborative show in Los Angeles for a decade. Sean has also released a string of solo albums, most recently 2020’s This Is Who We Are with the Bee Eaters. Sara Watkins’ extracurricular projects include the aforementioned Watkins Family Hour band, as well as co-founding the Grammy-winning roots trio I’m With Her alongside Aoife O’Donovan and Sarah Jarosz. Sara has released four studio albums, most recently 2021’s Under the Pepper Tree. She has contributed fiddle to recordings by artists like Phoebe Bridgers, the Killers and John Mayer.


She operates in a thrilling musical world beyond any genre. Grammy award-winning songwriter and musician Aoife O'Donovan is one of the most sought-after singers and songwriters of her generation. Deemed “a vocalist of unerring instinct” by the New York Times, she has released three critically acclaimed and boundary-blurring solo albums including her most recent release, 2022’s boldly orchestrated and literarily crafted Age Of Apathy. Reflection, remembrances, and self-reckoning are combined as her gift for tantalizing poetry is woven into a soundscape more rich and vivid than any she's created before. A savvy and generous collaborator, Aoife is co-founder and front woman of the string band Crooked Still, and one third of Grammy award winning Americana trio, I’m With Her. She has been a featured vocalist on The Goat Rodeo Sessions with Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile, and spent a decade contributing to the radio variety shows "Live From Here” and “A Prairie Home Companion”.

Ticket Options

Lawn/Grounds Pass (Outside/Uncovered)

  • General admission access to grounds. Seating is not provided by venue. BYO chair or blanket. Weather may impact sight lines. No access to tent seating.

Reserved Seating (Inside/Covered)

  • Includes seating provided by venue inside the tent and covered by structure. Available seating options include 1st tier, 2nd tier, box seating, and table seating.


Ticketing Policies & Fees

*Plus applicable taxes and fees

  • 5.5% State and local sales tax
  • $3 Facility Fee per ticket (facility fee is used for tent, building, and grounds needs)
  • 2% Handling Fee per order, up to a maximum of $8
  • "All-In Gate Pricing" Purchases at the gate (totaled with taxes and fees) will be rounded up to the nearest dollar to expedite the line
  • No refunds or exchanges for any shows

Ticket holders and attendees are subject the following conditions:

  • Attendees grant unrestricted rights & licenses for use of their likeness in any form of public broadcast and production, and for promotional purposes
  • Big Top Chautauqua reserves the right to refuse admission or evict anyone from the venue premises due to disorderly behavior without issuing a refund.
  • Big Top Chautauqua reserves the right to search all persons, packages, bags, and other items entering venue grounds and/or other properties owned by Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua. The safety of our guests, volunteers, staff, and artists are top priority.
  • All venue policies and procedures are subject to change without notice.

Make an annual donation of $125 or more and receive exclusive access to ticket pre-sales, usually a week before the general public. Learn more about the Blue Canvas Club HERE



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