Mumford & Sons Bring ‘Here’ to Kimmel With Chris Thile in Chris Stapleton’s Place

Mumford & Sons performed “Here” on Jimmy Kimmel Live with Chris Thile stepping into the vocal part Chris Stapleton sang on the recorded version. The substitution is a small illustration of how the band’s sixth album works: Prizefighter, released in February, is full of voices that don’t travel with the tour.

The record was co-produced and co-written with the National’s Aaron Dessner, and its credits include Stapleton, Hozier, Gracie Abrams, Brandi Carlile and Gigi Perez. Marcus Mumford described the process to Kimmel as mostly relationship-based. Stapleton was the exception. Mumford said he cold-called him, the two talked for about an hour about family and work, and then he asked; Stapleton said yes. Mumford called him a generational talent and himself a fan.

Carlile’s contribution arrived differently. She texted Mumford lyrics she had come up with in a dream, and those lines became “Rubber Band Man,” the track featuring Hozier. “Most of my text messages don’t rhyme and this one did,” he told Kimmel, adding that Carlile and his bandmates are essentially the only people who send him material that way.

The appearance follows an SNL performance and extensive touring since the album’s release. Songs written around a specific guest have to be rebuilt for the stage, and Thile’s reading of “Here” is one version of that rebuild.