Concert a Day … Brandi Carlile

Brandi Carlile, photo by Katie Vesser

This whole “Concert a Day” is starting to take a toll on my health. To quickly recap:

Concert 1, Tuesday—Brand New, with Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra
Concert 2, Wednesday—Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, with Elvis Perkins in Dearland
Concert 3, Thursday—Brandi Carlile, with Ari Hest

Coffee seems to make me more jittery than normal now, and my motor skills are rapidly declining (in fact, I’ve hired an aspiring journalist from the local middle school to type this for me).  But remember my whole “you could be watching something that will one day be very memorable” rant from Concert 1 post?  It’s true!  Just consider this…

The incredibly talented Brandi Carlile, another former Paste 4 to Watch artist and subject of a recent feature, pulled out all the stops last night at Variety Playhouse.  My friends and I managed to find standing room front-and-center, two rows from the stage, as hundreds of people filled in the remaining spaces in the playhouse.  Brandi took the stage wearing a fitted jacket with neon green piping that glowed in the stage lights.  “The Twins” (Phil and Tim Hanseroth), cellist Josh Neumann, and drummer Steven Nistor joined her on stage.

“I like your boots!” yelled a woman in the crowd, referring to Brandi’s black cowboy boots.  I noticed from where I was standing that no one else on stage was even wearing shoes… Phil and Josh played barefoot, while Tim and Steven preferred socks.  I bet it’s nice to be so comfortable on stage.

Barefoot cellist Josh Neumann, photo by Katie Vesser

Brandi, though, admitted she was a bit nervous, citing Atlanta as one of her favorite cities to play in.  But Atlanta seemed to take to her just fine.  Brandi even told the audience that she’d received flowers ("beautiful flowers") from one of Atlanta’s most famous residents, Elton John. 

It’s always a treat to see Brandi in concert because she is the real deal, no auto-tuning or special production techniques needed.  Even her latest album, The Story, produced by T Bone Burnett, was tracked live off the floor. 

The set list included “The Story,” “Turpentine,” “Wasted,” “Downpour,” “Have You Ever,” all off the new album, and “Fall Apart Again” and “Closer to You” from her self-titled debut album.  The predominently female audience sang out “My Song” like an anthem:

I’m too proud to beg for your attention and your friendship and your time
So you can come and get it from now on

When she and the band returned for an encore later in the night, Brandi had a few surprises up her neon green sleeve.  First, a chilling cover of Radiohead’s “Creep.” Then she brought out a friend and source of musical inspiration for a special collaboration.  The crowd cheered and screamed as Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls (and our hometown of Decatur, Ga.) made her way onto the stage to perform “Cannonball” with Brandi and the Twins.  Brandi joked that out on tour, The Twins are sometimes referred to as “The Twindigo Girls,” but here was the real deal.  The four hit all the harmonies seemlessly.  Saliers stuck around for one more collaboration, tearing up a guitar solo when the band broke into “Folsom Prison Blues.”

Throughout the night, members of the crowd had been yelling out requests for “Hallelujah.” Brandi did not disappoint, and closed her set with a solo cover of the song.  She then bowed and left the stage to loud applause.

Flowers from Elton John, collaboration from Emily Saliers, and a packed house… quite a night for the 24-year-old from Washington and her fans.

Assuming I don’t pass out from exhaustion in the office, I’ll be heading to concert 4 of 5 of the week tonight.  Our friends at Sweetwater Brewery are hosting their annual 420 Fest in the neighborhood park, with live outdoor performances from some local and regional acts. 

And to our other friends in Atlanta—join me for concert 5 of 5 on Saturday April 21st when Ari Hest and Tin Cup Prophette will perform at Paste HQ… it’s part of the Atlanta Film Festival after-party.  RSVP here.

For Paste,
Caren