“What a stunningly perfect night this is,” remarked Sarah Watkins midway through I’m With Her’s opening set for Brandi Carlile at CMAC on August 20. The show had just gotten started, but the words’ truth carried through to the very end.
Carlile was a very hospitable host for her opening act, giving them access to her large video backdrop, which displayed a sun poking through the woods behind them. The image’s comforting earthbound beauty matched the trio’s earthy bluegrass-based folk songs, soaring three-part harmonies, and variety of acoustic stringed instruments. The sound was unusually dialed in for an opening performance, which generally gets shorted in favor of the main act. And to top it off, after a short set of some of their best tunes, like “Overland” and “Sisters of the Nightwatch,” Carlile joined in, creating incredible four-part harmonies on “Wild and Clear and Blue.” The evening at CMAC was off to a wonderful start.
After a short break, the stage went dark, and the video screen now displayed an artsy black and white video, a beach scene with crashing waves and rocky crags. Carlile was wandering along the beach, and soon enough was wandering out onto the stage, awash with red lights, the artistry spilling over into the live action.
She started up “Return to Myself” as the rest of her band joined her on the stage, the lights eventually shifting to white. The multi-tiered stage set split the musicians into sections, utility man Solomon Dorsey on keys, guitar, percussion and some incredible backing vocals on the far right, SistaStrings Monique and Chauntee Ross on cello and violin and vocals, on the far left, Dave Mackay on piano and keys, Terence Clark on drums along the back, and brothers Phil and Tim Hanseroth on bass and guitar joining their long time partner Carlile up front.
The night unfolded with personal stories and insights into Brandi Carlile’s life that melded into the actual songs, many of which are autobiographical, overtly or not. A story about her first ever time on a plane for a trip to NYC mirrored the lyrics in the following “War With Time.” A window into her relationship with her British wife segued seamlessly into “A Woman Oversees.” Her retelling of how she met her childhood hero Elton John and then recorded an album with him lent a higher appreciation for “Who Believes in Angels.”
The conversational flow created a sense of intimacy, even in the expansive shed amphitheater. Carlile was inviting her audience into her life in authentic ways that defied the nature of a large summer concert, of which this show still had all of the hallmarks.
That atmosphere was kicked up a notch as she looked to the audience to decide on a couple songs for the set. The first request was for “The Eye,” which she deemed a good choice that hadn’t been played yet this tour. And even this impromptu performance came with a short story, about how it was the first song they wrote that contained three-part harmonies all the way through, comparing it to CSN, including an encounter with Graham Nash. Next was “Everytime I Hear That Song,” which Carlile was also excited about. Both were performed stripped-down as just a trio, with the Hanseroth brothers who have been her bandmates for over 25 years. Images of their early travels together floated across the screen like being invited to browse a family photo album.
She had a lot to say about CMAC and the surrounding area too. This was their fourth or fifth show at the venue, which she loved returning to. Not the least of which so she could get in some fishing; this year she caught a perch. She had been saving the snazzy jacket with fish buttons she was wearing for just for this occasion. She was also saving a performance of Linda Ronstadt’s “Long Long Time” since she had premiered it at the venue a few years back. She wanted the audience to hear how far it had come.
As a seasoned performer, Carlile knew to save the best for last, and the four-song encore delivered. Fan-favorite “Hold Out Your Hand” got the audience singing and dancing, hands in the air, smiling and carefree. Then she brought I’m With Her back out for a beautiful cover of Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors,” sending out a little prayer of healing since Parton hasn’t been doing well. They followed that reprising the much talked about performance of Alanis Morissette’s “Uninvited” from Newport Folk Fest, a manic rocking track that blasts off the stage. Finally the over two-hour set closed appropriately with “A Long Goodbye,” though from the sound of it, it will be more like “see you later,’ the next time she returns. And who knows, maybe she’ll make good on the all-request show she teased about?
Brandi Carlile and I’m With Her photos by Daniel Bocchino
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