Carlile plays to a familiar crowd

September 24, 2009

Carlile plays to a familiar crowd


Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune

Little known, much-loved alt-pop singer Brandi Carlile played the first of her two sold-out shows at the O'Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University on Wednesday.
A big evening with her family and friends made for a unquestionably memorable and fun concert.

Brandi Carlile, the small-town singer from Washington state, was amped for her concert Wednesday at the soldout O'Shaughnessy auditorium at St. Catherine University in St. Paul because A) her family was there (Dad, who hates to fly, flew in with Mom; Uncle Sonny came from up north and niece Caroline, 2 1/2, was seeing her aunt in concert for the first time) and B) she has had many special shows in the Twin Cities (her biggest market).

Carlile, 28, was loose, free-wheeling and familiar. In fact, maybe too much so. She trusted the faithful enough to indulge in a medley of country songs (for Uncle Sonny, a singer/picker), a gratuitous Beatles cover ("Let It Be") and eight songs from her third album due out Oct. 6 (including her first live effort at "Caroline" for her niece). The evening was unquestionably memorable and often fun, but the show had many seams and too few transcendent moments.

Carlile is an undeniably talented singer/songwriter who hasn't really found a commercial niche but has built a sizable cult following since releasing her debut in 2004 (she has performed in the Twin Cities at least 10 times, everywhere from the 400 Bar to the State Fair). She writes emo folk songs, usually on acoustic guitar, that are often pumped up (into different styles, depending on the arrangement) and showcase her rich, powerhouse voice with its quirky hiccup.

Backed by four (or sometimes five) musicians, Carlile dialed it down on Wednesday, especially on many new tunes from her "Give Up the Ghost" album. Her 1¾-hour set started as a vocal quintet, accompanied only by an acoustic guitar, singing the brand new "Oh Dear," which sounded like a collision of vaudeville and 1960s pop. Probably the best of the "Ghost" selections was the current single "Dreams," an acoustic rocker that suggested Roy Orbison fronting a girl group.

The emotional highlight of the new material had to be the jaunty country ditty "Caroline" if only because the little blonde girl for whom it was written was dancing in the arms of a relative. (Note to Brandi: If you sing "Caroline" again tonight at St. Kate's (another sold-out show), please do it earlier in the show when a 2 1/2-year-old might be more alert and less crabby.)

Some older Carlile material provided high points, especially "The Story," that operatic folk-rocker that's the closest thing she's had to a hit, and "Turpentine," which she turned into a sing-along, dividing the crowd into what she dubbed the Minneapolis-St. Paul Three-Part Harmony Choir.

For the encore, Carlile let her hair down for a medley of Johnny Cash's "Jackson" and "Folsom Prison Blues" followed by her salute to country queens Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn, capped by her own attempt at writing a classic country tune about same old you, same old me.

After a detour on the piano for "Let It Be," Carlile closed with the fittingly titled "Pride and Joy," a new song whose title encapsulated the small-town star's big evening with her family and fans in St. Paul.

For a set list, go to the Artcetera blog at startribune.com / artcetera.


By JON BREAM, Star Tribune
Last update: September 24, 2009 - 12:07 AM
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