Brandi Carlile, Wellmont Theater

Brandi Carlile's tour came to the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ this past Saturday and thankfully I was able to attend this one (after having tickets to a previous one that I had to miss).

Here is the set list for the concert:

1. Oh Dear
2. Looking Out
3. Late Morning Lullaby
   
4. Throw It All Away
5. Dying Day
6. I Will
7. Caroline
8. You Belong To Me (cover of a Patsy Cline song)
9. The Times They Are a Changin' (I shouldn't have to tell you)
10. Dreams
11. Bend Before It Breaks
12. Turpentine
13. The Story
14. Mad World (cover of a cover of a Tears For Fears song)
15. Sounds of Silence (by the twins, Tim and Phil Hanseroth)
16. Jackson (cover a Johnny Cash song)
17. That Year
18. Pride and Joy

A spirited cello intro signaled the start of the concert, and the entire band crowded around a microphone to sing Oh Dear with them all providing harmony to Brandi's soaring vocals with only a single ukulele providing accompaniment.

Dying Day is one of my favorite tracks off her newest album and was one of the most impressive of the concert as it was performed without any amplification. Brandi was able to fill the large theater with her voice without a microphone and it allowed the song to take a life of its own.

That Year gave me chills: the subject matter combined with the emotion that Brandi can bring to her singing is a powerful combination. It was made all the more powerful by the abrupt change from the energy that pervaded Jackson, the song that preceded it.

The concert was a good mix of full band and Brandi alone, electric and acoustic (and as mentioned above unamplified). Brandi is a rare talent that sounds as good, if not better, live than in the studio. If you have a chance to see her live, do it. I was happy I was able to introduce a friend to Brandi's music through this concert and she now has another fan. But I won't stop until every one is a fan... of course, that will make getting tickets to future concerts harder but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.