Brandi Carlile at Red Rocks September 6
During Brandi Carlile’s Friday night show with the Colorado Symphony at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, I got to thinking about Arthur Ashe. Not because US Open Finals were to be played that weekend on the court named for him, but because of his activism – first, his outspoken civil rights and anti-apartheid work, but more so as a result of his (initially) reluctant AIDS advocacy in the early 90s. Ashe “came out” with his diagnosis (he most likely acquired the virus from a blood transfusion) well after he learned of it, earning him some amount of scorn from AIDS activists, wishing he’d been more forthcoming in hopes of removing some of the stigma around the (then) almost-certainly-fatal illness. This always struck me as unfair to Ashe; his health – and his reluctance to talk about it – were his business. Which, yes, leads me back to Friday night. Ever since I’ve been listening to her (roughly 15 years now), Carlile’s gradually lost any fear of speaking out, turning her American story – married to a woman, raising two children, and joyfully singing her heart out whenever she takes the stage – into a triumphant moment that, quite frankly, is desperately needed right now.
These two shows at Red Rocks were a new adventure for Carlile (and for her fans). She’s played America’s greatest outdoor venue before. She’s played with the Symphony before. But, on these two nights, she had no band, save the orchestra (conducted by Jason Weinbereger) behind her. It was HER night, out in front by herself, maybe for the first time since before she paired up with longtime bandmates Phil and Tim Hanseroth roughly two decades ago. After the orchestra came out, Carlile took the stage – alone – mentioned how nervous she was, and then nailed every moment for the next 90 minutes. It wasn’t a typically hit-laden set so much as an evening of songs and stories that detailed Carlile’s life and career, from “Follow” (the first track from her self-titled 2005 album) to a completely solo (sans orchestra, but still rambunctious) take on “Broken Horses” (from her last full-length, 2021’s In These Silent Days), we got the full evolution of her career. “Horses,” especially, showed off her vocals in a way that reminded us, even with her songs and her spirit, her pure, unmatched voice is the bedrock of her artistry.
As good as those songs are, though, it was the other takeaway moments that truly set this show apart. Carlile shared stories from her life, including the unintentional pain that can come from her art – “If you’ve ever longed for your youth,” as she said, becoming a songwriter will reintroduce those hurts you’d almost forgotten about. She also delved into the process of making some amount of peace with her alcoholic father – “the person that hurts you isn’t the person that heals.” Pianist and arranger Dave Mackay joined Carlile on piano (when she wasn’t playing it herself, because she really can do everything) for several tunes, including a gorgeous cover of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You.” The Hanseroth Twins (who opened the show) ended up onstage with Carlile (for 2003’s “Turpentine”) and without her (on their own song, “Remember Me,” from this year’s debut album, Vera). And, to the delight of the crowd, Carlile’s wife, Catherine Shepherd, came and sang (beautifully, of course) on the couple’s defiant 2021 love song, “You and Me on the Rock,” as well as a very on-the-nose (in an absolutely perfect, crowd-approved way) cover of Indigo Girls’ “Closer to Fine.”
Flashing back to Arthur Ashe for a moment – he did, after revealing his diagnosis, become an important spokesperson for AIDS awareness and acceptance. Similarly, a Brandi Carlile concert is, because of her joyful exploration of her own life story, a reminder that histories, families, and love come in all different forms – some unusual, but none abnormal. Carlile’s song, “The Joke,” an ultimately triumphant dismissal of “othering,” was celebrated, in what’s become a Red Rocks tradition, with color-coded phones raised to form a rainbow that extended 70 rows into the sky. Conceivably, there will be a day when Carlile doesn’t “need” to perform this song anymore. Hopefully, she’ll still sing it for us anyway.
Check out Brandi Carlile tour dates here: https://www.brandicarlile.com/tour
Go here to listen to Vera from the Hanseroth Twins: https://www.thehanserothtwins.com/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Show Review: Brandi Carlile at the Anthem