#130 - brandi @ the zoo

brandi carlile is one of my favorite singers. she has an amazing voice and a great variety of music. in some songs she rocks out and others are sweet ballads. the band consists of "the twins", tim and phil hanseroth plus a drummer that's changed a couple times and the cellist, josh neuman. i went to my 4th brandi carlile concert the other night at the oregon zoo. it was an amazing show and i was right up at the front with other obsessed fans who knew all the words to her songs. they just wrapped up recording on a new album and so played a lot of new songs. i've been watching vids on youtube so i pretty much knew all the songs in the set, which ran about 90 minutes. it was great!!

it was a pretty amazing place to have a concert and they have concerts every week during the summer at the zoo. it just so happened that the elephant was very soon expecting a baby. so they kept commenting about the elephant and it turns out the baby, a boy, wasn't born till the next morning. i read that it was 286 lbs! i took a bunch of pictures throughout the show but many turned out blurry because it was dark and no flash was allowed (altho people still flashed, idiots). the funniest thing happened while i was shooting, this girl comes up and offers me a beer in exchange for e-mailing her pics! i agreed but didn't really want any beer so she gave me $2. does this make me a professional? :) the thing about brandi and seeing her live is that she puts everything into her shows. she lets it all go as if she's playing for you the first and only time. it really felt like i was the only one there, even though it was a sold out/packed show.

she played songs from her two albums "brandi carlile" and "the story" as well as some new songs on the upcoming album and cover songs. i've heard her cover many songs and she did a couple favorites, "folsom prison blues" (johnny cash) and "fortunate son" (credence clearwater revival). when you think about those songs you wonder how a gal could do it but she pretty much owns it! and as always, she closed the encore with a cover of "hallelujah" which is always amazingly spine-tingling. it is a leonard cohen song which has been done by many people and i think the most popular is the jeff buckley version, but brandi really makes it her own.

here are a couple new songs, hopefully on the new album!

dreams


caroline (oregon zoo show)


that year (heard it at her last show but it's still new)


pride & joy (not new exactly but they kinda changed it)

#20 - brandi carlile

going to a show tonight! i'm so excited, it's a fine frenzy opening for brandi carlile. unfortunately i have to miss a dodgeball game for this show but it's way worth it. if you haven't heard her yet...well you're just plain missing out. pretty much all her songs are awesome and she's got a whole lot of new stuff that hasn't been released yet. i'm excited for the next album, whenever it's gonna come out. i wonder if she's going to work with t bone burnett again and record in the same live style that she did "the story".



UPDATE: the concert was fabulous! it was all i could ask for and more, brandi was amazing and of course the twins were too. we got there at 7 when the doors opened and got almost up to the stage, brandi's grandma was there in a wheelchair. she's kinda a celebrity in this world. there was this whole bunch of annoying crazy fans. i thought i was obsessed but they go to every show it seems like. some of them post vids on youtube and i recognized one person's name. weird. anyhoo they were pretty annoying because they kept talking throughout the whole opening act, which was a fine frenzy.

a fine frenzy is this beautiful redhead girl with a voice like an angel. not kidding, i was mesmerized listening to her, even though i have their album and heard all the songs, she was just spectacular in concert. i'd definitely go see them again.

there was one crazy gal in particular that really annoyed me, she was drunk. it's cool to yell out something to the performer like "we love you, brandi" or something like that. but to do it before she starts every song?! and she kept saying "it's all you girl, HOLLA" and stupid stuff like that. by the end of the night everyone was telling her to shut the f up. i was embarrassed for her. but it didn't ruin the night for me, brandi was great. the songs were great, she played a bunch of new stuff and even one i've never seen on youtube. it was a sort of tribute to country classic but at the same time it was funny. i'll try to put some vids up later.

#2 - brandi carlile extras

yes, I know I'm a little obsessed. but brandi is awesome (name is definitely awesome) and these are some covers and new songs that aren't on any of her albums or iTunes releases. i've seen her play a couple of these songs but hopefully i'll get to hear all at the show on the 25th (at the crystal ballroom)! apparently I'm not the only one obsessed because there are all these people who take these videos and travel places to go see her play. the farthest i've traveled was sellwood. ha! yeah so none of these are my videos. gotta love youtube.

folsom prison blues (cover)

yodeling!

fortunate son clip (cover)

how these days grow long (new)

calling all angels (cover)

pride and joy (new)

madman on the water (cover)

i've just seen a face (cover)

that year (new)

raining in baltimore (cover)

love songs (new)

i write these words (new)

burn (cover)

blue eyes crying in the rain (cover)