All roads lead to Brandi Carlile

On a beautiful end-of-summer/early fall day in Silicon Valley I stood in the sun for hours waiting to get into the grounds of Stanford University’s Frost Amphitheater for my first full live concert in 19 months. Many artists had recommenced post-pandemic touring at the beginning of that US summer, and by the time I saw Brandi Carlile on this stage she had played through the summer at various outdoor venues as well as appearing at AmericanaFest and Ohana Festival. I had been somewhat preoccupied as I had taken off on a solo road trip around the United States, an epic odyssey that connected me more deeply to music – so often it was just me, my RAV4 and my music – and it also disconnected me from much of what was happening in the rest of the country and the world.

My Favourite Superstars

The live Australian Cast Recording of Jesus Christ Superstar and Remembering Jon English

Or: How to Clean Your Home When You Don’t Want To

Easter has come and gone for another year, Passover is just about passed over, the Angel of Death didn’t get me thanks to my parents’ mezuzah on my doorpost, and I have a clean bathroom thanks to my favourite stage musical. Read on to see how these things are connected.

Chicago – hard habit to break

3 March 2020, Fred Kavli Theatre, Thousand Oaks, CA

I guess it’s just complicated. Like so many relationships in life. Relationships to family and loved ones, relationships to work and relationships to certain music. Music I love, musicians I am ambivalent about as time goes on.

“As time goes on I realise just what you mean to me…”

It’s hard not to throw in lyrics and even pun some when it comes to talking or writing about Chicago.

Brandi Carlile – Homing in on home base

Brandification travels begin.

You know you’re hooked on an artist when you start spending money to travel for concerts. I’ve been doing it for the Eagles since that mad time I flew direct to London from Brisbane for three shows to launch the Long Road Out of Eden tour in early 2008. Flying from LA to Seattle to see Brandi Carlile play her hometown symphony hall wasn’t quite as far or costly, but I felt compelled to do it at this stage of my Brandification, and so glad I did it this time, as we were literally only a few weeks from the entire world shutting down.

Brandi Carlile and some Hollywood Hellraising

The Brandification continues.

Here was Brandi in full band mode for me at last. She had begun 2020 optimistically with a huge schedule of shows, had in fact just done a series at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and was about to head to Mexico for her annual “Girls Just Wanna” weekend festival (which to this day I have never attended), and this was Grammy Week in Los Angeles so she made an unforgettable stop at the Hollywood Palladium, one of the most unfiltered rock and roll Americana shows I’ve ever witnessed.

Brandi Carlile – The first sweet time

After seven years of being Brandified and constantly reminding myself that I need to post all the photos from the amazing shows I’ve been to by this amazing artist – and that is very few compared with the long-time die-hard Brandi Carlile fan people, I am finally retro-posting.

Call this Brandification Part 1.

Rick Springfield – heart on his sleeve, strings on his bow

30 March 2019, Saban Theater, Beverly Hills, CA

I’ve been a fan of Rick Springfield for 45 years or so, and yet I only know a handful of his songs well.

I have several friends who are die-hard super-duper travel-all-over-the-country Rick fans, who have met him and talked with him and gone on music cruises with him and he knows them too. Of course they know every word to every song and so they might be appalled when I say I knew him long before they did and yet I hardly know the words to his songs. “Jessie’s Girl”, you bet. “Don’t Talk To Strangers”, pretty much only the chorus. Ditto “I’ve Done Everything For You”. I love Rick, I do, but my admiration for him is about something greater than the songs themselves.

On the yellow brick road of Elton John’s sweet farewell

22 January 2019, Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA

Elton John just completed the six-show Los Angeles run of his very long worldwide farewell tour – Elton’s never done anything in small measure – and how very thankful I am that I saw a concert, because it was a glorious and preciously poignant occasion indeed. Elton’s signalled his intention to quit touring before – I’m pretty sure there was at least one “farewell” tour some years back – but I really got the impression he means it this time.