So, Tuesday night after the concert I typed up a review with as many details as I could muster to post on a couple message boards I frequent with topics either related to Brandi/AFF or where I have online friends who were interested in how the show went. However, the review wasn't really in 'blog' form. More like random notes in random order, and I was totally spent after getting it all out that I didn't feel like coming and putting it in an entry for myself that would actually make sense when I look back on it for future reference (or for anyone who actually reads this blog).

But alas, a few days later with some time to spare, here I am to report (to myself, and others).

To start off, the show was at The Pageant, which I've become very familiar with in my three years here in St. Louis. I think I'm correct in saying I've been to more shows there than any other venue...ever, in Missouri or otherwise. That includes the number of shows I've seen at the Cheyenne County Fair growing up.

However, this was my first time going to a show at the Pageant since I've been 21. Which was awesome. Not because I could drink at the show (which I hadn't planned on doing, but more on that later) but because when your 21+ you get to sit practically anywhere in the venue--which has no bad seats--instead of being limited to standing room, in the pit. Which generally sucks for short people such as myself. So needless to say I was delighted. I got a spot center-stage, at the first bar/row from the stage (which is behind the pit, but level with the stage...whearas when your in the pit, your head is level with the floor of the stage, so you see mostly feet and generally lost sight of the drummer and anyone else stationed towards the back.)

Anyways. Enough logistics. I had an awesome view.

I had never heard 'A Fine Frenzy' though a friend on a KT board who attended the Brandi concert the night before in her city said she thoroughly enjoyed them, and I started chatting with the couple next to me, Jill and Robyn (I'm pretty sure they were a couple, or best friends, by the way they argued), who were predominantly there for her. But they had two others in their group (parents, or just older friends?) and the gentleman said he saw Brandi open at the Pageant for another show previously and loved her. I immediately liked him, though I don't think his wife spoke at all. Anyways, Jill the lady next to me was really excited, so she whipped out her cellphone to play Almost Lover to get a taste of what to expect. And I gotta say, as nice as that was, I couldn't hear shit, but I did find out later that I loved that song.

In case you're curious, it's gorgeous:



Before the show started, Robyn went for a cigarette break or something and Jill, wanted to get up and get a drink. Of course I said I'd save their spots, and she offered to get me one while she was up. After multiple suggestions, I finally caved, and she brought me back a Red Headed Slut--which I'd had in shot form at Katie P's b-day, but never as a drink. I'm still not sure what the difference was.

So anyways, Alison Sudol comes out looking completely adorable and not at all like Tori Amos (which I suggested to Jill after seeing her red hair on the poster, and inadvertently started a fight between the two gals, lol). But I gotta add that before I was impressed with her voice and songs, I couldn't keep my eyes off of her drummer. First he got my attention just being so cute and bobbing along happily to the beat of the songs. Then, he starts playing the glockenspiel while he's keeping beat to the songs. Which was fun.

So, this vid isn't from the STL show, but you get to see how fun the drummer is to watch, even this person couldn't keep off him ;)

*I totally forgot he used his hands on this song, until now!


See the guitar?

THEN, for another song he grabs the guitar. Which made me think, damn this cat's cool. As he started playing I noticed I was still hearing drums...which confused me briefly, untill I turn back to him and see that HE'S STILL PLAYING THE DRUMS! AND THE GUITAR! Crazy mofo. Anyways, the keyboardist and third member of the band also got some props for adding a Celtic intro (on a synthesizer no less) to one of the songs, which I immediately fell in love with--I'm still in tune with everything Irish apparently even though my Irish Film Class just ended.

The audience was great, and both Ally from A Fine Frenzy and Brandi commented multiple times throughout their sets on how awesome the audience was being; very polite, and really listening, and being quiet in appropriate times, and singing along when requested, and still clapping and cheering like hell at the end of the songs. I've never noticed if STL crowds are generally that respectful during opening sets, or if it just had to do with how great this particular one was.

Ally was adorable and kina dorky (adorkable?) with her between song banter and rambled a bit about what a great day it was, and how happy that made her, and kinda got off on a tangent and joked “This is when it get’s dangerous…cause I have the microphone. You just have to listen.”

As soon as the set was over I knew I'd be breaking one of my own rules. For some reason it annoys me when large portions of the audience get up to go to the signing the opening act has, right before the main act takes the stage. I don't know why, maybe its that respect thing again. Regardless, I wanted this cd, and I knew I wouldn't have time to get it after the show because the lines would be huge, and I wanted to try and catch Brandi out back. So I got up. Which I knew wouldn't be that horrible, because obviously Jill would return the favor and save my seat (they were a nice couple and talked about how at a Melissa Etheridge concert they went to recently two people who had seats with them in a box didn't show, so they went to the very back of the auditorium and grabbed two other fans and brought them up front with them).

The line ended up being the longest one I've ever been in at a merch table, btw. If it wasn't for the guy in line behind me, I would've given up and left. But we stuck it out together. Even after Brandi's set started. Admittedly neither of us could complain, because we still had a pretty good view, and at that point were finally halfway through the line. It was actually really fun chatting with him.

Did I mention I was at the show alone? Yeah. Sam was originally going with me, but ended up in Rolla for the week, and I decided to go anyways (because that's how much I love you Brandi! Orrrr, that's just how stubborn and independent I am).

So I finally got up to the front and found out what was taking so long. The damn Fine Frenzy albums were all individually shrink wrapped. So I bought one (and a Brandi lithograph), while the chick in front of me was getting her stuff signed, hoping to have it out by the time it was my turn, but that damn wrap was so tight it was even harder to get off than the stupid plastic packaging on cd cases in stores.




Alison asked how I was doing, which I think I ignored the first time because I was trying to get the cd out as fast as I could. The 2nd time, I think I just replied "good" before finally handing it over, haha. I told her I loved her set (it was too short) and couldn't wait to hear the rest of the album, and said "I'm excited". To which she responded, "I'm excited, you're excited to hear it!" and wrote 'happy happy listening' on the cover. She was very upbeat and for lack of better word "happy" lol, and seemed like she was ready to continue the conversation, but at this point Brandi was already 5 songs into her set. So I kinda started to rush away, but felt guilty for grabbing my autograph and running, so I quickly asked if she and the band would be returning on tour with anyone else or possibly on their own tour anytime soon and she said she thought January sometime. So as I started to back away, I was like "Really? Cool. I look forward to seeing you then" which made her smile, haha.

I might mention that not only is Alison TINY, but she's also just 21 on her first time touring, so to me she seemed like a little innocent baby artist (one who obviously hasn't got down the quick pace and manner most seasoned performers have during their meet & greets, and talks a little too long) and you could see just how excited she really was for each and every person that bought her album, and the direct response of gaining fans just by her performance that night. I know I said it already, but she was just adorable.

So back to my seat, and full attention back to Miss Carlile.




The show was so great, I don’t even know what to say about it. Besides praising us for being polite, Brandi also mentioned that they’d really been looking forward to St. Louis since they’ve played the Pageant five different times now, as the opening act, but this was their first time headlining here, and she seemed really pleased with the outcome claiming it was one of the best nights of the tour so far.

The first few songs went so fast they kind of all blur together.Stand out moments include the acoustic set in the middle.




Brandi went into the story about how she used to be a backup singer for Elvis, or rather an Elvis impersonator, with his daughter Amber Lee, and sang Happy, Cannonball (which she recored with the Indigo Girls, but said we'd have to settle for the "Twindigo Girls" tonight -- referring to 'The Twins' Tim and Phil, both bald, and the other 2/3 of the Brandi Carlile Band)...




...and then How These Days Grow Long unplugged at the front of the stage. I think it was a little hard for the people at the back, but extremely cool. The crowd was impressed.




With that and the fact that Brandi seemed to be having a blast and just playing with the audience, which she did really well. I was kinda surprised by how relaxed and fun the show was. Besides Jason Mraz shows, this was the only time I've been to a show where it felt like it was a bunch of friends hanging out, and a couple get on stage to entertain the rest of us.




She also signed an autograph for a fan somewhere in the middle of the set which got huge applause. I swear the woman threw a guitar picks out into the crowd after each song, and at various times was pointing at people, and laughing at/with them. Once she actually did the whole pointing at her eyes, with the two fingers, and then back at a person (think Robert Deniro ala Meet the Parents). Then I think people got a little antsy to hear Folsom Prison Blues after she mentioned Johnny Cash, blaming him for her cursing after sneaking a f*ck into Turpentine (hey I'd blame Johnny for my swearing if I could too) which was of course audience participation time, where we break into teams of oohs and ahhs. A little cheesy, but still fun, and actually really pretty (the crowd really was one of the best of shows I've gone to).

What else. She played part of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen at the piano (which I had no idea she played before then), and also sang a new song called Love Songs before making fun of Phil (the Twin on the right that plays base) a little bit and his oh so pretty, but oh so high, voice. She actually broke into a little bit of Staying Alive by the Bee Gees whilst imitating him. She absolutely rocked Mad Man Across the Water an Elton John cover, and another new song Pride & Joy to close the show.




Of course she came back for an encore ("Don't worry, it's only the fake last song. We'll walk off stage, you'll go 'woohoo' and we'll come back out.")--which apparently for her means another half of a set.

After finally breaking out Folsom Prison Blues
*This video not actually from the St. Louis concert*
but still awesome


and returning to the piano for the Counting Crows' Raining in Baltimore, Brandi started talking about how much she loves singing old country classics from the likes of Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, etc. etc. but figured that just makes her a poser, so she sat down on the bus today and decided to write a really country song with every bad country cliche she could. She said it's called Same Old You and it was hilarious. Not to mention actually really good.




She intro-ed it with a few cords from Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain which got a chuckle out of the room. Obviously there's some lines about Whiskey and drinking, and Church, and I remember a loud reaction from the crowd to a verse about not getting married no more, so take that damn ring, and I'll keep my daddy's name. It was great. I really liked it, as did most people, and she seemed to have fun with it. Afterwards she just laughed and she couldn’t believe she just sang that.

Then she sang yet another new song ("I'm just full of 'em tonight") That Year about a friend from high school who committed suicide, and a gorgeous rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah (made popular again by the Shrek movies, Rufus Rainwright, Jeff Buckly, and even Imogen Heap) and that was it.

I had a blast, it was my first time to finally get to see the band live, and it was totally worth the wait. Afterwards I stuck around by the buses to wait and had fun chatting with more of the other fans. The security guard was kinda being a douche and telling people to leave because she already got on the bus and wouldn’t be coming out (I tried assuring a few people that I was fairly sure she would, there was only about 10 of us, not a mob, and she seemed pretty genuine).




Anyways, I got Brandi to sign my album covers, as well as a pic for Sam. I told her maybe that would guilt Sam into showing up at the next gig for sure, and she laughed and agreed. I felt bad since I had multiple items, but she just looked me in the eye and said "It's not too much." Which kinda made me feel better, but left me thinking she was too damn sweet. I could have had 100 items and she would have signed them all (in fact I read online today from dude at the following gig in MN had more than 10 things he got her to sign, and that was afer she came outside in the rain to meet the 20 people who stuck around).




Then of course, as she's trying to sign the black photos with the silver sharpie I brought, it decides it doesn't want to work (the last time it was used was almost exactly a year prior, when KT Tunstall used it). So she asks if she can have one of the covers back to scribble on the back of it (like I'm gonna say no?), and then for about 5 mins on the back of the photograph before any ink started coming out, during which I apologized and said she didn't have to sign the photos--I mean, I got my covers, that was the important thing. I could be nice to Sam another day, hahaha. She just kept saying, "Don't worry about it" "Really..it's fine..I think almost got it." I love her.




Also incredibly sweet (and hot) was Phil--now my favorite twin, with the most gorgeous smile--who moseyed on over, so I got him to sign the insert for The Story (the individual song I believe he actually wrote), but there was no sign of Tim or the other guys. Both Brandi and Phil were too cool though, so I was glad enough to meet them. And the show rocked, so it was a great night all around.

Funny enough, even though I ended up going alone I had a great time with some of the random fans I met and ended up having a blast at a concert alone with a bunch of strangers.

All in all I learned that I really do enjoy going to shows by myself, sometimes more than with friends. It's a completley different atmosphere, and you pay much more attention, not only to the performances but also the way you're one of all these individuals who come together as one crowd, and how the artist feeds on the reaction/participation, etc. It's really quite cool, how we can all share this same moment, yet all walk out with our own single experiences. Anyways. Enough of that.

The other thing I realized is that, while I appreciate a well oiled, put together show, I also think the loose spontanaeity of shows like this are so refreshing. Not if the band sucks and doesn't know what its doing, loose, but when you get a talented group of musicians that can go with the flow and still keep it together as a show, it's awesome. And just plain fun. I'm sure it makes each night distinct and much more enjoyable for them, than say Barbara Streisand's band where each stop on the tour consists of the exact same thing with hardly one word varying from the scripted stage banter.

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