Lost Time was the name of the tour and also the mission of Brandi Carlile to repay the faith of her followers in the UK. Legions of dedicated admirers have grown enormously over the years despite the lack of any meaningful shows outside London. The landscape has also considerably changed since a previous tour was aborted due to the Icelandic volcano flight disruption (yes, that long ago). Popularity in Birmingham has gone from a Glee Club booking to selling out the Symphony Hall in literally hours. A string of increasingly impactful albums and a recent collaboration with Elton John helped raise the profile. Maybe not everybody with a Glee Club ticket fifteen years ago was able to make the ‘delayed re-staging’ but those present experienced the full-on pleasure of one of America’s most eminent singer-songwriters reaching out to bond with a fervent fanbase.
Country in her heart, rock in her head, songs in her DNA and an ability to connect running through every vein of her body. A slightly awkward demeanour adds to the authenticity, the voice is a force of nature, other traits are woven together by a charismatic thread in a performance reaching the core of a dedicated fan base. Lost time was soon made up and the Queen of Americana sealed the deal of a regal reign in the moving feast of a two hour ten minute show.
More lavish presentations have graced the Symphony Hall stage but keeping it simple suits an artist retaining a roots sound at arms reach. The Hanseroth twins, Phil and Tim, remain stoically by her side, just like they’ve been for 25 years. Music is the face of a bond running deep. Joining the bass and lead guitar of the brothers were a drummer and a stylish duo known as SistaStrings on cello, violin and backing vocals. Sufficient in numbers, mighty in sound: the Symphony Hall does the rest.
Opening with ‘Cannonball’ from her first album showed the intent of the setlist breadth and sung from three voices around a single mic set the scene for an undulating aura of touching piano-led ballads and spiralling rock moments piercing the grand hall’s acoustics. Things were brought right up to date with ‘Swing For the Fences’ reflecting the recent collaboration with Elton John that altered her exposure in the UK.
We learnt the setlist is a nightly choice from a pool of forty five rehearsed songs, give or take the odd fan requested curve ball. You could make another stunning two hour show from the omitted songs with two of my Brandi Carlile favourites - ‘Wilder (We’re Chained)’ and ‘Sugartooth remaining in the domain of home enjoyment. However Birmingham 2025 excelled in a shared pleasure with searing chord changes and vocal dexterity uplifting the iconic ‘The Story’ to send shivers alongside the ultra appealing ‘You and Me on the Rock’, also shining in a singalong fashion.
My previous abiding memory of Brandi Carlile live was an inspiring cover of ‘Streets of Baltimore’ in duet with Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show at a Maryland gig in 2016. Nine years later when in the UK why not cover an 80s pop classic with ‘Mad World’ the perfect stripped down solo number.
Without the band, she holds court for the appropriate amount of time as ‘You Without Me’ segued into ‘The Mother’ with seamless honesty. Back in 2016, a US crowd whooped at the line ‘made us mean to fight for you’ regarding the birth of Evangeline. The Brits were more subdued.
Expressing a view on the President overseas is not as taboo as 2003 when the Dixie Chicks let rip. Cue ‘Saints Sinners and Fools’ with no fence sitting. This led into the pre-encore epic of ‘The Joke’, a career defining songwriting classic. As much as Carlile puts her heart and soul into the live performance, a distant epitaph will coalesce around era dominant songs brimming with lyrical excellence,
From the joyous amplified tone of ‘Broken Horses’ in the opening salvo to the poignant send off of ‘Party of One’, all bases were covered and savoured by a sold out fervent crowd lapping up the solidarity of their idol. Further highs came from a pair of tracks off the most recent solo album with ‘Mama Werewolf’ making a rare live appearance and ‘Right on Time’ bringing its album superiority to the stage.
The honour of opening the show fell to an artist with a familiar surname. Vocal genetics are certainly in play in the sound of Audrey McGraw. The daughter of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill has a lot to live up to with opportunities and expectation jostling for prominence. She grasped the former to announce an arrival onto the big stage boosted by a cover of a Mexican song reverberating around a hall built for the big sound. Something her mother excelled at.
The final word lies in the stunning beauty of ‘The Eye’ which symbolises the eternal entity of Brandi Carlile, Tim Hanseroth and Phil Hanseroth. Tonight in Birmingham they bonded with a hoard of believers. The music and appeal is addictive. The boundaries keep the sceptics out. Inclusivity prospers inside a big tent. A space for identity to flourish and for lovers of articulate songs to wallow in the art they love. The Symphony Hall conveyed an ethos and was a happy place.
