At a good live performance, an organic rhythm and energy develops between the audience and the performers. And I think Brandi felt it too. Her chest-clenching appreciation for us as the audience seemed mutual in every way. She is an energetic performer who takes us on a vocal and emotional journey with her vocal vibrato, tone inflections, and strumming that blended perfectly with the guitar and drum solos of Phil and Tim Hanseroth. She connects with the audience in a variety of ways, letting us know by pointing and with specific eye contact with individual audience members.
Her facial expressions in response to adoring fans was a highlight. The audience sharing this experience and this energy was a diverse group. It included families with children, gay and straight couples, groups of friends on blankets taking selfies, and of course myself. We were all on our feet, fist-pumping, hitting beach balls and singing at the top of our lungs for a full hour and thirty minutes. But we found out we really like three-part harmonies.
Carlile stopped her song to pull two ten-year old children onstage who were singing along with every word. She let them introduce themselves and sang along with them. As an audience member, I felt something special was about to happen. Music brings people together, and live music from an engaged performer can facilitate a great feeling of family among her audience.
Brandi and her band members did this in many different ways. The most interesting one on this evening was before her arrival on stage. Six hundred miles is a long way to go for a music performance, in my opinion, but they were intriguing so I started talking to them.
My anticipation for seeing her live was heightened by their stories and familiarity of her and the many performances they had seen. She was happy to show me the many pictures on her phone. We made jokes about the really drunk guy who almost fell over on us dancing, and sang and danced together throughout the evening.
