Brandi Carlile/Lucius, June 24, 2022, at the Greek Theater

Anyone may know how much I hate shopping for presents. I love giving away gifts, but the obligation of a holiday, also when there are too many other things going on that thinking about what to give becomes another hassle, is often overwhelming. Anything that can help in figuring out what to get Carla is always a huge benefit. This year, tickets for Brandi Carlile went on sale in October, and getting them then keeping it a secret that we’d go to the show in the next year, was a gift I could give, as well as a gift to myself to have the task done. Of course I would have gotten the tickets anyway and didn’t have to make it a gift, as well as being something for both of us (since we could both enjoy a show), but however you might define a gift it could apply. (Also possibly at a time when money was tighter than usual, so dedicating the budget (whatever that is) could apply to an event, especially since material objects are so less valuable, and we want experiences over more stuff.) We also hadn’t seen Carlile, even though we had been fans (at least since “The Joke”), so we could get over there to show our fealty. It was a Friday night that we could easily schedule, and even driving into L.A. isn’t always the hardest trek if you plan it well enough and get out early. Which we did, even getting there early enough to see openers Lucius, which were an unspectacular alt-pop group leaning on vocal harmonies, which is fine, but not for a headliner-status, especially when compared to Carlile, who they knew well enough through collaboration (then came out on stage during Carlile’s set). This was also the day that Roe v. Wade had been overturned, the show less than 24 hours after the ruling was officially undone, so the wound was fresh enough to leave everyone stunned, and even too soon to have an immediate plan about how to react collectively. With much of Carlile’s demographic being women and the new ruling being an issue that went beyond just abortion but into women’s rights, this show was a time to come together and see the others in the fight, and relax to inhale before the coming fight. As it was so soon after it happened, there was only a minor mention of it, and Carlile’s show went on, likely as usual. She may have been more concerned about the performance rather than the feeling, but if absolutely nothing else, she has the voice to electrify anything, paired with songs that can strike at the heart, to a solid backing band (including the twin-brother guitarists, who offer the visual of a mirror image behind her, like a two-pronged attack, but also the power of loyalty when they stuck with her through when she got big, not just as a band but as the back-up for a single performer, though one as spectacular as Carlile, whose stardom was clearly apparent from her beginning). It was likely the same show she had been churning out throughout the entire tour (for In These Silent Days), though honed by this point to be silky smooth, so there wasn’t much spontaneity that would have gone a long way, but so safe as to showcase the songs instead of coming up with surprises that would disrupt a warm, lovely evening amidst the coming turmoil outside the lush environs of the Greek Theater, among thousands of like-minded fans equally concerned with what was going on in the world, but for now living in a beautiful moment that Carlisle and her band could bring.

Brandi Carlile’s set-list:
“Broken Horses“
“The Things I Regret“
“You and Me on the Rock“ (with Lucius)
“The Story“
“The Eye“
“The Mother“
“Mama Werewolf“
“Space Oddity“ (David Bowie cover)
“Creep“ (Radiohead cover)
“This Time Tomorrow“
“Right on Time“
“Sinners, Saints and Fools“
“The Joke“
“Turpentine“
“Party of One“
“How“ (Marcus Mumford cover; with Marcus Mumford; live debut of unreleased song "I'll forgive you now as if saying the words will help me know how...")

“Hold Out Your Hand“

“Stay Gentle“

“Over the Rainbow“ (Harold Arlen cover)

Local Natives, September 13 at the Greek

Almost by force of will, Carla got me into Local Natives. They couldn't mean as much to me as they did to her but I certainly had no problem with them.  We missed them at their other festival slots, even though they seemed to have been on the road for years, the length of our relationship, up to that point.  They played the Greek as their very last date on their very long tour, a home-town show almost to thank L.A. and the rest of the world for being so kind to them.  They did well, and there's a feeling of pride for seeing one of our own favorite and local bands do so well (even if I didn't know them when they were playing clubs around town).  We decided to be a part of that celebration, though it was the day of, so we went right to SeatGeek to look up tickets.  We got a deal for $99.50 on decent seats and away we went.  Wild Nothing opened the show, an energetic, fun group that were probably like the local 'Natives themselves when they started out. They didn't seem to come up in the same amount of time so they might just wash away with other opening bands but they gave it a shot.  The Local Natives put on a good show that night, something gracious and thankful, showing their gratitude to a crowd that supported them, probably a lot from the very beginning, and they made sure to get it all out and not leave anything on the road.  Hopefully they got time off after that, after spending so long trying to make the popular music thing work and for what they put out to stick.  I don't remember a lot of it since I wasn't quite as familiar with them and they didn't do much more to win me over any more than I had been.  But Carla had a good time, and connected back to that time when their music has meant so much to her.  And you can't beat a show at the Greek on a pleasant autumn night.  Also, a helpful, easy thing to get tickets, especially at a good price, when we decide at almost literally the last minute to make it to a show.

Local Natives' set-list:
"Breakers"
"World News"
"Wide Eyes"
"Warning Sign" (Talking Heads cover)
"Ceilings"
"You & I"
"Black Spot"
"Shape Shifter"
"Camera Talk"
"Airplanes"
"Mt. Washington"
"Wooly Mammoth"
"Black Balloons"
"Bowery"
"Who Knows, Who Cares" (acoustic, different version)

"Colombia"
"Heavy Feet"
"Sun Hands"