Brandi Carlile hosts rockin’ party at the Minnesota State Fair
by Sofia Haan and Sara Fish
August 30, 2023
“I don’t know about you all,” Brandi Carlile told her sold-out crowd at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand, “but we’re here to party. And we’re just getting started.” Throughout her marathon 135-minute show Tuesday night, Carlile delivered on that promise, bringing her audience an exhilarating, yet deeply personal set.
Before Carlile, the evening began with a spirited performance from country star Wynonna Judd. From the back of the grandstand, eager fans greeted her with enthusiastic cheers of “Wynonna!” as she sauntered on stage to the breezy chords of the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” Judd carried herself with the effortless self-confidence of a rock star most comfortable in front of an audience, first asking her audience if they had seen her perform live, and then telling them it was about time they did. She may be best known for her work as half of country duo the Judds, but Judd’s voice was at its most impressive on her bass-heavy blues tracks as she transformed her normally soaring voice into a deep, gravelly roar. For an artist who’s been performing live since she was 20 years old, it was a powerful display of vocal strength.
She chatted extensively with her audience in between songs, sharing hard-earned wisdom about navigating the loss of her mother in 2022, finding healing again through music, and loving the family she’s developed through country music. That family includes Carlile, who Judd thanked for bringing her on tour. Toward the end of her performance, Carlile herself joined Judd on stage to harmonize on the Judds hit “Grandpa.” Despite singing with her, Carlile hung back, making sure Judd remained the center of a much-deserved spotlight all on her own.
Overall, her performance was moving, raw, and honest. Thankfully, it would not be the last time Judd would take to the stage.
The anticipation and expectations were high for Carlile, who last performed in the Twin Cities at the Xcel in 2022 in support of her seventh studio album, 2021’s In These Silent Days. While she has only shared singles and collaborations with artists like Tanya Tucker and Rufus Wainwright since the album’s release, fans still quickly sold out the Grandstand and attended pre-parties ahead of the show to celebrate her music.
In turn, Carlile made sure to share the love right back with her Minnesota fans throughout the night. “I feel like it’s coming home,” she gushed at the top of the show. “It feels like we grew this thing together.” Reminiscing about an early free State Fair performance at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell, she commented that it felt pretty good to finally be in the Grandstand and that Minnesota may be her favorite place to play. The crowd roared.
With the help of long-time musical collaborators twins Phil and Tim Hanseroth, Carlile’s set ripped through several fiery, rock-heavy hits throughout the night. On the Grammy-winning “Broken Horses,” the twins provided layers of bold and punchy guitar and bass riffs, as well as tight, biting harmonies. A string quartet, featuring the dizzying talents of Monique and Chauntee Ross of SistaStrings, added searing cello and violin accents to the tracks. When she sang, Carlile seemed to unleash her voice, howling before the audience with the explosive, yet controlled power with the lyrics “I wear my father’s leather on the inside of my skin / I’m a tried and weathered woman, but I won’t be tried again / Don’t think that you can come for me without your Sunday best / You can better call your priest and hope the devil gets the rest / Before I do.” Altogether, it was shocking and impassioned, captivating her audience and bringing them to their feet.
Carlile was just as impactful during her quieter numbers. The energy built by previous, more driving tracks didn’t dissipate — in fact, Carlile used the comparative quietness to infuse more emotional weight into her music and direct more attention to the evocative nature of her lyrics. For “I Belong With You” — a track designed as an attempt at a Joni Mitchell-esque love song — Carlile sang with just an acoustic guitar, allowing the deep love she describes to be the centerpiece of the song. “I know I could be spending a little too much time with you,” Carlile sang gently, “but time and too much don’t belong together like we do / If I had all my yesterdays / I’d give them to you too / I belong to you now / I belong to you.” If the audience wasn’t moved by the lyrics themselves, Carlile’s wife Catherine walking on stage and the two sharing a brief kiss at the end was enough to make anyone in the crowd misty-eyed.
Catherine remained on stage for a duet with Carlile on a subdued cover of Indigo Girls’ “Closer to Fine.” “Indigo Girls fans, you know the words,” Carlile told her fans jokingly. “Everyone else, you know the parts you’re supposed to sing along.”
Continuing a stint of covers, Carlile eventually welcomed Judd back out on stage. While she may have been wearing a Brandi Carlile-branded T-shirt, Judd seemed in charge for “A Girls Night Out” and “Love is Alive,” even whispering to Carlile to stand back to back with her for the chorus for a greater dramatic effect. Carlile, of course, obliged immediately. For a massive artist like Carlile, it was inspiring to see the active steps she was taking to lift up the artists — from Judd to Mitchell to Tucker and more — who inspired her to become the artist she is today. The value she clearly places on honoring those who paved the way for her was moving. As the pair finished, Judd sighed and summed up what everyone was thinking: “We sound really good.”
Surrounded by the rest of her band, Carlile wrapped her set with “Hold Out Your Hand,” her showstopper about reaching across differences to connect together. When the band hit the chorus, arms waved and fists punched the air in time as fans sang along at full volume.
After the crowd made it clear that they needed more, Carlile reappeared for an encore featuring more covers. But first, continuing in her pattern of using her platform to bring attention to other musicians, Carlile brought out her niece and nephew — who hail from Northern Minnesota and call themselves SmallTown Strings — to perform with her brother. It was immediately clear that the conversational-banter-with-the-audience-gene was shared by all performers in the Carlile family, as her niece thanked Judd and Carlile for opening the show for them. Their gentle folk song earned their cheers from the audience, and likely a few new fans.
Carlile officially wrapped her show with Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time,” Wings’ “Live and Let Die,” and Queen’s “We Are the Champions.” The Wings cover, while a fun edition that isn’t often covered on stage, felt a tiny bit out of place — especially given Carlile’s pre-song speech saying that current political divisiveness wouldn’t stay so long Americans look to work through differences. Judging by the amount of air guitar being played in the audience, fans didn’t seem to mind.
True to her word, Brandi Carlile did bring a party to the Minnesota State Fair. And In the end, the Grandstand performance was everything a good party should be: full of great music, full of great friends, and a night you wish never had to end.
Setlist
Stay Gentle
Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Harold Arlen)
Broken Horses
You and Me on the Rock
The Things I Regret
The Story
The Eye
I Belong to You
Closer to Fine (Indigo Girls)
Again Today
My Song
Mama Wereworld
A Girls Night Out
Love Is Alive
Right on Time
The Joke
Sinners, Saints and Fools
Party of One
Hold Out Your Hand
Encore
Dream Again (Performed by SmallTown Strings)
If I Could Turn Back Time (Cher)
Live and Let Die (Wings)
We are the Champions (Queen)
