Brandi Carlile’s concerts are always intimate affairs – even when she’s headlining venues like the Beacon Theatre, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the Chicago Theatre – but this fall she’s upping the intimacy quotient even further with the “Pin Drop Tour.” Carlile will be playing completely unplugged – no amps, no microphones – at small theatres that are uniquely suited to such performances. She will be joined onstage by The Twins (band mates/co-writers Tim and Phil Hanseroth) and cellist Josh Neumann.
“Without giving away too many surprises, I imagine this to be a very vocal-centric set. Heavy on the humanity and light on the affectation. Lots of human percussion and hollering!” says Carlile.
The outing will kick off at the Portsmouth Music Hall, a landmark 1878 Victorian theatre in Portsmouth, NH, and include a two-night stand at The Barns at Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA (October 6 & 7), an evening at the New York Society for Ethical Culture Concert Hall in New York City, NY (October 9) and two shows at Old Town School of Folk in Chicago, IL (October 13 & 14).An online presale for the “Pin Drop Tour” will begin tomorrow, August 12, at 10 a.m. local time. Tickets will go on sale to the general public this Friday August 15. Further details are available at www.brandicarlile.com.
The “Pin Drop” concept is an ambitious extension of something Carlile has been doing in concert recently: unplugging and playing one song with The Twins while standing in front of the stage. It’s the kind of tour she’s been dreaming about ever since fate threw her a curve one night nearly 10 years ago.
“We had only been playing clubs and bars up to that point, but as we started opening for bigger acts, we got to cut our teeth in these big, beautiful theatres. One night, in the middle of our 30 minute set, the entire PA system stopped working,” recalls Carlile. “For a band our size, those were 30 very important minutes. As the clock ticked away, Tim suggested that we just walk out to the front of the stage and play our loudest song. We were so surprised to hear the sound thundering back at us from the end of the room and the crowd loved hearing the room, too. It was then that we started discussing pre amplification and sans amplification venues in the United States and how we might be able to put on a show this way.”
A few years later, Carlile wandered onto a stage no longer in use because the room’s reverb and acoustics were too extreme for live bands using PA systems. She started snapping her fingers and singing “Everyday” by Buddy Holly, knowing the venue was the site of one of his last shows.
“I found myself totally mesmerized by what can happen when you invite the room into a song like that,” says Brandi. “Nowadays, we may marvel at the lighting or the design on the ceiling in these old theatres when we go to a show, but the only people who get to hear the part that the history of these rooms can play in a performance are the artists that show up before the speakers come on. For me and The Twins, this is our chance to let fans in on this secret.”
Carlile has just finished recording her fifth studio album, the follow-up to Bear Creek, which debuted in the Top 10 of The Billboard 200 in 2012. She will be previewing a few of her new songs and playing plenty of fan favorites from throughout her career on the “Pin Drop Tour.”
Brandi Carlile – “Pin Drop Tour”
10/1 – Portsmouth, NH @ Portsmouth Music Hall
10/3 – Cambridge, MA @ Sanders Theatre
10/4 – Philadelphia, PA @ Perelman Theater
10/6 – Vienna, VA @ The Barns at Wolf Trap
10/7 – Vienna, VA @ The Barns at Wolf Trap
10/9 – New York, NY @ New York Society for Ethical Culture Concert Hall
10/10 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Carnegie Lecture Hall
10/13 – Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk
10/14 – Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk
10/15 – Stoughton, WI @ Stoughton Opera House
