Brandi Carlile @ Copley Square Park

July 12th, 2007 - by Eddie

Alt-Country, Boston, Indie, Shows

I like women who play guitars who are revered by lesbians even though I’m not a lesbian. Stop judging me.

Brandi Carlile, the one who made this video for Grey’s Anatomy fans, gave a free concert today (Thursday, July 12) in Copley Square Park in Boston. It was part of the WBOS (the indie rock/lite rock station) Free Summer Concerts. The weather was unseasonably perfect for this time of year and the crowd was a healthy mixture of the young, old and handicapped. Some were so young that Carlile had to censor her “trucker mouth” (She failed. After performing “Turpentine” with audience participation, she explained “You guys sang your asses off!” She immediately put her hand over her mouth and apologized. Somewhere, off in the distance, a mother wailed for her young daughter’s tainted ears.)

Carlile is slowly climbing the ladder and, with the help of another successful album, will reach the coveted plateau where people like the Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge reside. Truth be told, I enjoy her music. It feels good on a balmy night with a glass of whiskey in my hands.

This was my second time seeing her live this year (I am not a fanatic) and both shows were equal in quality. She played “Late Morning Lullaby,” “Have you ever” and “The Story” off her new album, which were fine (as was evidenced by the multitude of men and women shifting their weight from side to side in what I can only assume is “dancing” in the indie rock world). But the exciting thing about seeing Carlile live is the songs she chooses to cover. This time we got Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” and Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” I would pay top dollar to hear this woman waill Cash tunes all night.

At one point Carlile and the band encountered technical difficulties, forcing stagehands to run around the stage. Because every second is precious during a free concert (just like every sperm is sacred during free sex), Carlile erupted into an inpromptu a cappella song where she clapped and yodeled. Yes, yodeled.

She also played “What Can I Say,” another familiar song for Grey’s Anatomy fans (by the way, I don’t watch Grey’s and only know all these references because of my girlfriend. I will go on record and take a lie detector test to prove it). The free concert in the park ended with Carlile coming back on stage for an encore (which felt odd since she only played for like 45 minutes) and came out with a Red Sox hat on and saying “I only have one sports obsession and that’s the Boston Red Sox.”

I know. I kinda feel like the city is making her say that too.