Brandi Carlile, in Washington, DC for the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize tribute concert honoring her pal Elton John, played the second of two sold out shows at the Anthem Friday night.
The excited crowd gathered early and were already seated when The Hanseroth Twins took the stage to spend thirty minutes getting the crowd amped. Phil and Tim Hanseroth are best known as the bassist and guitarist, respectively, in Brandi Carlile’s band, as well as her songwriting and harmonizing partners. They recently started breaking out on their own, having released a single, “Remember Me,” which dropped at midnight Friday. A full Hanseroth Twins album is expected late this summer.
The duo was opening for themselves, essentially, only for the second time, the first being at the previous night’s show. They treated the crowd to a handful of songs, including the aforementioned “Remember Me” before tearing up a cover of the Indigo Girls’ “Closer to Fine” which got the crowd up, singing and dancing. They chatted with the audience in between songs and tipped their hats to DC and its legacy as a punk town.
After a quick break, the men returned to the stage accompanied by Brandi Carlile. As mentioned, they were in town to be part of the all-star tribute concert awarding the songwriting duo of Elton John and Bernie Taupin the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, which was held on March 20. Other performers included the likes of Metallica and Joni Mitchell.
The trio decided to stick around and schedule a few gigs at the Anthem, both of which sold out fast. If Carlile and the twins were exhausted after a whirlwind few days in Washington DC, it certainly didn’t show. The completely stoked crowd (someone got engaged early during the show!) got treated to a whopping 24 song setlist, which started with “Follow,” from her first album, released in 2005. From there the set traced a path through the nearly 20 years since, which included “Broken Horses,” which won her Grammy awards for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance.
There were a smattering of covers thrown in there as well, some Joni Mitchell, Queen, and, of course, a few Elton John covers, underscoring her versatility as a musician, as well as her deep love for her heroes. For the encore, the trio appeared in the upper tier seats for a rendition of “Cannonball” before SistaStrings performed an instrumental on stage. There were still three more songs before the whole thing was over. What a night.
Scattered throughout the show, she cracked jokes and told stories about her life, the inspiration behind her writing, and her heroes, always with a warm touch so the crowd felt like they were hanging out with a friend, rather than a folk-rock superstar. For a metalhead like me, what really impressed me were the voices, that three-part harmony of Carlile and the twins. Holy cow did that knock me off my feet.
Brandi Carlile is not currently on tour—the gigs at the Anthem were a special treat since she was in town for the Gershwin ceremony. However, she does have several dates scheduled this summer, starting with her Mothership Weekend in May.
THE HANSEROTH TWINS
SETLIST
Follow
The Things I Regret
The Story
Broken Horses
Right On Time
That Wasn’t Me
The Eye
Mama Werewolf
The Mother
You and Me on the Rock
Carey
Whatever You Do
The Stranger at My Door
Madman Across the Water
Skyline Pigeon
Sinners, Saints and Fools
The Joke
Party of One
Pride & Joy
Cannonball
SistaStrings Solo
Murder in the City
Fat Bottomed Girls
This Time Tomorrow
