Review | Brandi Carlile, A Rock Star in Her Prime

“I can go from zero to Tenacious D real fast,” laughed Brandi Carlile. 

That was no joke. She’s always had a beautiful voice, but the fire and verve and energy and incredible versatility she displayed at Sunday night’s Santa Barbara Bowl show was unparalleled. And honestly, I was a bit (happily) surprised that this was one of my favorite shows of the year. It was just so, everything — heartfelt, rocking, inspiring, thoughtful, emotional, cathartic, funny, relatable, visceral.  

The band — starting with a powerful intro by the SistaStrings duo of real life powerhouse sister musicians Chauntee (violin) and Monique (cello) Ross — was pure dynamite. This was one of the last stops on The Human Tour and the joyous affection and pure love of performing shared by the entire band — especially Brandi herself — was palpable and oh-so-infectious. 

The crowd went crazy when Carlile came out on stage, clad in a spiffy blue velvet jacket with a red flower on her lapel, strumming and singing “Returning to Myself” —  the title song of her eighth studio album, which came out about a year ago. The lights came up and she was slowly joined by longtime band members (twin brothers) Phil (bass, vocals) and Tim (guitar, vocals) Hanseroth, as well as SistaStrings, Dave Mackay (piano, keyboards), Terrence F. Clark (drums), and Solomon Dorsey (vocals and loads of instruments) — all of whom were in very fine form.

Another song from that album, “Human” was up next, followed by a cranking version of the 2015 song “A Mainstream Kid,” with the still resonant lyrics —  “I need you to liberate me / You the masses educate me / Hold my fist into the air / Declare a social victory / You can own me, you control me / Individuality has never stood a chance against you / Jump into the mainstream” — reverberating every bit as strongly in 2026. 

“When you show up in a town this classy, the only acceptable thing to wear is blue velvet,” said Carlile of her aforementioned fancy duds. “It may be Sunday, but I’m feeling some Saturday night energy here,” she told the enthusiastic crowd. “I’m 45, I can’t say anything emotional without tears flying out of my eyes,” she added. 

“A Woman Oversees” and “A War with Time,” both newer songs, were up next, followed by some fan-girling about Celine Dion’s recent comeback (“her beautiful sound just makes me want to sing with every bit of lesbian drama I can muster”) before launching into a pretty on-the-nose Celine high note impression, then doing her own high note gymnastics on 2021’s “Right on Time.”  

The original trio of Brandi and the twins (who we’ve seen in town multiple times, beginning, I believe, back at the Lobero in 2008) then did a fun segment of audience requests that included “Shadow on the Wall” and “Sugartooth.” 

Relatably, like any mom whose kids are still young enough to get away with it, Carlile spoke affectionately of her two. “My little girls are here tonight. I’ve got an 8-year-old and, pray for me, I’ve got a 12-year-old,” and went on about them growing up and a series of “’you without me’ moments; they’re like micro-separations.” This was the intro to “You Without Me / The Mother” — a powerful song, about which Carlile told CBS Sunday Morning, “The concept is that you have these children and you try not to project yourself onto them and believe that they’re a mini you, you know? But the moment they show you they’re not, the moment they show you who they really are, and that they’re ready to leave you in a way, is such a devastating and proud moment at the same time. It’s a confusing feeling.”

Brandi Carlile, Santa Barbara Bowl, September 20, 2026 | Photo: Ingrid Bostrom

That beautiful, heart-wrenching song segued quickly into one her breakout tunes (thanks in no small part to Gray’s Anatomy) “The Story” from 2007, and then what Carlile labeled “mom dancing” to “You and Me on the Rock” (2021) with compelling harmonies by SistaStrings. They also added their voices to the new song “No One Knows Us.” 

The incredible versatility I mentioned earlier was on full display with the impassioned “Church & State” and “Sinners, Saints, and Fools,” followed by a stunning cover of Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes,” beautifully accompanied by pianist Dave Mackay and recorded for the current film Practical Magic 2. “Who can say no to Sandra Bullock,” quipped Carlile, “especially when she comes to your show in a plaid shirt.”

Inspired by Mackay’s beautiful playing, Carlile spontaneously added a song to the set (she told us) that was the most show-stopping moment for me. Her cover of Bonnie Raitt’s classic “I Can’t Make You Love Me” gave me chills — especially having heard Raitt play that very song on that very stage more than once over the years. 

Carlile could have easily stopped with that glorious song and standing ovation, but she played on, with “The Joke,” a 2018 tune with the lovely lyrics “Let ’em laugh while they can / Let ’em spin, let ’em scatter in the wind / I have been to the movies, I’ve seen how it ends / And the joke’s on them.” 

And then, in yet another truly magical moment, she called up CMAT lead singer Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson for another duet (they had done one during CMAT’s opening set). “Who wants to do drunken karaoke?” said Carlile. “I’ll be Kenny and you be Dolly,” she told the Irish singer as they launched into a lively salute to Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers with “Islands in the Stream.” 

A cover of Alanis Morissette’s “Uninvited” was next, complete with light saber bows for SistaStrings. And then the finale, “A Long Goodbye.” After a fabulous show like this one, hopefully it won’t be goodbye for long.