You gotta like someone who can shift gears from “Over the Rainbow” to “Folsom Prison Blues” to “The Story” without missing a beat.
Brandi Carlile did all that, and more, during a 75-minute show that left jubilant fans shouting for more at Morristown’s Community Theatre last night.
The Seattle native has a rock and roll attitude, and the pipes to pull it off, with some help from a band that includes twins Tim (guitar) and Phil (bass) Hanseroth.
Those boys can raise the roof or inspire reverence, as they showed with a soft take on Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence.”
(A “creepy” song, in Brandi’s words.)
Another highlight: Brandi recalled opening for Chris Isaak in a prior Morristown show, at which the audio system malfunctioned. So Brandi and the band gave an unplugged performance of “Dying Day.” It has been a staple of her tours ever since.
Things got off to an energetic start last night with openers Good Old War, a hard-charging Philadelphia trio.
To sum up, we’re not sure how Brandi Carlile avoided our radar until now. (Granted, it’s a pretty old system.) She won’t pass through here undetected again, that’s for sure.