The Steel Belted crew (and our respective better halves) took the journey down to Fargo to see Brandi Carlile at the Fargo Theatre. I had the great pleasure of seeing (and interviewing) Brandi at the Edmonton Folk Festival last year, so I knew that she’s great live. Last year, however, she was working with a couple less players (they were minus a drummer and a violinist) and it was a shorter set and at a decidedly different venue. This trip had the potential to be a bit of a downer, because sometimes shows aren’t as great the second time around, and because we had to drive 4 hours there and 4 hours back to see the show.

Luckily, it was well worth the trip. Brandi sounded even more powerful and confident than a year ago, perhaps owing to experience or the more intimate, comfortable venue. Whatever the case, the somewhat rowdy but wholly appreciative crowd, and perhaps the fact that Brandi had plenty of family in the audience made for a really fun, interactive show. She threw in some really cool covers and played a great selection of material, new and old.

Every once in a while, I get inspired to record a show, not because I’m some evil bootlegger looking to make a buck, but because I have a really bad memory, and I like something to remind me of the great shows I’ve seen and heard. My recordings are decidedly low-quality, and not in any way meant to be audiophile recordings, and certainly aren’t meant to take the place of authorized recordings. In fact, I really hope that they inspire you to get out to a show or buy a CD (ok, or a digital download) of your own.

With that in mind, if you want to download this amazing show for yourself, go ahead and enjoy. You don’t need to post it on your site or host it anywhere else, just let other folks know to stop by and visit my site. Don’t ever sell it or do anything bad. Look both ways before you cross the street, too.

[download id=”15″]

[nggallery id=15]