Brandi Carlile's All-Requests Tour Basks in Musical Spontaneity

Brandi Carlile is currently leading a short, 19-date "Burn the Setlist!" tour where fans choose every song live. Playing alongside bandmates Phil and Tim Hanseroth, Carlile performs without a planned setlist for roughly two hours and forty minutes each night.

The Oakland Show

During the tour's second stop at the Fox Oakland on November 7, Carlile told the audience that almost any song from their catalog was fair game, though they would not attempt songs they had never played before. She noted she was open to playing big hits if requested, but fans mostly chose deep cuts and obscurities. One surprising request was the 14-year-old track "Heart's Content," which band members realized gained popularity after appearing in the movie Safe Haven.

Performance Highlights

The 22-song set in Oakland included the rowdy opening track "Raising Hell," followed by "The Mother," which prompted Carlile to share stories about parenting. Phones were kept away in Yondr pouches for the evening to encourage intimacy and prevent live flubs from ending up online. Later in the night, the group performed a cover of "Folsom Prison Blues" and delivered an unamplified version of "Dying Day" right at the edge of the stage.

Context

Artists typically rely on tightly locked setlists for major tours to ensure smooth stage production and consistent pacing. Allowing an audience to dictate the entire show requires exceptional memory and deep familiarity with a large catalog of recorded music.