Brandi Carlile’s ‘Pin Drop Tour’

No amps or microphones are invited to Brandi Carlile’s fall excursion, which is fittingly named the “Pin Drop Tour.” The intimate, “ultra-unplugged” road trip is slotted Oct. 1-15 at a handful of historic, small U.S. theaters.

But don’t let the title of the journey fool you into thinking this is going to be an uber-quiet set. The alt-country/folk rock singer-songwriter is expecting fans to help out with the music.

“Without giving away too many surprises, I imagine this to be a very vocal-centric set. Heavy on the humanity and light on the affectation. Lots of human percussion and hollering!” says Carlile.

Photo: Alan Sheckter

"BottleRock Napa Valley," Napa Valley Exposition, Napa, Ca.

Carlile plans on playing fan favorites from throughout her career along with previews of a few tunes from her upcoming fifth studio album, which she just finished recording. She’ll be accompanied on the road by bandmates/co-writers Tim and Phil Hanseroth – aka The Twins – and cellist Josh Neumann.

The “Pin Drop Tour” was inspired by a show Carlile did nearly 10 years ago.

“We had only been playing clubs and bars up to that point, but as we started opening for bigger acts, we got to cut our teeth in these big, beautiful theatres. One night, in the middle of our 30 minute set, the entire PA system stopped working,” Carlile said.

“For a band our size, those were 30 very important minutes. As the clock ticked away, Tim suggested that we just walk out to the front of the stage and play our loudest song. We were so surprised to hear the sound thundering back at us from the end of the room and the crowd loved hearing the room, too. It was then that we started discussing pre amplification and sans amplification venues in the United States and how we might be able to put on a show this way.”

Now Carlile will put on 10 shows that way. Here’s the plan.

Oct. 1 – Portsmouth, N.H., The Music Hall
Oct. 3 – Cambridge, Mass., Sanders Theatre
Oct. 4 – Philadelphia, Pa., Perelman Theater at Kimmel Center
Oct. 6 – Vienna, Va., Barns At Wolf Trap
Oct. 7 – Vienna, Va., Barns At Wolf Trap
Oct. 9 – New York, N.Y., The Concert Hall At The New York Society for Ethical Culture
Oct. 10 – Pittsburgh, Pa., Carnegie Lecture Hall
Oct. 13 – Chicago, Ill., Old Town School Of Folk Music
Oct. 14 – Chicago, Ill., Old Town School Of Folk Music
Oct. 15 – Stoughton, Wis., Stoughton Opera House

An online presale is ongoing now. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, Aug. 15.

For more information visit BrandiCarlile.com.