This weathered music scribe has seen Brandi Carlile sing for a sweaty, packed-to-the-barrier audience at Marathon Music Works, under the city’s skyline during a summertime gig at Ascend Amphitheater, in the face of the unrelenting sun on The Farm at Bonnaroo and, of course, inside the Mother Church of Country Music. Each time, she tears the house down. Her shows mix empathetic storytelling with rock ’n’ roll tenacity — both backed by a show-stopping voice that’s endeared Carlile to fans for two decades and counting. This weekend, the 11-time Grammy Award winner and Elton John collaborator plays Bridgestone Arena in support of last year’s standout LP Returning to Myself and the forthcoming Returning to Myself (Sad Gay Version), an expanded edition of the album that includes reimagined versions of the original track list. Be sure to arrive early at the Nashville gig to catch an opening set from folk singer Gregory Alan Isakov.Â
7 p.m. at Bridgestone Arena
501 Broadway
