brandi carlile tour recap/year in review (long post)
i’m sitting in the seattle airport, waiting to board my last flight of the year. last night was the last show of 2012…the last show of almost 200 shows in all. i honestly cannot think of a better way to have finished up our first year than by sharing a tour with our hero, brandi carlile. brandi has been a long time favorite of mine, but never in a million years did i dream of becoming her friend, after being her fan for so long. the invitation to share this tour with her, and the shows and cities we experienced…i can barely put the feeling i have into words.
the past month we’ve spent with brandi on the road turned us into different people. better, stronger, more confident artists who are excited about the future and the blessings that are in our lives. brandi showed us how to truly love music again. believe it or not, you sort of forget that, after working hard playing show after show and traveling all the time. we experienced the luxury of a tour bus for the first time, and venues that are the perfect size and setting for what we do. we shared her crew, her stage, her home on wheels, and her fans. and it was glorious. we squeezed a whole bunch of cities into only a few weeks, and reached a whole new level of respect for someone we already dearly loved.
i just remember going to her shows, only a few short years ago, and being absolutely enamored with her, and wanting so badly to know that i could do that if i wanted to. i remember the hours of waiting-in the cold, for a good seat… in suspense for a new record…outside her bus, for an autograph. if that version of me had known what was to come, i think i would’ve died prematurely. i will never deserve the things that have come to me. i can only strive every day to do my best and to give thanks to the One that gave it them to me.
and so this chapter is closing. the first year of life in transit. the hardest, most grueling experience of my life is over. i knew, at the beginning of 2011, that it would be tough. that’d i’d be homesick (and i was), that i’d be tired (and i was), that i’d be lonely (and i was), and that i’d be fulfilled in unimaginable ways (and i was). i never could’ve predicted the amazing experiences i would have. tours with legendary people, a chance to see the world, and the opportunity to sing for people who actually listen because they want to. and in some cases, because they just need to.
the future will be just as busy as the past has been. a flurry of holiday activities, some songwriting and a tiny bit of relaxing, recording demos and writing with brandi in seattle (yes, she invited us to come to her home for a week of vacationing, writing, and recording), a trip overseas for our first tour of germany, and the making of our second record. i know that 2012 is going to be different. we’ve grown up. we’ve changed. we’ve learned. and that’s why i have to pause for a minute to pat myself on the back. i’m fiercely proud of what we’ve accomplished. two little country girls from alabama, who stumbled into a crazy, exciting world, and who are just trying to make the best of every day, as they trudge their way home. 2011, i know you aren’t a person, but i’m going to talk to you as if you were. you wore. me. out. but i have loved you, and i’m better because of you.
here’s to a new year, a new record, and new stories to tell. and thanks to YOU for keeping up with me. :)
