Concert Reviews
The Grammy winner played the second show of her first arena tour at TD Garden Thursday night.
Brandi Carlile performs at TD Garden Thursday. Ben Stas for The Boston Globe
February 13, 2026 | 1:17 PM
4 minutes to read
Just four days after her “America the Beautiful” Super Bowl performance, Brandi Carlile touched down at TD Garden for the second show of her “Human Tour,” her first arena tour.
The Washington-based singer is a decorated Grammy winner, totaling 11 wins throughout multiple categories, like Best Americana Album and Best Rock Song. After the performance on Thursday, it is clear as to why she has won every single one of them.
Carlile is familiar with the Boston area; she told the crowd that she got married to her wife in Boston back in 2012. She’s also close with Gov. Maura Healey, who declared Thursday to be “Brandi Carlile Day.”
“We’re home,” Carlile said.
The concert began with Carlile’s silhouette placed in the center of a glowing orange circle projected onto a curtain. When it dropped it revealed Carlile, adorned in a black suit with one shoulder pad covered in sequins. Her hair was combed into a mullet, looking every bit as badass as David Bowie.
In some concerts the fans cheer so loudly during the opener you can’t even hear your own thoughts, but Carlile transfixed the crowd with her soulful voice singing “Returning to Myself,” the lilting title song to her 2025 album.
Carlile then immediately went into “Human,” also from her new album. The vocals and guitar made it feel like everyone had been stripped down to their souls; for a moment any vendettas and hate had been put away, and the crowd stood stood there feeling as, well, human as they have ever felt.
Carlile’s lyrics “It’s hard enough being human” truly made you feel seen. Any past mistakes and regrets were dispelled by Carlile’s voice.
Carlile then played a song from her over 2015 album “The Firewatchers Daughter,” “Mainstream Kids.” It’s an understatement to say Carlile played it better than she did on her record.
She then played “Who Believes in Angels,” a song that originated as a duet with Elton John on the pair’s excellent 2025 album of the same name. The band made it to the front of the stage and stood in place for the iconic performer — Carlile’s piano player, Dave Mackay, is approved by Elton John himself, she said, and it is clear as to why.
“I thought he was an angel, and then I met him,” Carlile teased about meeting Elton, one of her idols.
Brandi Carlile, right, at TD Garden. – Ben Stas for The Boston Globe
More singers seem to be deviating from their setlists nowadays, but Carlile took it a step further by choosing fans to request songs (something she says she’s doing on a three-show trial basis). No advance notice was no problem, judging from her exquisite takes on the two songs that were chosen, “Downpour” and “Wherever is Your Heart.”
Something special about Carlile is that she has such a friendly stage presence. She would tell the crowd stories about her family like only a close friend would. Some artists perform like it is an inconvenience; Carlile made the crowd feel like they were there for her.
A goal of hers for the night was to make a big place feel small, and she accomplished that with flying colors. The seats in the arena were mere suggestions, as the ecstatic crowd took to its feet for most of the show.
One of the songs that the crowd loved was “The Mother,” which was a duet with her backing vocalist and strings player SistaStrings. The crowd swayed and silently took in the song about motherhood.
Another song that stood out was “No One Knows Us,” a song that Carlile says is about a co-dependent relationship that is a bit toxic but is one of the best you will have.
The guitar’s opening riff sounded a bit like the opening of Noah Kahan’s “Northern Attitude.” The song was so powerful it felt like sitting on a beach as dark storm clouds roll in, and the first break of rain drops down. Carlile’s songs truly have a way of transporting you.
One of songs toward the end of Carlile’s main set was “The Joke.” It was a crowd favorite and sounded a bit more like a gospel song compared to the recorded version. And it took the entire crowd to church — by the looks on the audience’s faces, they saw God, and she was a mullet-sporting, sparkle-shoulder-pad-wearing Brandi Carlile.
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The main set ended with “Hold Out Your Hand,” which the entire crowd was belting. The atmosphere was as if you could wrap your arms around the person sitting next to you and sway side to side, smiling.
She returned after a short pause for a three-song encore — ending with a quiet, bittersweet “A Long Goodbye” — and then slipped out of the crowd’s view like she was never there, almost dreamlike, silently waking up the audience from their trance.
Ending in a melancholy mode was a bit of a downer after such an uplifting performance — a more upbeat finale could have ended things on a higher note, literally. But the song did bring the show full circle.
Something very important to note is that the opening band, The Head and Heart, is incredibly good. Unlike some openers, they are a band that you could not ignore. Their songs were a gut punch and made you want to cry and laugh at the same time. They’re a band that any headliner would be lucky to have open for them.
Setlist for Brandi Carlile at TD Garden, Feb. 12, 2026:
Returning to Myself
Human
Mainstream Kid
Swing for the Fences (Brandi Carlile & Elton John)
A War With Time
A Woman Oversees
Right on Time
Who Believes in Angels?
Downpour (request)
Wherever Is Your Heart (request)
You Without Me
The Mother
The Story
You and Me on the Rock
No One Knows Us
Sinners, Saints and Fools
Long Long Time (Linda Ronstadt cover)
The Joke
Hold Out Your Hand
Encore:
Church & State
Uninvited (Alanis Morissette cover)
A Long Goodbye
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