Concert review: Happy birthday, Brandi Carlile. ‘Echoes Through the Canyon’ at the Gorge Amphitheatre sure was a bash

On what was her birthday weekend, Brandi Carlile delivered a three-day residency at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Washington, and yet, the 11-time Grammy Award-winning music artist who hails from the state’s West Side wrapped up the event Sunday night not in celebration of herself, but of women and music.

Each night, which started May 29 and ended Sunday, offered unique lineups and setlists. Those who attended Friday had the chance to hear from the Indigo Girls, I’m With Her and Carlile; for Saturday’s show, longtime music artists Bonnie Raitt and Sara Bareilles joined Carlile onstage.

Unfortunately, I can’t speak for the May 29 and Saturday shows – I had the pleasure of attending only the Sunday performance – but word at the Gorge campsite from those who had stayed the three nights praised the concerts.

And worthy of praise was Sunday’s, which exceeded expectations. The Sunday concert offered a long lineup along with fun surprises and harmonized tunes satisfying to the ears.

The show highlighted country artists Brittney Spencer, whose career took off in the early 2020s; Sheryl Crow, who continues to hit unimaginable notes; Wynonna Judd, a powerhouse who reminds us how good country is; and the Highwomen, who put the “super” in supergroup. The Highwomen include music artists Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires.

Spencer opened the show at 4:30 p.m. and later would join the Highwomen onstage, along with Crow and Judd.

Also making an appearance was Raitt, and Linda Perry popped onstage during the encore with the Highwomen in a surprise showing to perform 4 Non Blondes’ 1993 hit “What’s Up,” to which the venue erupted in screams of “What’s going on?”

Spencer performed six songs, including covers of Morris’ “Night In” and Lori Lieberman’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”

Crow was sure to wrap up her setlist with hit songs “All I Wanna Do,” “Soak Up the Sun” and “Everyday is a Winding Road.”

Judd touched on solo hits “I Saw the Light” and “No One Else on Earth,” plus music from her days performing with the Judds, a duo that included her mother, Naomi Judd, who died in 2022. Among those songs were “Born to Be Blue,” “Cry Myself to Sleep” and “Why Not Me.”

Headlining the night, the Highwomen wrapped the concert with 26 songs, covering various popular hits like the Chicks’ “Goodbye Earl,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “American Girl,” Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes’ “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” and Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.”

With a lineup such as this, the energy of the night remained well-charged until the Highwomen closed out the show with “Redesigning Women.”

While Carlile’s presence outshines decades of country artists, the hit singer never upstages, with a clear line of respect for everyone performing together from start to finish. This year’s “Echoes Through the Canyon” will continue to echo as a most-memorable event, at least until Carlile outdoes herself again.