Vanessa Carlton wants to 'get lost' together with concertgoers as tour heads here

MARSHALL TWP. – Since becoming a mom in 2015, Vanessa Carlton has changed her stage performances in one fundamental way.

"I'm trying to be more family-friendly now that I'm a mom," Carlton said. "I used to swear a lot on stage, which was fine at the time, but now I'm like, 'OK, Vanessa, you've got to button up that part of your show.'"

So, parents need not worry about bringing youngsters to a Carlton tour date, unless of course, the pop-rock star is playing a 21-and-older venue on her tour launching March 1 at Rams Head Live in Annapolis. The tour continues with dates such as March 3 at City Winery, Philadelphia; March 8 at Center For The Arts of Homer, N.Y.; and March 11 at Jergel's Rhythm Grille in Marshall Township, Pa. Tickets are sold out for her March 6-7 shows at City Winery in New York City

Carlton will play piano as she showcases her pretty, evocative singing, joined by a cellist.

"We'll also be playing a lot of pedals to create different sounds," Carlton said. "It's not the traditional duo with cello. We're turning that on its side a bit."

Trying new things artistically is important to Carlton, as she declared on "I Can't Stay The Same," the leadoff track to her most recent album, 2020's "The Art of Love."

She said, "Even though I'll be doing songs that people know, I like to push the music into a new zone. I do have my tricks and habits, but I love that idea, which was one of the great things about working on that album with a wizard like David Fridmann (MGMT, Flaming Lips). The idea was very much about changing it up a bit."

She hopes her autobiographical-based songs inspire others, "as people see me model this idea that you can improve yourself and how you behave and how you see things. To have that rooted in evolution is pretty cool."

And while "I Can't Stay The Same" implores listeners "don't you stop believing the healer is within," there's still something powerfully effective about the collective concert experience.

"Music is medicine. I like to get lost in a song. Let's get lost together," Carlton wrote next to the concert listings on her website.

The Pike County, Pa., native elaborated in a Feb. 13 interview: "I started seeing that at concert performances when I was really young. To me, it's an essence of attending a concert or performing a concert, reaching a point of connection. In the world we live in today, it's so easy to feel isolated and really distanced, and for good reason. Well, this is an opportunity to connect with people in a room. Though this is called the Future Pain Tour (laughs). We are all connected by our pains and joys."

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She realizes some concertgoers know her mainly for her radio singles, notably "Ordinary Day" and 2002's smash hit "A Thousand Miles."

"Some people supported and followed me through my transitions in life," Carlton said, "and that feels like family."

On stage, she tries to cater to all fans, "definitely playing songs everyone knows, but in a way that still makes it interesting to me. Because I play them a lot."

The setlist will include picks from "Love is an Art" and "Liberman," its 2015 predecessor.

"We are doing 'Ordinary Day,' which I feel I haven't performed live in decades, in an interesting, compelling way that hopefully people will enjoy. I believe there is a thread between all of the songs."

Expect a bit of banter and storytelling.

"Think like the Nirvana 'Unplugged' special, how they turned that on its side, and let people get to know the nooks and crannies of every song," Carlton said. "I enjoy doing that. Share a little background, but not getting too chatty. I like to set the scene in general, so there will be some tales throughout the set. I think it's nice sharing a bit about yourself on stage. I've gotten better at that. I know when I go to concerts, I appreciate when people do that."

She witnessed the power of pre-song storytelling last year, when opening arena concerts for Stevie Nicks.

"That's like a master class in performance and performance art and professionalism," Carlton said. "That was incredibly generous of her to take me out on tour. It was just me out there on stage, without a band, so I had to figure out how to create another element than just one person at a piano in front of 15,000 people."

Carlton learned on the fly what elements worked, and what didn't.

The Fleetwood Mac star's wisdom and advice years earlier helped Carlton come to terms with "A Thousand Miles," that poppy breakout hit she had grown tired of singing.

Nicks explained how she has to sing "Landslide" every night because fans want to experience it live. Carlton applied that thinking to her shows and makes sure to sing "A Thousand Miles" with conviction.

Though she's at a loss to explain why "A Thousand Miles" became a giant hit and remains a beloved earworm for fans.

"Maybe because it's classical sounding on piano? You don't hear a lot of pop songs driven by piano riffs like that. I don't know why people choose one song over another. It's that magical thing," Carlton said. "I know a lot of songwriters who've written songs just as good or better that haven't been discovered."

It sounds great live, especially by a piano-cello duo.

"We're able to do pretty dynamic things musically," she said. "The cello is such a powerful instrument. It has a super, super low end and can sound both haunting and glorious."

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Now dwelling in Rhode Island with husband/fellow singer John McCauley and their daughter, Sidney, the mid-Atlantic leg of the tour gives her a special feeling.

"That feels a lot like coming home whenever I'm in Pennsylvania."

She's glad to hear the itinerary includes places like Jergel's Rhythm Grille, a two-level roadhouse where the stage is surrounded by spectators.

"That's my favorite setting, to be surrounded by an audience," Carlton said. "Because we're all together in this."

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Vanessa Carlton wants to 'get lost' together with concertgoers