The Show
Los Angeles’ historic Orpheum Theatre hosted a dynamic performance from musician Sara Bareilles one late October evening. One-thousand guests filled the downtown theater, built in 1926, to witness the singer-songwriter’s soaring set. Bareilles performed several songs off The Blessed Unrest, her Album of the Year-nominated fourth studio album, including the hit single “Brave,” a song that champions gay rights. The singer showcased her powerful, evocative vocals on fan favorites like “Love Song” and “King of Anything,” ending the set with an emotionally compelling rendition of her breakout song “Gravity.”
Bareilles performed several songs off The Blessed Unrest, her Album of the Year-nominated fourth studio album, including the hit single “Brave,” a song that champions gay rights.
Behind the Den
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Sara Bareilles
Sara Bareilles grew up in Eureka, CA, participating in local choirs and theater productions before attending college at UCLA, where she joined an a cappella group and won the annual student talent show twice. In 2004, she released her first album, Careful Confessions, much of which landed on her major label debut, Little Voice, in 2007. Propelled by its hit single “Love Song,” the album reached the Number One spot on the Billboard Pop 100 chart and received two Grammy nominations. Her follow-up album, 2010’s Kaleidoscope Heart, debuted at number one and earned Bareilles another Grammy nod for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her song “King of Anything.” In 2011, she joined NBC’s The Sing-Off as a celebrity judge and in 2012 was included on VH1’s list of Top 100 Greatest Women in Music. In 2013, Bareilles released her third album, The Blessed Unrest. The album debuted at the number two spot on the Billboard 200 and produced the hit single “Brave.” Her latest album Amidst the Chaos released in 2019.
The Venue
The Orpheum Theatre opened in downtown Los Angeles in 1926 as the final house operated by the Orpheum vaudeville circuit in the city. The Beaux Arts-style theatre was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh and houses a Mighty Wurlitzer organ, one of only three remaining pipe organs in Southern California. As late as 1950, The Orpheum was a stage for vaudeville acts, hosting such venerable names as the Marx Brothers, a young Judy Garland, comedian Jack Benny, jazz greats Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, and Duke Ellington, and later, rock and roll legends Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, and Stevie Wonder. After a $3-million renovation in 1989, The Orpheum today is one of the best-preserved historical movie palaces in Los Angeles. Photography courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff for Artists Den Entertainment.
