Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles says she'll never forget the August day at the Indiana State Fair when a stage collapse led to seven deaths and multiple injuries.
Bareilles had just wrapped her set at the Indianapolis fair this summer, and Sugarland was about to take the stage when the tragedy happened.
"I think about it all the time," Bareilles says. "Whenever the weather changes, when the wind starts blowing. It's something that will stay with me forever and ever."
She says the incident changed her perspective.
"It snaps me back into reality, what really matters in life. I'm so blessed, and I remember that every day is a gift," says Bareilles, who participated in an eBay auction benefiting families of those affected by the disaster. "I'm thrilled to help them cope in whatever ways I can."
Bareilles forged ahead after the incident, finding solace in music. "It was important for me to continue to play music. I see music as healing."
With that in mind, Bareilles got back to the business at hand: touring in support of country act Sugarland. The show comes to Verizon Wireless Amphitheater tonight.
"It's my job as the opening act to get everybody excited," Bareilles says. "I try to put on a pretty high-energy set, play songs people are most familiar with and pepper in songs they know from my albums that might not have been on the radio. We try to pack a punch and have a lot of fun on stage."
Bareilles is on the road promoting her latest album, "Kaleidoscope Heart," her follow-up to 2007's "Little Voice." She says "Kaleidoscope Heart" is about facing change and fear, "whatever that my be in someone's life, whatever they fear facing."
For her, the fear was going through a sophomore slump with "Kaleidoscope Heart," which caused her a lot of anxiety, even resulting in panic attacks.
"I was a total wreck," she says. "I felt the pressure. There were all these things running through my mind. It was so ingrained in my brain to be fearful of the second album. I was kicking and screaming and scared of making this record."
The latest single from "Kaleidoscope Heart" is "Gonna Get Over You," which comes with a video directed by actor Jonah Hill. It's Hill's first time directing a music video. He and Bareilles are longtime friends, and he asked whether he could shoot her video.
"He came up with this concept of 'West Side Story,' and I wanted it to be 'Grease'-inspired. We met in the middle. I loved the idea of being choreographed," says Bareilles, a new judge on TV's "The Sing Off."
"It wasn't a hard decision," she says of joining "The Sing Off." "I have a background in a cappella music and went on the show during the finale last year. It's really intriguing to me. I love that genre of music."
When 7:30 p.m. Friday • Where Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Maryland Heights • How much $31-$76 • More info LiveNation.com
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