What to expect at Michelle Branch’s Everywhere and Back Again Tour: Setlist, start time and more

Welcome to SeatGeek Front Row, where music writers share their tips for attending the biggest concert tours around the country. For this edition, Seattle resident Olivia Petty breaks down what it’s really like to see Michelle Branch's "Everywhere and Back Again" Tour in person, sharing everything from the setlist to the merch situation. Olivia is a freelance features and music writer in the greater Seattle area.

Back in 2001, a seventeen-year-old girl from Arizona with dark hair and darker eyeliner told the world she was “everywhere, speaking my mind, seeing no lines, leaving you behind.” 

Twenty-five years later, Michelle Branch is still everywhere — and, fortunately for her fans, she hasn’t left anyone behind. A product of the early aughts, Branch wholly embodies the concept of the sultry, smokey-eyed “rockstar girlfriend,” but in this case, she is and has always been the rockstar. 

Now decades into her career, Branch is back on the road with her “Everywhere and Back Again” tour in anticipation of a new album, set to release sometime next year. The tour kicked off with a roar in Seattle on September 27 and will travel across North America through November, then pick back up again in February 2027. Several dates are already sold out, but fans still have plenty of opportunities to see Branch live. This is how her show shook out in Seattle, and everything fans should know before heading to a Michelle Branch show.

What a Michelle Branch “Everywhere and Back Again” concert is actually like

Though it feels like an eternity and a half ago, this wasn’t Michelle Branch’s first rodeo at The Showbox in downtown Seattle. She performed at the venue in 2017 for her Hopeless Romantic tour, and while some familiar faces were surely back in the room on Sunday night, they were joined en masse by plenty of new fans who have discovered (or rediscovered) Branch in the years since. 

Branch released her successful debut album The Spirit Room as a teenager in the early 2000s, a drop in the ocean of female alt-rockers like Avril Lavigne, Nelly Furtado and Natasha Bedingfield who became the radio-powered sound of a generation. Branch’s smash hits “Everywhere” and “All You Wanted” were inescapable, balancing saccharine MTV-style pop with sharper edges of rock. In an interview with Nylon, she described being dubbed the “anti-Britney” or the grittier spiritual body-double of Vanessa Carlton, but comparisons seldom do the singer-songwriter justice. (Though it has to be said, Olivia Rodrigo’s resemblance to Branch is uncanny.)

Now 43 years old, Branch has spent more than half her life making music. Her sound has matured, as have her fans, but the emotional throughlines of her songs remain remarkably intact: teenage infatuation, messy relationships, heartbreak and hopeless romanticism. While those sentiments may seem cheesy on paper, in the room, they’re anything but trite. The crowd was swept up in nostalgia for her 90-minute show, swaying and singing along nearly the entire time. At the top of the show, Branch said, “You all only have one assignment tonight: to have so much fun.”

The show began at 8 p.m., an hour after doors opened, with the opening set running a little over half an hour. After a 40-minute turnover, Branch came onstage at 9:15 p.m. on the dot. The show concluded at 10:45, including an encore.

Who is opening for Michelle Branch’s “Everywhere and Back Again” tour?

Whether intentional or not, the first leg of Branch’s tour is shaping up to be a celebration of Asian American women in rock. Singer-songwriter SASAMI (Sasami Ashworth) opened for Branch in Seattle and will join her for dates through the end of October. A former member of Cherry Glazerr, Ashworth launched her solo career in 2018 and has since built an eclectic catalog that runs the gamut from heartfelt ballads to heavy metal and industrial music, with a little French horn thrown in for good measure. Ferocious, spunky and nearly impossible to box in, she’s an opener worth arriving early for. Her set began at 8 p.m., about an hour after doors opened, and she played until 8:36 p.m.

Starting in November, Josie Edwards — another solo female singer-songwriter — will join Branch’s tour for the month. Openers for the 2027 leg of her tour have yet to be announced.  

What songs did Michelle Branch perform in Seattle? What was the setlist?

Given that this is the first stop on Branch’s tour, it’s hard to know how set in stone the “Everywhere and Back Again” setlist will be. But nobody showed up on Sunday night looking to hear just the hits. The night was a well-aged mix of staple songs from Branch’s early years, some southwestern country twang, some brand new material and a few surprises thrown in for longtime fans.

Old favorites like “Find Your Way Back,” “Breathe,” and “You Get Me” scratched the pop-rock nostalgia itch, while “Leave the Pieces” harkened back to Branch’s Nashville years with country girl band The Wreckers. She also revisited “The Game of Love,” her Grammy-winning collaboration with Santana, before slowing things down for an acoustic and particularly personal cover of Lisa Loeb’s “Stay (I Missed You).” 

Branch introduced the song with a story about her teenage years, when she was utterly obsessed with Loeb and wanted to look the part so badly that she bought a pair of fake prescription glasses to look like her. She described attending one of her concerts in Nashville and deliberately waiting until she was the last in line at Loeb’s meet-and-greet so she could get her chordbook signed and gush about how much Loeb had influenced her. According to Branch, Loeb asked if she played guitar — and when Branch said yes, Loeb invited her backstage to sing a song using her guitar. Though it didn’t lead to a record deal, Branch recalled how formative the moment had been, and how it helped convince a teenage songwriter that this could actually be a life.

Kicking the energy back up, Branch debuted a new song — “With Every Heartbeat” — that will be on her 2027 record. “Loud Music” and “Fault Lines,” while not charted hits of their time, were particular standouts of the night before the main set closed with “All You Wanted” and “Are You Happy Now?” 

But the audience demanded that the show must go on, prompting Branch and her band to rejoin the stage and close out the night with “Everywhere.” Here’s the full setlist, in order:

1. Drop in the Ocean

2. Find Your Way Back

3. Breathe

4. You Set Me Free

5. Best You Ever

6. You Get Me

7. With Every Heartbeat

8. Leave the Pieces (Wreckers song)

9. The Game of Love (Santana featuring Michelle Branch)

10. Stay (I Missed You) (Lisa Loeb cover)

11. One of These Days

12. Loud Music

13. Something to Sleep To

14. Fault Line

15. Goodbye to You

16. Sooner or Later

17. Tuesday Morning

18. All You Wanted

19. Are You Happy Now?

Encore:

1. Hopeless Romantic 

2. Everywhere 

What did the stage and production look like?

The production was small but mighty. The stage itself was a single platform, with some tasteful and understated set pieces that were made to look like stacks of vintage television sets. Light beamed through the screens of the televisions, making them glow in an almost eerie way. Mixed in with a few fog machines and truly beautiful lighting design, with rich and unique gradients of color including deep greens and teals, bronzey yellows and pale pinks and purples, the set almost felt like it was submerged in water. The venue itself helped induce this feeling, as there are multiple mirrors bordering the sides of the Showbox’s main auditorium, reflecting and refracting the light in an ethereal way. 

What were fans wearing? What’s the merch situation?

Fans were dressed in a variety of styles, from shimmery going-out tops and knee-high boots to casual sweatshirts and cardigans, but there were no hard and fast rules for what to wear. 

Plenty of Michelle Branch merch was available for purchase, including four styles of t-shirt ($45), a baseball tee ($50), a long-sleeve crewneck ($75), tote bags ($20), tumblers ($40), bottle openers ($15), bumper stickers ($10), posters ($20) and more. SASAMI also had her own merch booth closer to the entrance of the venue, including a vintage-style t-shirt ($40), a tank top ($35), booty shorts ($35) and vinyls ($30). 

Merch lines were relatively short and consistent before, during and after the show, as the merch tables were located right inside the auditorium near the GA floor. 

Is the show family-friendly?

Michelle Branch generally makes family-friendly and radio-friendly music, though her live shows are more on the grown-up side. Between songs, some of her banter with the audience contained profanity and discussions of adult themes, like sex and recreational drug use. The Showbox is an all-ages venue with designated 21+ areas, but if you’re considering bringing younger kids, it might be best to get a babysitter for the evening. Consider these shows loosely PG-13.

What attending a Michelle Branch concert at The Showbox was like

The Showbox in downtown Seattle across from Pike Place (not the location in SoDo) only offers General Admission tickets, though VIP upgrades to the Emerald Club are available. VIP perks include reserved seating, dedicated service and quick access/entry into the venue. Doors to the Showbox opened at 7 p.m., and the line around 6:50 p.m. wasn’t too long, but it did stretch down the block and around the corner.

 After the doors opened, the security line took less than 10 minutes to get through. Fans were required to go through metal detectors and follow a clear bag policy. Those without a bag got in faster in a separate security line. Inside the venue, fans could check their bags and coats at the front counter before entering the main auditorium. 

What was seating at The Showbox like?

The Showbox mainly offers General Admission standing room, with limited seating available on the outer rim of the auditorium in the designated 21+ section. If you want any chance of grabbing a non-reserved seat, your best bet is to arrive early. Otherwise, put on some comfortable shoes and be ready to stand for a couple of hours. Reserved seating is available in certain sections with VIP upgrades, where members can purchase 2 or 4-top tables and receive direct food and drink service to their seats. 

How should I get to The Showbox?

There are plenty of ways to get to the Showbox in downtown Seattle. Located on 1st Avenue right across the street from Pike Place and landmarks like the Gum Wall, the best ways to get there are via public transit. Both lines on the Link light rail stop at Westlake and University Street Station, both of which are a short 5 to 7 minute walk from the venue. There are also plenty of King County Metro bus routes that stop within blocks of the venue, including the 62, the 70, and the D and E lines. 

For those who need to drive, take the I-5 going north or south and use the downtown exits near Union St or Stewart St, then head west toward 1st Ave. Be warned: the Showbox does not have its own parking lot, and parking can get tricky downtown depending on the day and time. Street parking is available but sparse, and there are several paid parking garages in and around Pike Place Market. There are also plenty of Lime bikes and scooters to utilize in the area.

How can I get tickets for an upcoming Michelle Branch concert on SeatGeek?

Head to Michelle Branch’s ticket page on SeatGeek and put in your location to see if there are any upcoming shows near you. Once you’ve found a show date, pick how many tickets you’re looking to buy and choose General Admission, Accessible Seating, Premium or VIP (if available) using the interactive venue map. The types of tickets available will range from venue to venue, and in some cases you may be able to pick a specific section and seat based on your preferences. 

Once you’re happy with your choices, hit “checkout.” No matter what, you’re sure to walk away from a Michelle Branch show feeling better and lighter on your feet than when you walked in.