Reviews

Artist:Joan Baez
Venue:The Sage
Town:Gateshead
Date:10/10/09
Website:http://www.joanbaez.com

I will begin by saying that this show sold out incredibly quickly and it was a joy to see hall 1 packed to the rafters, proof that despite this being Joan Baez’s 50th year in the business and that she is approaching 69 next birthday, she has lost none of her appeal.
Billed ‘An Evening with Joan Baez,’ there was no support act and unusually, not even a break, just 90 + minutes of musical magic.
As Joan and band entered the stage, to the loudest applause I’ve ever heard in Hall 1, the first things to strike me were her tiny frame and that she really does not look 68.
Looking around the full to capacity room and at those seated above her, she joked “You’re going to give me vertigo, up there.”
Opening with two songs from her new album, she told us one was written by Elvis Costello. Immediately striking is how expressive her hands are as she sings, reminding me in that respect of Eve Selis. The next song, God is Good, was written by the CD’s producer, Steve Earle., which he write when he was in recovery. Joan joked that everyone in the USA, it seems, is in recovery from something. This song was surprisingly unlike Steve’s style and left me hoping that in November we get to hear his take on it.
Huge applause followed as she divulged that it is her fiftieth year of being on stage, and stating that some in the audience have been present for all of it, some not, she said she’d try to include us all through her song selection for the evening.
She told us she learned to play the ukulele at 15, then changed to guitar at 17, when her family moved to Cambridge, Mass at the height of the folk boom and by chance she fell in love with the ballads, especially the sad ones. Silver Dagger, she told us was one of the first she learned and remains one of the most requested of her early ballads, even though she sang it differently back then. Joking afterwards that she realised after 30 years that no one died in it, she sang a different, a capella version, in which someone does.
The beautiful Farewell Angelina, was followed by a song her pianist had written, entitled Just The Way you Are – a potential wedding song?
Joan and her band joined forces for a gospel song ‘from the hills of somewhere,’ then Joan introduced the various members; John Doyle - musical director, on guitar, mandolin and vocals, Todd Philips on bass and vocals, Gabriel Harris on percussion and vocals and Dierk Powell on piano ‘and instruments too numerous to mention!’ They obviously all work well together and have a great deal of mutual respect.
The band exited the stage, leaving Joan alone on stage. Hearing her sing solo, just her and her guitar, was, it has to be said, wonderful.
God is on Our Side followed, seeming equally as relevant now as back when it was written, ?? years ago; Dierk added a beautiful accompaniment with his accordion. This was followed by Glasgow Town’ and then the very touching story of her Dad re-proposing to her Mum and of how she sang Forever Young at their wedding, when her dad was 92. I have my own memories associated with this song and, coupled with Joan’s own story, I found her performance of this song very moving.
Joan’s well known political side showed through when she spoke of her admiration for and feelings of hope awakened by, President Obama. She said he has enhanced the spiritual atmosphere of the world and now the rest is up to us. Telling us she used to play Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, for MLK, then dedicating it to Obama, I think was quite a compliment, as anyone who has read her autobiography will know of the high esteem in which she held MLK – she even marched with him during the civil rights marches and performed the night he made his famous speech. Amazing to think we were sitting in the same room as someone who had marched for civil rights with the man himself...an a capella version of the song followed. Whilst not my favourite rendition of the evening, what it represented was very powerful.
The band returned and together they played Wish I Was in London, Love is Just a Four Letter Word and Handsome Molly, where the men’s harmonies had a chance to shine through. All too soon, it seemed, the night was over and Joan and the band were exiting the stage.
Clearly they were not going to be allowed to leave just yet and as Joan returned to the stage without the band, someone yelled for the obvious omission thus far. Smiling, Joan said ‘Well, I think you’ve earned it.’ I suddenly realised I was holding my breath, such was my excitement at the thought of finally hearing this song live, and as she played the opening chords of Diamonds and Rust, tears started to roll down my cheeks. Rarely have I reacted so emotionally to hearing a song played live for the first time. Suddenly I understood Matraca Berg’s reaction when she and Gretchen Peters did a BBC in the round with Joan over a decade ago! You could literally have heard a pin drop as she sang it, almost a reverent silence as Joan’s song about Bob Dylan came to life in front of us. Words cannot describe how wonderful those four minutes were, and I just wish there was a way we could bottle those experiences. What I do know is, If I never get to see her play live again, I’ve heard that song sung live and I’m happy. Interestingly, she changed the line ‘Ten years ago I bought you some cuflinks’, to ‘Forty years ago...’ making it clear she is embracing her age rather than shying away from it. The applause which followed was incredible.
As the band returned , they brought it back up with The Night they drove Old Dixie Down, undoubtedly my second highlight of the night. Joan got everyone joining in without saying a word, giving us all a thumbs up when we started to sing along with her. Just when we all thought this was the perfect end, they all surprised us by joining forces for one last, fabulous, gospel song, all singing totally a capella. Indicating that this really was the end by making sleep gestures with her hands, Joan and the band took their applause, Joan waving to everyone around the hall, as everyone stood up to offer her a much deserved standing ovation.
I for one, was far more impressed by this lady’s performance than I had expected to be, and sincerely hope that she returns soon. However, either way, she took us on a 90 minute emotional and musical journey and left us with some unique memories, and, well, ‘We all know what memories can bring; they bring diamonds and rust.’ I suspect for most present, this performance will have left rather more diamonds.

Helen Mitchell