Emmylou Harris, Celtic Connections, Glasgow review: 'spirited and soulful'
At the age of 78, Emmylou Harris is still hitting personal firsts, writes Fiona Shepherd
Emmylou Harris, Emirates Arena, Glasgow ★★★★
As an unlikely concert venue, the Emirates Arena is what it is, a vast clinical sports hall with passable sound, if not quite the warm, welcoming space one might want for a country legend’s farewell tour. However, Emmylou Harris appeared completely unfazed by the environment as she strolled on stage solo and without fanfare, before being joined one by one by her band, the Red Dirt Boys.
It took a couple of songs to reach a favourable sound balance, with Eamon McLoughlin’s mandolin loud and shrill on the opening My Songbird. Harris, meanwhile, sounded a little breathless but her tone was true.
READ MORE: Celtic Connections Opening Night: World Connections, Glasgow review: 'a whirling musical diorama'
Quavery and exposed on Gulf Coast Highway, she has lost some of her fragrant fluency and yet there was much still to be gained, not least in technical skills (“is it this button?” she only half-joked) and a bonus rendition of the rollicking Two More Bottles of Wine, thrown in just for Glasgow.
At the age of 78, Harris is still hitting personal firsts, adding Johnny Cash cover Help Him, Jesus, to her set, replete with satisfying country gospel call and response interplay with the band.
“You have to suffer if you want to sing the blues, so I faked it,” she declared before a rendition of one of her sparing originals, Red Dirt Girl, a song to stand by any in her set.
Harris knows well her strong suit is interpreting others’ songs. Townes Van Zandt’s Pancho and Lefty remains a talisman. Mark Knopfler’s All the Roadrunning was a tad snoozy, but she sounded spirited and cheeky on railroad bluegrass number, Get Up John, soulful on harmony a cappella Bright Morning Stars and right at home advocating as always for Gram Parsons on the lively country rockers Wheels and Luxury Liner, before rounding off with her own longing Boulder to Birmingham and Chuck Berry’s You Never Can Tell “just for fun”.
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