Live Review: Emmylou Harris & Her Red Dirt Boys, Ben Abraham

An absolute icon in the country-folk cannon, Emmylou Harris still bears hints of the idealistic young folky who was influenced by Dylan, Baez and Seeger over 40 years ago. But, as this consummate performance showed, the lives and loves Harris has been touched by along the way have given the singer and often underrated songwriter such a great depth of material that her live show is like a rare gem to be treasured for its shine and uniqueness.

Though young Melbourne songwriter Ben Abraham had to be nervous playing such an auspicious show, his easy banter (he warned us early he usually talks more than he plays), his considered lyrics and a voice that swooped and soared ensured the young musician created the perfect mood for a support act and was warmly received by the crowd.

Emmylou Harris' set proved she is still just as much a fan of good music and quality songwriting as her audience. Singing songs written by Steve Earle (Goodbye), Gillian Welch (Orphan Girl), Billy Joe Shaver (Old Five And Dimers Like Me) and of course her dear friend, the late Gram Parsons (Sin City and a stunning stripped-back Hickory Wind), Harris' sweet, unaffected voice highlighted the poetry of the words she was singing.

But it was her own song, My Name Is Emmett Till, about a 14-year-old African-American who was killed in 1955 in Mississippi for flirting with a white girl and was a prime motivator for the Civil Rights movement, plus an a cappella rendition of old time Appalachian folk song Bright Morning Stars that stole the show.

Harris joked about writing to Pete Seeger as a young folkie concerned that she didn't have enough life experience to write her own songs. Seeger's reply was, “Just wait”. Forty years on and the wealth of Harris' life experiences made this a live show one of the year's best.