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

“I know I do a lot of sad songs, but they make me happy,” Emmylou Harris laughs apologetically after an impassioned rendition of The Pearl. She tries to compensate by immediately following up with the patina-defying Together Again, but the audience is only too happy to indulge her.

Earlier, local Ben Abraham proved impressive in support with his own country-style songs – his wide-ranging voice soaring high under the tall Baroque-domed theatre. However, Emmylou Harris's steely, silver-tinged vocals easily eclipse him as soon as she steps on stage – with her now-signature, snow-white hair and matching sequinned white boots – and opens with the first bars of Songbird. Her Red Dirt Boys alternately layer or showcase the banjo, accordion, fiddle, keyboard, electric guitar, bass and percussion.

The setlist is a thoughtful balance of contemplative items drawn largely from Harris' latest album Hard Bargain against upbeat country-rock selections from her extensive back catalogue. After more than four decades of writing and performing, Harris is earnest in arriving at a juncture where she reflects on mortality – not only stemming from the cumulative loss of many central relationships in her own life, but also some of those she has never met. My Name Is Emmett Till is a haunting narrative told from the perspective of the 14-year-old African American boy in the title, whose brutal 1955 murder in Mississippi was a defining moment in American Civil Rights history. The most poignant songs however, are of losses closer to home – Darlin' Kate is a fragile, heartbreaking tribute to close friend and late folk singer Kate McGarrigle, performed solely by Harris with her classical guitar. The Ship On His Arm is inspired by an artwork gift from a good friend who passed away last year and stirs thoughts of her own parents' love despite separation and the unknown.

She engages in a little lighthearted banter to rouse our hearts from the emotional weight her songs cast and also pays acknowledgements to mentors and trail-blazers such as The Carter Family, the McGarrigle Sisters, Gram Parsons and Texan singer-songwriter Billy Joe Shaver, whose Old Five And Dimers Like Me the band performs in their encore.

Her voice has matured with a distinct crispness over the years that make the higher notes a little challenging (she jokingly admits at one point that “the air is so thin up there”). And the familiar, slow-burning harmonies and yearning verses of love, loss and isolation are now viewed through wisdom that only age can bring.