Judy Collins at Leicester Square Theatre

Judy Collins

Leicester Square Theatre, 12 June 2011

Early last year I passed up the opportunity to see Judy Collins live and I immediately regretted it. I thought that, at the ripe old age of 72, there wouldn't be many more opportunities to see her live but I needn't have worried: it turns out Collins still loves to tour and seems well able for it too, seeming more lively than many acts half her age and sporting a pair of high heels that even I wouldn't have been able to stand in for a couple of hours.

I was also lucky enough to see her at a superb venue, one that I had never been to before: Leicester Square Theatre. Located right next door to the Prince Charles cinema, it's a small intimate place with comfortable seats and a big stage. It's mostly used for comedy and cabaret acts but it's also the perfect place to see a folk act such as Judy (I had a front row seat but I'm sure the view and sound was just as good from any seat).

When Judy walked on to the stage to warm applause it was lovely to see just how good she looked. Wearing a pale silver kimono-style satin top, those high heels I mentioned earlier and her long white hair coiffed to perfection, she looked elegant and beautiful. The years have obviously treated her well but I wondered if the voice had lost any of its gorgeous tone or range, and I'm happy to report that it hasn't at all, she sounded magnificent.

Starting with a jaunty version of Joni Mitchell's Chelsea Morning, she worked her way through a whole host of classics, both covers and originals, and inbetween told stories of her journey to becoming a successful folk singer and all the incredible people she met along the way. She told of all the English songs that inspired her (and sang snippets of many of them) and how she sat outside his room as Bob Dylan wrote Mr Tambourine Man, before performing her own version. She also played a beautifully bluesy version of Leonard Cohen's Bird On The Wire and told us how he had encouraged her to write her own songs. And thank god he did because some of her self-penned numbers were absolutely sublime: a song written for her radio host singing dad called My Father, another for her only son called Born To The Breed, both beautifully moving, but perhaps best of all a new song performed at the piano all about her mother's life and her passing, which was absolutely stunning. In fact someone in the audience exclaimed "Amazing!" when she was finished, it was so powerful, striking and emotional.

About midway through there was an intermission and she returned hair-up in a new sparkly black outfit, at first treating us to another Joni song on guitar, Both Sides Now, one of her biggest hits, before putting her guitar down and singing a few songs, microphone in hand, accompanied by just her pianist, as well as venturing behind the piano herself for a few numbers. Even though I knew she had started life as a classical pianist I was still surprised at just how superb her piano playing is and it was a real pleasure to hear.

Rather nicely she was called back for two encores (the second a total surprise, with even the lights going up not deterring the cheering crowd), singing her version of Send In The Clowns and, rather appropriately given she had reminisced with us for much of the night, she sang The Beatles' In My Life, even more moving given her experience and wisdom now than it was when she first recorded it back in the 1960s.

One interesting tidbit she shared with us was the fact she has written a book about her life during the 60s called Sweet Judy Blue Eyes (named after the song Stephen Stills wrote for her, Suite: Judy Blue Eyes), which is due out in October. After this evening with her I can't wait to read it: she was intelligent, interesting, sweet and her voice still sounds angelic. I want to read her new book (I've already read her autobiography Trust Your Heart) and I really hope I get to see her live again too because spending time with Judy Collins in concert was a pure joy.