Emmylou Harris at the Barbican
Emmylou Harris performing Wrecking Ball
Daniel Lanois
Barbican, 26 May 2014
"Can you turn the sound down!" a faceless man yells from the darkened audience during Daniel Lanois' opening set. "You come up here on stage and say that!" Lanois half-jokingly responds. Yes, it's one of those audiences. A few others even leave objecting to the feedback. Admittedly Lanois playing a short set was a surprise to many (although it said it on the website) and it particularly annoys the hell out of the guy sitting next to me, who even goes to complain to the Barbican management after ("At least musicals start on time!" he amusingly if completely unfairly moans).
Those expecting a quiet night of Emmylou Harris softly strumming her guitar while singing country ballads obviously haven't read the show's description: "Emmylou Harris Performing Wrecking Ball" and anyone who has heard this brilliant album knows, it's anything but quiet. That's why the reaction to Lanois' performance is bizarre to say the least, as he is all over Wrecking Ball, in its sound, songs and spirit. He wasn't just a producer on that album but it was a true collaboration with Harris and a truly successful crossover album that brought Emmylou's sound into new exciting territories while baffling the strait-laced country community at the same time. Now, 19 years on, it's rightly considered a classic.
Those expecting a quiet night of Emmylou Harris softly strumming her guitar while singing country ballads obviously haven't read the show's description: "Emmylou Harris Performing Wrecking Ball" and anyone who has heard this brilliant album knows, it's anything but quiet. That's why the reaction to Lanois' performance is bizarre to say the least, as he is all over Wrecking Ball, in its sound, songs and spirit. He wasn't just a producer on that album but it was a true collaboration with Harris and a truly successful crossover album that brought Emmylou's sound into new exciting territories while baffling the strait-laced country community at the same time. Now, 19 years on, it's rightly considered a classic.
Lanois' own songs aren't a million miles away from the sound and material on Wrecking Ball. Yes, it's rock music, but rock inspired by folk and country and cajun music. He starts his set with a long, feedback infused instrumental on the pedal steel and eventually makes his way to guitar as drummer Steven Nistor and bassist Jim Wilson join him for a few louder rock songs with cool wailing, Neil Young-esque guitar solos. The best part of his set though was two folky numbers sung in French inspired by his childhood in Canada. "We're the triangle that stands behind Emmylou," he explains during their set, as she "is backstage doing her singing exercises and... drinking whiskey". How anyone thinks it's loud though or worthy of complaint is beyond me, I didn't even need my well-worn set of earplugs and it all sets things up nicely for Emmylou's performance.
Emmylou of course looks as radiant as ever as she almost dances onstage a little while later, wearing a simple but still glamorous outfit of black sleeveless dress, waterfall waistcoat and red cowboy boots. At 67 years old she has the energy and looks of someone much younger and with her crown of white hair looks almost mystical, like some kind of grand priestess from a fantasy novel. "We're just going to play the album straight through" she tells us and they proceed to do just that. Where Will I Be? sounds breathlessly gorgeous: the Steve Earle-penned ballad Goodbye sounds more heartbreaking than ever and Neil Young's Wrecking Ball is feedback-filled, atmospheric and hauntingly beautiful. It's a wonderful thing to hear these songs live in a large echoing hall, as they are meant to be heard.
Harris recalls that many people, when they first heard the record, thought she had been abducted by aliens, the sound was so different for her: "I'd actually been kidnapped by a French Canadian!" The influence of Lanois is never more apparent than on the shimmering ambiance of their cover of Jimi Hendrix's May This Be Love.
There's plenty of country on the record too though, Lucinda Williams' Sweet Old World and Gillian Welch's Orphan Girl could have been on many subsequent Emmylou records and tonight sound glorious in their spirit and harmonies. By the time they get to Waltz Across Texas Tonight, which is the last song on the album and one she wrote with another beloved collaborator, Rodney Crowell (who I saw her with last year), it's clear that, despite a widening of her sound and influence, Wrecking Ball was every bit an Emmylou Harris record and still sounds glorious nearly 20 years on.
There's plenty of country on the record too though, Lucinda Williams' Sweet Old World and Gillian Welch's Orphan Girl could have been on many subsequent Emmylou records and tonight sound glorious in their spirit and harmonies. By the time they get to Waltz Across Texas Tonight, which is the last song on the album and one she wrote with another beloved collaborator, Rodney Crowell (who I saw her with last year), it's clear that, despite a widening of her sound and influence, Wrecking Ball was every bit an Emmylou Harris record and still sounds glorious nearly 20 years on.
She also pays tribute to Lanois himself with two covers of his songs from the 1989 album Acadie, which she tells us is one of the reasons she wanted to work with him on Wrecking Ball, firstly the lovely Still Water (which is on the second disc of the recent Deluxe Edition) and another called The Maker, and both sound like they could have fitted on the album beautifully.
For the encore she reverts to her back catalogue, first bringing out one of her greatest self-penned songs, written for her great friend Gram Parsons, Boulder To Birmingham and then, although a old live favourite, maybe the highlight of the night comes in the form of the Townes Van Zandt song Pancho And Lefty. There's also a lovely, almost a cappella ("I need a few strums of my guitar") performance of Calling My Children Home, with Lanois, Wilson and Nistor joining her at her microphone for some truly luscious harmonies. There's no doubt Harris is one of the best harmony vocalists to every grace a stage or a record, for that matter.
For the encore she reverts to her back catalogue, first bringing out one of her greatest self-penned songs, written for her great friend Gram Parsons, Boulder To Birmingham and then, although a old live favourite, maybe the highlight of the night comes in the form of the Townes Van Zandt song Pancho And Lefty. There's also a lovely, almost a cappella ("I need a few strums of my guitar") performance of Calling My Children Home, with Lanois, Wilson and Nistor joining her at her microphone for some truly luscious harmonies. There's no doubt Harris is one of the best harmony vocalists to every grace a stage or a record, for that matter.
Not surprisingly, the audience demands a second encore and Harris and Lanois return to pay tribute to the recently departed singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester, which is a lovely and fitting ending to a wonderful night.
Those complaining audience members at the start certainly had nothing to complain about at the end: it's the fourth time I've seen Emmylou now and she never fails to win my heart and everyone else's.
Those complaining audience members at the start certainly had nothing to complain about at the end: it's the fourth time I've seen Emmylou now and she never fails to win my heart and everyone else's.
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