Joan Baez at age 74 hit the stage of The Cairns Convention Centre with all the joy and vigour of a woman half her age, dressed in jeans, flannel shirt and a pair of bright red shoes she was clearly happy to be on stage and singing for her fans.
Starting out the show with a series of songs performed solo, Baez’s simple sounding fingerpicking of the acoustic guitar and sublime voice filled the auditorium and set the stage for what would be an outstanding performance.
Playing a mix of her classic songs, covers and new compositions Baez entranced the crowd with her voice and her backing band providing very subtle accompaniment on various songs thrughout.
Stand outs for the evening were “Diamonds and Rust” which offers a glimpse of her complex relationship with Bob Dylan, A fantastic cover of Steve Earle’s “God is God”, a spoken word performance accompanied by didgeridoo of Shane Howard’s (Goanna) classic “Solid Rock”.
Baez also offered a glimpse of the direction of the album she is currently working on with a performance of “Galway to Graceland”.
Baez is a true legend of American popular music and whilst she is of a time and a particular generation her performance and her songs are timeless, speaking of the human condition and her voice as beautiful and rich as her recordings from 50 years ago.
It was a magical night of song and poetry for all who attended.
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