Joan Baez walks the talk — and has been walking it for more than half a century. Photos by .
From many other celebrities, taking on political causes often seems trite and self-righteous, done only in an attempt to prove their own self-worth. But when does it, it feels genuine.
Baez’s prolific music career can’t be separated from her history of activism. From civil rights to Vietnam, Iraq to Iran, Baez has long been marching, and singing, for freedom. So, it came as no surprise when Baez talked about nonviolent protest in Iran during her Thursday show at
While her cause may have changed from Vietnam to Iran, and her fans from dazed hippies getting stoned in parks to gray-haired retirees drinking wine at the Botanic Gardens, it became clear when Baez took the stage that the message remains the same.
On the cloudless summer night, a skilled four-piece band that provided a soft, lilting and folksy sound accompanied Baez. But, as always, her warm and warbling vocals are the true star, transforming other musician’s songs into gentle originals.
Whether playing songs by the Band, Elvis Costello or Bob Dylan, Baez always brings a unique interpretation. She started off the evening explaining, “We have many decades to traverse tonight,” and held true to the promise. The graceful folk artist played her famous covers of “Farewell Angelina” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” as well as newer covers of Steve Earl. Baez also delighted the crowd with her originals, “A Heartfelt Line or Two” and “Diamonds & Rust,” which inspired one woman so much that she started to interpretive dance near the stage.
Peppered between the songs, Baez jovially bantered with the crowd, telling stories of meeting Odetta in a seedy Chicago nightclub at age 18 and finding hope in peaceful protests in Iran. At one point, during a bouncier version of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, Itap Alright,” Baez mocked her former love interestap gravelly croon, eliciting a bubble of laughter from the crowd (but, to tell the truth, my mom said she did the same thing at a show 25 years ago). Still, while her live show is obviously tried and true, it also still works.
One of the best moments of the night was Baez’s performance of “Love Song to a Stranger.” The lonely, gentle song washed over the flora and comfortable audience. Itap hard to find a better place in Denver to see a show than surrounded by the lush greenery of the Botanic Gardens on a warm night. And Joan Baez’s cozy, nostalgic performance was the perfect complement.
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Robin Edwards is a Denver-based freelancer and regular Reverb contributor who also edits music at the. Check out her band, Lust-Cats of the Gutters, .
is a Boulder-based photographer and a regular contributor to Reverb.
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