Judy Collins
Sunday, August 24 • 7:30 p.m.
Few singers have the staying power of folk icon Judy Collins. She has released more than 40 albums and inspired millions with her voice. In the early ‘60s, Collins was drawn to the songs of social poets Tom Paxton and Bob Dylan, and her early albums In My Life and Wildflowers broke new ground in the contemporary song movement. Her first major single “Both Sides Now” earned her first of many Grammy nominations. Collins started her independent record label Wildflower Records in 1999, which donates a portion of its profits to charity.
For more information, visit http://www.judycollins.com
Dar Williams
 One of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of her generation, Dar Williams has been engaging audiences with her musical artistry since the early 1990s when she rose from the Northeast coffeehouse circuit to the national spotlight. Her music maintains a strong system of values, idealism and community activism. She returns to Britt after her remarkable performance opening for Shawn Colvin in 2006.
For more information, visit http://www.darwilliams.com
2.8/5 Stars (4 votes)
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Reviews:
It was a sheer delight to hear Dar Williams at the Britt again! Her lyrics are fresh and interesting; her melodies are beautiful and her stage presence made me feel like I was invited into her authentic life and thoughts about the ways of the world.
Though a Judy Collins fan since the late 60s, I was not inspired by her performance at the Britt. Her choice of songs (in the early part of the program) showed little imagination and her stories and name dropping left me feeling as if I’d wandered into a Vegas lounge show.
I’m grateful for the music she contributed to the folk scene, but did not stay to hear anything after Michael Row the Boat Ashore (fifth song). I thought Dar Williams was entertaining. Her songs were new and refreshing. I was totally disappointed with Judy Collins. Her rambling about the old days got very old quickly. My guess is the length of the intermission, which was MUCH too long was probably because she wasn’t ready as she didn’t appear ready when she came on stage. Her voice was good at times, but cracked and she had pitch problems often. The reverb she put on her mike was a horrible attempt to make her sound better. It actually backfired when she sang over it. Her choice of songs was poor. If I wanted to hear other singer/songwriter songs, I would have gone to concerts by them. I wanted to hear her songs. I think she needs to retire. It was sad to see her up there, not entertaining. Very very disappointing!!! I am disappointed to read the reviews of the other Britt patrons above, which appear almost vitriolic and overblown in their criticism of Ms. Collins.
Dar Williams indeed was excellent and provided a performance that was both heartfelt and genuine. Her voice is truly beautiful and her songs are wonderful illustrations of emotion.
Judy Collins is truly an American classic. I completely disagree with the patrons above. Ms. Collins told stories that richly illustrated her life experience-arguably the story of American music. She was doing anything but name-dropping my friends. Those experiences were part of her life and our greater musical history. I’m sorry the patron above left after song five. You unfortunately missed a beautiful song written by author Shel Silverstein (of Where the Sidewalk Ends fame)-perhaps one of the most haunting songs I have heard in some time. In addition, you missed a wonderful song written by Judy called Song for Sarajevo-beautiful.
To me, Judy’s voice is just as special as it has always been. While it may have changed a bit over the years, it remains her classic sound and has been enriched by her decades of experience. One cannot expect an artist with the experience of Ms. Collins to sound like she did in the 1970s. Sinatra, Joni Mitchell or even Mick Jagger all changed with the years, but each brings a wonderful richness of experience to their performance.
Judy is 69 years of age-can we not be just a little more respectful and appreciative to someone that has changed the face of American music? Can we not be grateful to her service to Unicef on behalf of our country? Can we not demonstrate our empathy for a woman that has been deeply affected by the suicide of her own son and transfigured that pain and suffering into thoughtful, insightful music?
I for one am proud to stand up and say I enjoyed the concert very much and hope to have the opportunity to hear Ms. Collins again. Thanks Britt! I agree that Judy gave a marvelous performance – her voice is still amazingly strong and lyrical. For a woman of 69 she gave a fine concert.
My only complaint is that she had to hurry off stage and gave no opportunity for a rousing closing number or an encore. I would rather have heard less of Dar and more of this great lady. It leaves me wondering if the performers are informed ahead of time that there is a definite stopping point for the concert so that they may plan accordingly since it seems like the same thing happened with the CSN concert. Login or sign up for Club Britt to post your review
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