Judy Collins
The Queen’s Hall
Judy Collins is a legend in folk music circles. She is 80 years old and her songs and her stories are the history of the music. As she says "I've been doing this for 60 years!" Of course there is always a worry about going to hear singers towards the end of their careers. Will she be as good as that brilliant singer I heard back in the 1960s? Well of course she wasn't, but the voice was remarkably good for her age, very much on the note in the lower register but a little wobbly at the top end. I reviewed Joan Baez's farewell concert at the Usher Hall a couple of years ago when she was 77, her pure soprano voice had gone but she still had a good mezzo voice and the power and commitment were still there. Judy Collins clearly wants to keep her high notes, and she can get up there, but the voice is often wobbly when she does.
Judy came onto the stage with her pianist and occasional vocalist Russell Walden, in a sparkly top and looking very good for her years. She began with Maid of Constant Sorrow and then Chelsea Morning, one of her favourites. The truth is early on the voice wasn't too secure and wobbled quite a lot, particularly at the top end. But as the voice warmed up it got better and was much better in the second half. As well as the songs we got the story of Judy's fascinating life, including her tough times fighting tuberculosis and alcoholism, and also the many fascinating people she met along the way, including John Denver, Bob Dylan and Steven Stills. She also reprised many of her best songs and those of many of her friends like Joni Mitchell's Chelsea Morning and of course Leonard Cohen's Suzanne, which she duetted with Cohen and helped to promote him. This is probably the last time we will see Judy in Britain though she is continuing to tour in the US. It was worthwhile going to see her: she wasn't as good as in her youth but still worth hearing. She is, as I said, a legend. Certainly the big audience loved her and after singing along with her on Amazing Grace we gave her a standing ovation.
