Concert Review: Joan Baez - Tacoma, WA - November 18, 2006

What a wonderful concert! We saw Joan Baez at the ~1100-seat Pantages theater in Tacoma, WA. We had great seats, 4th row just to the left. She was accompanied by a bass player and a fellow who played dobro, guitar, mandolin, lap steel and a few other instruments. This was the first time I have had the pleasure of seeing her in concert and I hope it isn't the last. It is the first time I can remember an audience member yelling out a request and then a singer doing that song -- on the spot (Freedom Now).

She told stories and jokes and even recited a recent poem she wrote: Rumpty Dumpty sat on a fall, Rumpty Dumpty had a great fall. She had several comments on the recent elections but that we now have a lot of work to do. All in all she played for nearly 2 hours, and did two encores - although it seemed only one was planned.

I didn't make a set list as we went a long so these songs are from memory and I may be missing some but among those she sang (and I am listing my favorites first):


Scarlet Tide (very nice rendition, although of course not as wonderful as the Emmylou/Elvis Costello version), very nicely received by the audience most of whom I doubt was familiar with the song
Christmastime in Washington
Jerusalem
Carrickfergus
Joe Hill
Deportee
Long Black Veil
Jesse
Diamonds and Rust (second encore)
There But for Fortune
Freedom Now
Sing Me Back Home (told a story about Merle Haggard and how she was wondering about his politics and upon finding he couldn't stand G Bush Sr, said she thought he was a Reagan man, discoverd he said, "that's because he pardoned me"
Caleb Meyer (very nice version of the Gillian Welch song)
Sweet Sir Galahad (told the story of writing this for her sister)
With God on our Side
Wildwood Flower
Lily of the West
Neighbors - a "ditty" she called it written by the aforementioned dobro, etc player in her band
Coconuts - a rather humorous tune