Review of concert from 2002-01-14: with Emmylou Harris, S Earle, N Griffith, J Prine; Dublin, Ireland, The Point Theatre: Landmine Free World
Irish Times, 2002-01-16
- Tony Clayton-Lea

 

Concert for a Landmine-Free World

The Point, Dublin 14/01/02

"Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Elvis Costello and John Prine, four of the music worlds most acclaimed and perceptive singer/songwriters/performers, gather together, shoulder to shoulder, in an attempt to raise funds for and raise awareness of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation's landmine charities.

Probably the most considered political concert to have taken place in Ireland for some time, there was a danger that proselytising would replace pace, that pontification would bar the way to entertainment and value for money.

Yet while the sympathies and intellect were equally engaged, so were the more base sensibilities. And then there was the seating arrangement: dapper John Prine sitting beside the regal Emmylou Harris; burly, hirsute truck driver-type Steve Earle sitting beside a skinhead Elvis Costello, all leather jacket and red brothel creepers. It was like ma and pa making sure their brats at the dinner table showed due regard for their elders and betters.

As Mistress of Ceremonies, Emmylou Harris held centre stage, but all the singers - occasionally unobtrusively accompanied by Nanci Griffith's keyboard player, James Hooker - took their turn; Costello offering passionate renditions of Shipbuilding, God's Comic and a new song Alibis; John Prine with The Other Side Of Town and Sam Stone, a smile and a frown never far apart; Steve Earle with a truculent burst of Galway Girl, and Emmylou Harris, her voice an international treasure, with a selection from Red Dirt Girl and the back pages of Gram Parsons.

Yet despite the best intentions and several highlights, the concert was grounded - not by the political context but by the format of one singer, one song at a time.

Fragmentary at best, it might have worked better if each singer had had his or her own half-hour set. With such stellar talent on display, it was certainly no damp squib, but indoor fireworks were not in evidence. Pleasant then, but not essential.

- Tony Clayton-Lea