The packed house at the Newton Theatre in Newton, NJ, this Thursday, June 13, 2019 evening is getting ready for a concert of folk-rock music from legendary singer/songwriter Judy Collins.
As we wait for the show to begin, we converse with Kirsten from Newton who comments, “I used to listen to Judy Collins back in the ’70s. This is my third time seeing her — her music makes me feel young again!”
Sue from Andover agrees adding, “And it’s great to see her here at the Newton Theatre. It’s a small venue, and whenever we come, we try to get the same seats every time — it’s really the perfect place to enjoy a concert, especially when it’s music from our youth.”
Comments Linda from Randolph, “Last year, we saw Judy Collins at Bergen PAC with Stephen Stills and it was such a wonderful show, we wanted to see her again all by herself. Her voice still sounds as amazing as ever.”
Robin from Hopatcong agrees adding, “We really loved hearing her last year — we’re Judy Collins fans from way way back.”
Lastly, we chat Lorraine from Sparta who remarks, “I’ve always loved ‘Both Sides Now,’ and we really like this theater — it’s such a perfect venue for seeing shows — so we’re here tonight to see Judy Collins for the very first time.”
The lights dim and the audience happily applauds when tonight’s off-stage emcee and audio engineer George Williamson makes an announcement stating that tonight’s concert “will be a smartphone-free event.”
At this point, Judy Collins enters through the audience from the back of the auditorium and is escorted up the stairs and onto the Newton Theatre stage.
The audience cheers as musical director and pianist Russell Walden begins to play the introduction to “Chelsea Morning.”
Grabbing her 12-string guitar, Collins — dressed in a lovely white pantsuit — accompanies her light and fluid voice, easily gliding up and down the scale as she sings, “I woke up, it was a Chelsea morning/And the first thing that I heard/Was a song outside my window,” while Walden deftly plays up and down the keyboard.
Following large applause, Collins, 80, smiles and bows to the applauding crowd before joking, “I just want you to know you’re looking at the American Idol of 1956.”
Here, she launches into her interpretation of The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood.” Her voice full and resonant in the soprano range, Collins accompanies herself on the 12-string guitar, making it shimmer. Walden joins in on piano and background vocals as the song builds its way through to the end where it inspires large applause from the crowd.
Collins charms the audience with a story of her musical debut with her musican father when, at the age of three-and-a half, she sang “the only song I knew for a concert which took place in July — ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas.’”
Interspersing stories with a cappella versions of traditional Irish songs, Collins invites the audience to sing along. Holding out a single note for what seems like minutes, the astonished crowd eagerly applauds for her and her outstanding breath control.
Her voice clear and true, she performs “Born to the Breed,” a poignant story-song about a 16-year-old boy who sets out on the road to become a professional musician. Her soprano floats high and sweetly over the audience as Collins croons, “The life of a guitar man/Is a hard life to live/What can I tell you/You were born to the breed.”
After introducing Walden to the audience, Collins tunes her 12-string while telling stories about her life as a singer/songwriter in the 1960s before joking, “Those of us who are still above the ground are still on the road.
Here, she launches into a rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Cactus Tree.” Strumming her guitar like a harp, Collins sings about a woman who’s “so busy being free” on this classic folk-rock story-song.
Walden sings harmony as the song moves forward on Collins’ beautiful and pure intepretation.
After reminding the audience that she just recently finished a 120-city tour with Stephen Stills, Collins acknowledges, “Stephen Stills admitted on stage that he wrote this song about me.” Here, she launches into “Helplessly Hoping.” Her voice clear and strong, she performs a spirited folk version of the composition with grace and charm, her light soprano deftly handling the lovely descant on this Crosby, Stills, and Nash staple.
A highlight of tonight’s program is Collins’ performance of “Dreamers.” Her voice gentle, yet haunting, she sings this song of a mother’s fear of her daughter’s deportation with no instrumental accompaniment.
Crooning, “My name it is Maria/My daughter is a dreamer/She says that she is worried that she will have to leave,” Collins’ performance is both poignant and beautiful. As she sings, her vocal artistry shines a light on the plight of dreamers today and brings tears to the eyes of many audience members who readily applaud for her moving performance.
Russell Walden plays hand-over-hand on the piano as Collins strums and sings Jimmy Webb’s “Highwayman,” the arrangement continuing to build as Walden adds vocal harmonies and a cascading piano part.
Moving on to a number from her recent recording with Stephen Stills, Everybody Knows, Collins performs a song she recently wrote about the environment. Entitled “River of Gold,” Collins sings, “They’ve taken all the magic from the meadows/They plowed them up and threw away the green” on this number which also features impressive piano playing by Walden on the musical interlude and Collins’ soaring voice on the coda.
Telling the story of a daughter’s dreams, Collins and Walden follow up with “My Father.” As they perform, Walden’s arpeggiated piano accompaniment contrasts with the beautiful line of Collins’ vocal which is sung with emotion and grace.
Segueing into “Sons Of,” Collins strums her guitar as she sings, “Sons of the great or sons unknown/All were children like your own.” On this arrangement, Walden’s piano part sounds like a carousel and Collins hits every note spot on, her pure vocal sound floating out over the crowd before inspiring avid audience cheers and applause.
During intermission, we take a moment to chat with several audience members who share their opinions about tonight’s performance thus far.
Exclaims Pete from Lebanon, “Judy Collins is just amazing! I saw her eight or nine years ago, but that was a completely different concert than the one she’s putting on right here tonight.”
Marc from Byram Township agrees adding, “I’m old enough to admire her and remember her. Her music brings back so many memories. She really is one remarkable performer.”
We also chat with Ruth, a mom from Sparta, and her adult son. Relates Ruth, “I love this concert. I came for Judy — she’s always a draw — I’ve seen her four or five times already, and I didn’t want to miss her here tonight.”
Notes son Mark, “I know a lot of Judy Collins’ music from my mom playing cassette tapes in the car as I was growing up. I really love a lot of music from the ’60s and ’70s,” before explaining, “This is my second time seeing Judy Collins — it’s good to be able to share this music with my mom.”
The lights dim and Act II begins.
After thanking the audience for being here tonight, Collins sits at the grand piano and talks about her journey as a songwriter. At this point, she launches into her very first song— “Since You’ve Asked.” On this beautiful composition, Collins sings “What I’ll give you since you’ve asked/Is all my time together/Take the rugged sunny days/The warm and rocky weather,” her rich and full piano playing accompanying the tune’s sweetly flowing melody.
Collins tells the story about how, at the age of 11, her family moved from Washington to Colorado, where she grew up. After announcing, “Sometimes from a plane you can see the Grand Canyon as you fly over it,” she performs “Grand Canyon.” Her expert piano playing accompanies her voice which paints pictures through the poetry of this lovely composition, the legato vocal line and rhythmic piano playing impressing the Newton Theatre crowd.
At home at the piano, Collins sings another song which reveals her personal history entitled “Girl from Colorado.” With its rolling piano and legato vocal line, Collins holds out the final notes so the audience can truly appreciate her focused breath control and pure vocal tone.
Talking as she plays, Collins tells a story about how, in the 1960s, she was confined to a hospital room in Arizona where, out the window, she could see the mountains and sunsets that kept her company during her recovery. Recalling those days in her song “Arizona,” her fingers fly and her voice soars as her lyrics evoke powerful images of the West.
Following avid applause, Russell Walden returns and the pair performs another highlight of tonight’s show — a live rendition of Collins’ 1968 Top Ten hit, “Both Sides Now.” Standing center stage at the microphone with her 12-string guitar, Collins breathes new life into the song by singing around the melody on the famous “I’ve looked at life from both sides now” lyric.
Recognizing a true artist, the audience stands and cheers as Collins bows and blows kisses before leaving the audience wanting more.
Following hoots and hollers, Collins returns to the stage where she thanks Walden — along with her emcee and engineer George Williamson — before thanking the audience for coming.
A third highlight of the concert ensues when Collins performs a brilliant rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns,” a Top 100 hit for Collins both in 1975 and again in 1977. Walden begins by playing the song’s melody a single note at a time. Sitting on a stool center stage, drinking in the spotlight, Collins’ face conveys the sentiment of the lyric as she croons “Where are the clowns? There ought to be clowns” while Walden expertly accompanies her on the piano.
The audience stands and cheers for Judy Collins as she waves and exits the stage through the crowd.
As audience members make their way out of the auditorium, we take a moment to chat with several in the crowd including Melissa from Middletown, CT who recalls, “I grew up listening to Judy Collins with my mom — I used to sing along with her recordings.” Acknowledging, “This concert was a birthday present from my mom; we came all the way here from Connecticut,” Melissa asserts, “It was well worth it — her tone and breath control are amazing.”
Dan from Vernon remarks, “It was an amazing show — Judy Collins hit every note perfectly.” Stating, “I knew she’d be good, but I didn’t expect her to be this good,” Dan confesses, “When she held out the long note at the end of that Irish folk song, the hair on the back of my neck stood up!”
Brett from Stanhope agrees adding, “Judy Collins was just fantastic! The music was so clear and she sounded so fresh. To hear a show so stripped down — just voice, piano, and guitar — was really amazing,” before commenting, “And she looks great, too!”
Exclaims Joanne from Branchville, “I loved Judy Collins tonight; she sounded great! It was a wonderful concert — especially the last two songs; they were my favorites,” acknowledging, “And there’s really no place I’d rather listen to music than right here at the Newton Theatre.”
Lastly, we chat with Jeff from Branchville who recalls, “We last saw Judy Collins about 25 years ago, but her voice is better and even more pure now than it was back then. With just a piano and a guitar, her vocals were really exposed, and she did such a beautiful job,” before concluding, “She was totally spot-on!”
To learn more about Judy Collins, please go to judycollins.com. For further information about upcoming concerts at The Newton Theatre — including Aimee Mann on July 14, Robert Earl Keen on August 17, Jonny Lang on September 17, John Hiatt on November 9, and Don McLean on November 22 — please click on thenewtontheatre.com.
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