SWEET JUDY BLUE EYES STILL
EMBODIES HOPE AND RESISTANCE
In these tumultuous times when many people believe the constitution is being shredded and the world order overturned, town halls have become the centers of discourse and defiance. So it is entirely fitting that Judy Collins, a messenger of hope and resistance, would celebrate her 85th birthday at New York City’s Town Hall on March 8 with Judy Collins: 85 Years of Music & Protest. March 8, not coincidentally, was also International Women’s Day. What better way to celebrate this day than with a concert by one of the world’s most iconic women activists and artists.
Judy Collins
Sophie B. Hawkins and Judy Collins
The show featured Sophie B. Hawkins as host and a roster of musical heavyweights that was truly remarkable. But the main attraction was clearly Collins, who first appeared, white-haired and spritely, in a sparkling purple dress and guitar in hand. Her dresses became more elegant as the evening wore on, and her voice, only a bit touched by age, never faltered.
Oakland Rain
Rickie Lee Jones
Sprinkled among the songs, Collins recounted major moments of her life. At 13 she played piano with the Denver Symphony Orchestra. At 16 she first heard Jo Stafford sing “Barbara Allen” from her Songs of Scotland album. In 1961 she came to New York City and hung out with Peter, Paul and Mary and Pete Seger. In 1962 she opened for Theodore Bikel at Carnegie Hall.
Judy Collins and Stephen Schwartz
Many of the songs Collins sang aroused strong emotions in her adoring audience: “Masters of War” and, with Richard Thompson, “Who Knows Where the Time Goes.” No doubt many were wondering where they were and what they were doing when they first heard the songs.
Justin Vivian Bond
Other songs her guests sang played tribute to Collins. Oakland Rain sang Collins’s “When I Was a Girl in Colorado.” Martha Redbone sang Collins’s “Dreamers,” a song about a mother and daughter, immigrants facing deportation, written during Trump’s first presidency. Rickie Lee Jones’s interpretation of “Mr. Tambourine Man” was a revelation. And Justin Vivian Bond wowed the audience with their extraordinary rendition of “Marat/Sade,” a song on Collins’s fifth studio album, In My Life.
Molly Jong-Fast
Martha Redbone
Collins was instrumental in the careers of many other singers, including Joni Mitchell, whom she first heard by telephone when Al Kooper called Collins at three in the morning to tell her about his discovery. Collins’ rendition of “Both Sides Now” brought the audience to their feet.
Paula Cole
Sophie B. Hawkins
Collins also championed Leonard Cohen, especially when he came to her with “Suzanne.” That song also appeared on In My Life and launched Cohen’s career as a songwriter. But at Town Hall, Collins sang another classic, “Bird on a Wire,” which she recorded on her 1968 album, Who Knows Where the Time Goes.
Judy Collins and Richard Thompson
Judy Collins and Stephen Stills
For an 85-year-old who has struggled with alcoholism, Collins has a remarkably strong voice. And any wobbling on the high notes was counterbalanced by the richness of her lower notes. By the time the show ended with the entire cast, including Stephen Sills, singing one of Crosby, Stills & Nash’s most beloved songs, “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” I was hoping she would go on forever.
Judy Collins
photos by Sachyn Mital
Judy Collins: 85 Years of Music & Protest
Town Hall, 123 West 43 Street
played on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at 8pm
