By Sally Pollak | Free Press Staff Writer
Posted Sunday August 22, 11:38 p.m.
SHELBURNE -- A summer concert series that was marred by lousy weather came to a glorious conclusion -- both meteorological and musical -- on Sunday evening at Shelburne Museum.
The last of four concerts on the green, held on a perfect late-summer night, featured an all-star country cast that billed itself as the Sweet Harmony Traveling Revue. And sweet it was.
The lineup was led by the incomparable Emmylou Harris, with her guitar-playing partner, Buddy Miller. It showcased the Nashville-based duo, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, and singer-songerwriter Patty Griffin.
The music ranged from a lullaby (suitable for the crowd, which included many babies and young children) to howling electric guitar.
As a bright blue sky faded to black, Harris led a warmhearted hootennany in which the singers took turns on lead and traded harmonies. The five singers opened the show together with "Hello Stranger" and closed it with Gram Parsons' "In My Hour of Darkness," from his album with Harris of three decades ago, "Grievous Angel."
In between, each musician played a short set, enlisting the others on occasion to embellish the songs with harmony vocals. This arrangement ensured musical variety and generosity -- as the players seemed to take genuine delight in singing and playing with one another.
"This is a really fun tour," Griffin said, "because really, really cool backup singers keep popping up."
Early in the show, when Miller took over from Harris, he promised that "it's gonna be not so pretty for just a minute or two." And Harris's elegiac songs gave way to raucous rock.
Concert highlights included Harris's "Bang The Drum Slowly;" the solo by Rawlings on his and Welch's song, "Time (The Revelator);" Miller leading a rocking version of "You Can't Judge A Book" (with Welch on bass guitar); and Griffin's "Flaming Red."
After Griffin's soulful set, the ensemble reconvened for several songs to end the concert. Together, they played an inspired version of "The Weight," their combined talents pushing one another to great musical heights.