Emmylou Harris at the Paramount, 02-23-2026

Emmylou Harris, Verlon Thompson and Shawn Camp

The Paramount didn't really do much to push the fact Emmylou Harris was coming to Austin when tickets went on sale - because they didn't have to.  The show sold out pretty quickly as near as I can tell.

Some shows you know are going to just stick with you forever, and I knew from the minute this got underway - yes, this would be one of those sets.  With zero ceremony, Emmylou wandered out onto the stage like a stage manager and informed us "I know you didn't know this, but tonight we're doing a tribute to Guy Clark".  With the crowd that showed up - a bunch of old Austin music nerds - that was like saying "everyone here is getting a $100 bill and a bag of candy".  No complaints were lodged.

Of course I'd noted that the stage was set for just three chairs and no percussion when we took our seats (I attended with pal CB).  The other two on stage were accomplished musicians in their own right and collaborators of the late, great Guy Clark, Verlon Thompson and Shawn Camp.  

For the next two hours, it was more like watching old friends, very unrehearsed, make their way through a list of songs they liked.  Sure, it mattered that there was an appreciative audience, but it was more like watching musicians hang out, play and swap stories.   And sometimes those stories and the telling of them was the forefront of the show.  

The show was oddly... casual?  You can see Harris's lyrics sheets and notes scattered across the floor.  They goofed up here and there, gave an "aw, shucks" to the crowd and carried on.  They even stopped mid-song to make a comment or three.   Harris clearly wanted a chance to just play with friends, and the lack of pretense about the whole thing was kind of stunning.

But because it was attended by the folks who used to go to the Cactus Cafe and know a little something about what they're lucky enough to see, the crowd was not reserved, but respectfully quiet - a bit like attending a show in a listening room.

The set list was about 80% from the Guy Clark catalog and then some by Townes Van Zandt (Pancho and Lefty and If I Needed You).  Camp played an original, Sis Draper, which went over like gangbusters (I'll be picking up that album).  And I know they got in a Steve Earle song.

Like anyone who grew up here and has lived in Austin, I was aware of Guy Clark and roughly familiar with his work.  But was surprised I knew more of his work than I figured when Harris announced what was happening.    

There was a melancholy to parts of the show. Musicians they knew and discussed, like Clark, John Prine, Nanci Griffith and Townes Van Zandt have passed.   It was a tribute to a musician, and a bit of a memorial to a friend to the three on stage.  But Clark was someone Harris spent holidays with, and the other two knew up-close-and-personal from touring.  And, man, did the singers and songwriters of this brand of country seem to know each other, travelling in packs in the 70's and 80's.  

We're entering the last years in which Harris will tour at all - I think she's advertised her European dates as a farewell tour.  While still just as beautiful and just as powerful a singer and performer, she's 78 with more than five decades at the microphone.  She deserves to just do whatever works for her  - including showing up to play mostly Guy Clark songs.    

It was a privilege to be in the audience tonight.  A truly great show.

When and if someone fills in the setlist, it'll likely be here.