Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and More Honor Joan Baez with Retrospective Concert in San Francisco

On Saturday, Feb. 8, an elite lineup of artists turned up at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco for the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund’s celebration of folk icon Joan Baez. The occasion featured homages to the singer/ activist, including guests and admirers Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, Margo Price, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Morello, Joe Henry, Lucinda Williams, Taj Mahal, and surprise addition Jackson Browne, the honoree’s longtime friend. 

The concert harkened back to Baez’s historic career and web of influence, culminating in associated covers and originals that permeated from her supporters and peers, supported by a house band led by Joe Henry and featuring Jason Crosby, Greg Leisz, Gabe Harris, and David Piltch. 

The show featured 27 songs that began at the helm of Margo Price, who offered the folk ballad/ Baez covered “Silver Dagger,” followed by Dylan’s “Time They Are a-Changin’,” a song the honoree often performed as a duet with her then-boyfriend in the mid-60s. 

In time, Harris took the stage and led the house band through Baez’s 2008 Steve Earle-produced track, “God is God,” before all the ladies on the bill, including Roseanne Cash, Lucinda Williams, Bonnie Raitt, Price, and others, gave wings to “Birmingham Sunday.” Williams stuck around and offered a song that spoke to Baez’s spirit on “Forever Young” and “Joe Hill,” Baez’s Woodstock performed folk commentary on the labor activist.

Ramblin’ Jack Elliott’s arrival yielded a nod to his Greenwich days with Dylan and Baez. The 93-year-old sang “Don’t Think Twice” before another leading lady, Cash, took the stage and played “Long Black Veil” and “Farewell, Angelina.” Henry, Harris, and Price performed the aptly chosen “Deportees,” considering the current political climate. 

Browne surprised his old friend, Baez, by playing his “Barricades of Heaven” before Baez’s son, Gabriel Harris, performed a hand pan medley. Fellow surprise guests, The Glide Ensemble, played through “Oh Freedom” and “Feel Your Spirit.” Henry took the stage and joined Glide on the folk song “The Water is Wide” before Henry and the ladies played through “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” 

Taj Mahal and Bonnie Raitt teamed up on “Twelve Gates” and “(Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody) Turn Me Around.” Raitt saluted her sister in music during the Speaking of Dreams feature, “El Salvador,” ahead of the honoree’s delivery of her Top 40 hit, “Diamonds & Rust.” Everyone took the stage, joining Baez for the final song, with a fitting choice from her repertoire: “Gracias a la Vida.”

Following the event, Aric Steinberg, Executive Director at Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, remarked: “We’re thrilled to celebrate 30 years of Sweet Relief while honoring the great Joan Baez and her amazing career. Joan has supported our charity for many years, and it was a privilege to honor her alongside so many incredible artists. It was  a night to remember and I’m so grateful to Joan and all of the performers who will help ensure that our music community continues to have Sweet Relief as a resource for emergency financial assistance.”

Sweet Relief Musicians Fund “Provides services and financial assistance for career musicians and music industry professionals. Grants are earmarked for medical and vital living expenses, including insurance premiums, prescriptions, medical treatment and operative procedures, housing costs, food costs, utilities, and other basic necessities.”