Highways Festival Day 3 Review
Country music is often defined by the stomp of cowboy boots, the clinking of plastic beer cups, and the roar of a crowd singing along to radio anthems (and, let's face it, some background chatter through a support act!). We saw plenty of that high-octane energy over the weekend at Highways. But on Sunday night, the festival traded the party for something much rarer: genuine, unfiltered reverence. This was the night when Jim Lauderdale and Emmylou Harris brought the true heart of Americana to the Royal Albert Hall.
Opening the evening was Jim Lauderdale, looking sharp in an impeccably tailored rhinestone suit. "Mr. Americana" took to the stage with nothing but his acoustic guitar for his thirty-minute opening set. He treated the legendary stage like his own living room, soaking up every single moment of a performance that is bound to be a core memory for him. As he shared stories and made sure the names of his late friends who never got to grace the Albert Hall stage were echoed in the building, Lauderdale was treated with the same respect from the audience that they would later give to Emmylou—absolute silence. They were there to listen, and Jim made sure they were ready for what was to come.
As the headline set began, Jim returned to the stage to join Emmylou for her opening track: a breathtaking rendition of "Love Hurts," her iconic duet with Gram Parsons. It immediately set the tone for the evening. With only the odd phone sighting in sight, the crowd proved it is still entirely possible to go to a concert without needing to record every single song.
From there, Emmylou held the sold-out audience captive in the palm of her hand as they soaked in every moment of the legendary songstress’s Farewell Tour. For the rest of the night, you could not hear a pin drop throughout the hall. If the microphones had broken, it wouldn’t have made a difference; you still would’ve been able to hear every single word.
Emmylou and her stellar backing band, The Red Dirt Boys, went on to entertain the crowd with some of Nashville’s finest songs from an era long gone. While she gave fans a glimpse of her own solo masterpieces, including "Red Dirt Girl" and "Tulsa Queen," the night was truly an opportunity for her to share her favorite country tracks and legendary collaborations. The setlist ranged gracefully from her part in the concept album The Legend of Jesse James to songs by Nanci Griffith, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Townes Van Zandt, and George Jones. This truly felt like Emmylou’s final love letter to country music, and she made sure to include everyone who has inspired her on the journey of a lifetime.
Emmylou Harris first graced a London stage back in November 1975 at the New Victoria Theatre. While she will be returning to the UK for The Long Road festival in August, Sunday night was London's official time to say thanks for the memories to the Queen of Americana. This was the perfect ending to Highways Festival because it proved the event is prepared to bring every single strand of the country music spectrum to the capital. It didn't need a loud, flashing finale to close out the weekend. It just needed a legend, a guitar, and a room full of people willing to let country music be country music.
Opening the evening was Jim Lauderdale, looking sharp in an impeccably tailored rhinestone suit. "Mr. Americana" took to the stage with nothing but his acoustic guitar for his thirty-minute opening set. He treated the legendary stage like his own living room, soaking up every single moment of a performance that is bound to be a core memory for him. As he shared stories and made sure the names of his late friends who never got to grace the Albert Hall stage were echoed in the building, Lauderdale was treated with the same respect from the audience that they would later give to Emmylou—absolute silence. They were there to listen, and Jim made sure they were ready for what was to come.
As the headline set began, Jim returned to the stage to join Emmylou for her opening track: a breathtaking rendition of "Love Hurts," her iconic duet with Gram Parsons. It immediately set the tone for the evening. With only the odd phone sighting in sight, the crowd proved it is still entirely possible to go to a concert without needing to record every single song.
From there, Emmylou held the sold-out audience captive in the palm of her hand as they soaked in every moment of the legendary songstress’s Farewell Tour. For the rest of the night, you could not hear a pin drop throughout the hall. If the microphones had broken, it wouldn’t have made a difference; you still would’ve been able to hear every single word.
Emmylou and her stellar backing band, The Red Dirt Boys, went on to entertain the crowd with some of Nashville’s finest songs from an era long gone. While she gave fans a glimpse of her own solo masterpieces, including "Red Dirt Girl" and "Tulsa Queen," the night was truly an opportunity for her to share her favorite country tracks and legendary collaborations. The setlist ranged gracefully from her part in the concept album The Legend of Jesse James to songs by Nanci Griffith, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Townes Van Zandt, and George Jones. This truly felt like Emmylou’s final love letter to country music, and she made sure to include everyone who has inspired her on the journey of a lifetime.
Emmylou Harris first graced a London stage back in November 1975 at the New Victoria Theatre. While she will be returning to the UK for The Long Road festival in August, Sunday night was London's official time to say thanks for the memories to the Queen of Americana. This was the perfect ending to Highways Festival because it proved the event is prepared to bring every single strand of the country music spectrum to the capital. It didn't need a loud, flashing finale to close out the weekend. It just needed a legend, a guitar, and a room full of people willing to let country music be country music.