I never “go out” — only if I am highly motivated. But when I heard that Three Girls and Their Buddy (Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin and Buddy Miller) were coming to The State Theatre in Ithaca on Feb. 9, 2009, I bought a ticket — a good one.

Playing in the round, Emmylou started with a Bob Dylan song. Patty opened with a Bessie Smith number. Buddy came out strong with a signature dark twang-rock original and Shawn also started with a cover. We were lucky to see Buddy at all. As it turned out he flew in from LA that morning after performing at the Grammy’s the night before in Robert Plant and Alison Krauss‘ band.

Practically everyone I know over the age of 30 was there in the sold out hall and it was a grown-up party atmosphere. I was pretty much mesmerized for the entire 2 hours. As the show progressed Shawn’s and Patty’s performances grew stronger. Unfortunately it wasn’t Emmylou’s best night. But I’m not complaining. I understand you can’t have a great night every time out.

The highlight for me was Shawn’s low-pitched cover of  Tom Waits’ Hold On, which she said she had not performed before. I loved hearing her own Wichita Skyline, and Patty’s new song near the end of the show. I didn’t catch the title.

As a member of the church of songwriting I am happiest when I worship in the company of great writers. It was a fine night for me and well worth the small effort of “going out.”

Here’s a video someone made from the balcony.