Emmylou Harris brought her European Farewell Tour to Dublin’s 3Arena on January 18, 2026, delivering a graceful, generous performance to a packed, seated crowd that clearly understood the significance of the night. There was a palpable sense of appreciation in the room, not just for the songs, but for the career behind them.
Harris, elegant and understated as ever, led her band through an expansive 23-song set that leaned heavily on her long-standing love of reinterpretation. While only eight of the songs were her own, the carefully curated selection of covers felt less like borrowed material and more like a tribute to the wider Americana canon that she has helped preserve and elevate for decades.
Highlights from her own catalogue included the reflective ‘Red Dirt Girl‘, the hauntingly beautiful ‘Bright Morning Stars‘, and the soulful ‘Tulsa Queen‘, each delivered with the quiet authority of an artist who no longer needs to prove anything. Her voice remains expressive and emotionally precise, carrying a warmth that resonated throughout the arena.
The covers were where the set truly stretched its wings. Gillian Welch’s ‘Orphan Girl‘ was met with reverent silence, while Johnny Cash’s ‘Help Him, Jesus‘ brought a gospel hush over the audience. A standout moment came with ‘All the Roadrunning‘ by Mark Knopfler, which showcased Harris’s enduring ability to inhabit another songwriter’s work while making it unmistakably her own.
The evening closed on a high with Chuck Berry’s ‘You Never Can Tell‘, sending the crowd home smiling. As farewell tours go, this felt less like a goodbye and more like a heartfelt thank you from an artist whose influence will long outlast her final bow.
Emmylou Harris photos & set-list:
Set-list:
My Songbird (Jesse Winchester)
Orphan Girl (Gillian Welch)
Two More Bottles of Wine (Delbert McClinton)
Sweet Dreams (Don Gibson)
Red Dirt Girl
Gulf Coast Highway (Nanci Griffith)
Green Pastures (Ralph Stanley)
Get Up John (Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys)
Help Him, Jesus (Johnny Cash)
Born to Run
The Road
Bright Morning Stars
Goodbye (Steve Earle)
One of These Days (George Jones)
Tulsa Queen
All the Roadrunning (Mark Knopfler)
Michelangelo
Wheels (The Flying Burrito Brothers)
Luxury Liner (The International Submarine Band)
Boulder to Birmingham
Rose of Cimarron (Poco)
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Pancho & Lefty (Townes Van Zandt)
You Never Can Tell (Chuck Berry)
Photos & words – Ian Mc Donnell @mcgigmusic