Joan Baez delivered a show that was brave, affirming, and moving at Oxford’s New Theatre.

Baez is a disciplined entertainer with over 50 years in the business and the show was tight. Unlike some, she has an amazing ability to bond with her audience. She was commanding, friendly and funny, coming across as somebody who has been through it all and survived, charm and dignity intact.

Baez is a lifelong political activist, honoured by Amnesty International for her work on human rights. The audience loved overtly political songs like With God on our Side and Joe Hill but her core values were reflected in all the material.

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down was a favourite and Mary Magdalen took a modern woman’s view of that famous relationship. Diamonds and Rust – her very elegant song about her complex relationship with Bob Dylan – was powerful and upsetting, reflecting her acceptance of time passing. Four Dylan songs were highlights of the set.

She sang some songs solo, with Dirk Powell on banjo, mandolin and accordion, and her son Gabriel Harris on percussion provided subtle support on others.

At one point, she referred wryly to the purity and power of her voice as a young woman, that “little soprano – well, maybe not so little”. At 71, her voice is impressive. Dylan has described it as “a voice that drove out bad spirits.” ROBERT LAYARD