Review: Emmylou Harris helps kick off exciting new concert series in Napa

Music fans now have another great reason to visit Napa Valley.

It’s called the Blue Note Napa Summer Sessions and it’s set to bring more than two-dozen headliner acts to the lovely Meritage Resort in Napa over the next four months or so.

Legendary vocalist Emmylou Harris helped kick off the opening weekend of the series on Sunday (May 21), performing a winning 90-minute set of country/folk/Americana tunes in front of approximately 1,000 fans.

The weekend’s other two concerts were Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade (on Friday, May 19) and Dwight Yoakam (on Saturday, May 20).

It must have been a relief of sorts for the promoters — who also run the Blue Note Napa club in downtown as well as co-produce the Oxbow Riverstage shows — to see the acts actually take the stage, given that this series appeared to be in dire straits as little as three weeks ago.

The concerts were originally supposed to take place at the Silverado Resort, but then a permitting issue and neighbors’ opposition caused Blue Note to do a last-minute pivot and reach out to Meritage to see if a deal could be had to host the shows there.

Although things came together rather quickly, the production that fans witnessed over the weekend felt like anything but a rush job. Instead, fans were all smiles as they sipped wine and enjoyed an array of food items served onsite while enjoying live music in the open-air setting.

Harris kicked off her solid show with a double shot from her fifth studio outing — 1978’s “Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town” —  as she first delivered a lovely take on the Carlene Carter-Susanna Clark number “Easy From Now On” and then rambled through the upbeat Delbert McClinton number “Two More Bottles of Wine.”

Fans swayed in their seats on the resort’s big lawn area, enjoying the view of the stage and, further off in the distance, a postcard-worthy framing of the vineyards of Trinitas Cellars and the Napa’s iconic “Grape Crusher” statue.

The concert floor is surrounded on three sides by hotel rooms — 70 of which provide views of what’s happening onstage. Guests, some of whom didn’t even know there was going to be live music when they initially made their reservations, boogied on their balconies without ever having to worry about standing in lines for the bathroom or, really, even needing to get out of their bathrobes.

“What a beautiful night,” Harris said to the crowd. “So glad to here making music for you.”

Harris and her five-piece backing band sounded great as they continued through a series of brilliant covers, ranging from Townes Van Zandt’s mesmerizing “Poncho and Lefty” (a No. 1 country hit for Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson) to the Bill Monroe bluegrass rambler “Get Up John.”

Other highlights from the set included the title track to 2000’s “Red Dirt Girl” and “Born to Run” — no, not that “Born to Run,” but rather the one that can be found on Harris’ 1981 release, “Cimarron.”

Dwight Yoakam also impressed on Saturday with his headlining set, which featured “Streets of Bakersfield,” “You’re the One” and at least a dozen other reasons why he ranks among the best country artists of all time.

Les Claypool’s show on Friday included a complete performance of Pink Floyd’s 1977 masterwork, “Animals.”

Here’s the upcoming Blue Note Summer Sessions schedule. For more information, visit bluenotenapa.com.

Don McLean
June 2

Chris Botti
June 3 / Two Sets

Rufus Wainwright
June 4

Brian Culbertson’s Jazz Getaway
June 8-10
June 8: Eric Darius and The Whispers
June 9: Con Funk Shun and Brian Culbertson featuring Marcus Anderson, Marqueal Jordan, and Jammin Jay Lamont
June 10: Pieces of A Dream and Brian Culbertson featuring Noel Gourdine

Tower of Power
June 11

Festival De Verano
with La Santa Cecilia, Las Cafeteras and La Misa Negra
June 16

St. Paul & the Broken Bones
June 18

Jake Owen
June 25

An Evening With Judy Collins
July 7

Dave Koz and Friends
July 8 – 9 / Two Sets Each Night

Marlon Wayans
July 15

One Night of Queen
July 21

Heather McDonald
July 22

Andrew Bird
July 23

One Night Of Queen
July 21

Carla Morrison
August 4

Marcus Miller
August 11 / Two Sets

Belinda Carlisle
August 18

Madeleine Peyroux
August 20

Andrew Dice Clay: Live In Concert / 18+
Sept 2

Three Dog Night
Sept 22

Boney James & Lilah Hathaway
Sept 24

The Psychedelic Furs & Squeeze
October 6