Live Report: Americana legend Lucinda Williams empowers Dublin with songs of resistance at 3Olympia gig

As Lucinda Williams found her way to the stage, Dublin fans greeted the country singer with a jubilant serenade of 'Happy Birthday', bringing a roaring start to her 73rd year.

"I can't think of another place I'd rather be," said the singer-songwriter.

Known for her contributions to both Blues and Americana, the Lousiana-native began performing at just 17 years old before releasing her debut album Ramblin' On My Mind in 1979. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Angel Olsen, with the likes of Emmy Lou Harris and Tom Petty recording covers of her original songs in expressions of admiration.

Shortly after beginning her set with the title track of her 2003 album World Without Tears,  Williams turned the audience's focus to the subject of the recent violence in the United States, specifically the occupation of Minneapolis, Minnesota by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"It's just absolutely shameful and unacceptable. It's completely horrible and I didn't want to bring you down, but I had to say something about it."

As she spoke, the concern for the state of her home country was prevalent. There was an authentic expression of desperation that appeared on her face, as though begging for her words to be heeded with deep consideration.

Throughout the evening, Williams performed over a dozen tracks from her extensive discography, including new singles off her newest record, World's Gone Wrong, released last week. She wrote the album as a political response to the ongoing civil crises around the world.

Before she performed 'You Can't Rule Me', she made sure the audience knew her messaging was directed at US President Donald Trump, and emphasised the importance of political resistance songs in times of civil unrest.

"He wants to turn a democracy into a monarchy," she stated. "He doesn't understand we already settled that with the resolution of the Revolutionary War. The people will resist!"

Aging is inevitable, even for artists such as Lucinda Williams, immortalised by fame. She doesn't hide the symptoms of aging in her performance, singing purely as herself. She took breaks throughout the performance and was lead throughout the stage by a crew member - an accommodation introduced following her stroke in 2020.

Her earnestness, and the grain in her voice gave new meaning to each anecdote presented in her songs. The reflections of previously experienced romantic turmoil and personal hardship were set free to breath as healed scars.

Lucinda Williams at 3Olympia on January 26 2026 Copyright Maizy Kharrazian/hotpress.com

A true storyteller, Williams didn't shy away from bluntly explaining the honest truths behind her songs, introducing 'Drunken Angel' as a dedication to late 'Clay Pigeons' singer Blaze Foley. In 1989, at the age of 39,  Foley was shot and killed by the son of a friend in an argument Williams described as 'unnecessary violence'.

"Why'd you let go of your guitar / Why'd you ever let it go that far," Williams sang on 'Drunken Angel', as she pondered the opportunities Foley missed by dying prematurely.

Williams also set aside time to express appreciation to some of her influences, covering the likes of Bob Marley, and of course The Beatles, who she additionally paid tribute to on her 2024 cover album Lucinda Williams Sings The Beatles From Abbey Road. 

William's exit was met with a standing ovation and a pleading request for an encore. Unable to refuse, she concluded the evening with an energetic performance of Neil Young's 'Rockin' In the Free World'.

"Keep on rockin' in the free world," the audience sang as they sweat out each lyric, allowing the messaging and Williams' earlier statements to ring through as a reminder to resist injustice.