Live Report: Bonnie Raitt's enduring talent and originality on full display at Vicar Street

When 13-time Grammy award-winner Bonnie Raitt walked on stage with her signature red hair, sharp stance and suave California drawl, she oozed the confidence of someone who’d been doing this for decades but still gets a kick out of every minute in front of a live audience.

She started things off with 'Split Decision', a gritty, blues-soaked track dedicated to longtime friend and collaborator Paul Brady. It would be one of many nods to the Strabane singer-songwriter during the night.

“I always say if I’d gotten along, I wouldn’t have a gig,” Raitt joked before playing the heart-wrenching 'Angel from Montgomery'.

While Raitt is most closely associated with her iconic slide guitar work, her distinctive blues vibrato and folk-style fingerpicking were fully on display throughout the two-hour long set. Her solo on ‘Thing Called Love’ was simply otherworldly.

Yet the evening wasn't just a showcase of guitar chops, it was a celebration of songcraft and soul. Her take on Mabel John’s 'Your Good Thing Is About to End' was sultry and aching, while her rendition of Richard Thompson’s 'Dimming of the Day' was delivered with a hush that could break hearts.

During 'Just Like That', a song inspired by the true story of a mother who meets the man who received her late son’s heart, you could hear a pin drop.

Raitt’s band was, in her words, “not suited for other jobs” – and thank God for that. Glenn Patscha on piano (introduced as “from the country that will remain Canada”), Duke Levine with his rootsy licks on guitar, long-time collaborator James Hutchinson on bass and Ricky Fataar on drums, were tight, intuitive and utterly in sync.

“I like to go dancing after doing a show, I promise you I can still shift my gears,” said the 75 year old before swinging effortlessly into the rollicking 'Something to Talk About', only to pull things back moments later with a heart-rending rendition of her classic hit 'I Can’t Make You Love Me'.

That’s Raitt’s power: she can hit the gas or slam the brakes, and either way, you’re along for the ride. “Now even the youngsters are digging my music,” she pointed out with a grin, referencing the recent Charli XCX remix of 'Nick of Time'.

The set closed with 'The Ones We Couldn’t Be' featuring a slide solo so high and textured it felt transcendent. A surprise encore followed with the bluesy 'Love Letter', featuring Jimmy Vaughan.

“God bless you all. Pray for peace. We'll keep working for some sanity on our side of the pond,” Raitt said before leaving the stage to a standing ovation.