This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Review and Photos by Lou Montesano

For the second consecutive year, the Women’s Refugee Commission’s Lantern Tour held benefit concerts in Washington, DC, and New York (Nov 5 and 6) in support of the Commission’s efforts. Separating children from their parents at the border and failures at our immigration centers sparked fierce protests over the summer, but when the news cycle moves on, watchdog groups like the Women’s Refugee Commission continue monitoring the situation and advocating for immigrant families.

Emmylou Harris has been a champion of the cause, performing the past two years along with like-minded musician friends Jackson Browne and Steve Earle. New to this year’s lineup was singer-songwriter Patty Griffin accompanied by multi-instrumentalist David Pulkingham; the Mastersons, Chris and Eleanor, who regularly appear with Steve Earle; and relative newcomer Thao Nguyen, the daughter of Vietnamese refugees who settled in Virginia.

Harris served as the Mistress of Ceremonies, introducing her fellow performers and kicking things off with her countrified cover of “The Boxer.” The artists fanned out across the stage, taking turns individually and supporting each other with harmonies, gentle strumming on their guitars and improvised percussions. Each artist told moving stories about immigrants who have directly impacted their lives.

Jackson Browne was in fine voice on songs such as “The Dreamer” and “Walls and Doors” while Patty Griffin hit gospel high notes on “Move Up.” Thao Nguyen’s talents on banjo and guitar wowed everyone including Steve Earle, who complained about having to follow such a spirited performance. The outspoken Earle, a New Yorker by way of San Antonio, delivered favorites such as “Galway Girl” but also covered mentor Guy Clark’s “El Coyote” about how immigrants are taken advantage of on both sides of the border.

With Chris on guitar and Eleanor on fiddle, the Mastersons helped make everyone sound better. The couple also performed one of their original tunes, “No Time for Love Songs,” from a soon-to-be-released album. Midway through the two-plus-hour set, Michelle Brane of the Women’s Refugee Commission reported on the organization’s efforts and her first-hand experiences visiting immigration centers. The problems persist despite the lack of coverage, a painful reminder of why nights such as this are so important.

Harris’s “Ballad of Emmett Till” was particularly poignant in light of reports of white supremacists attempting to hold a rally at Till’s gravesite just days before, but it was Earle who drove the evening’s point home with an account of his local West Village grocer, a Korean immigrant who raised two children who have gone on to M.I.T. and Harvard. “That’s what America is all about,” Earle said, closing things out with his “City of Immigrants.”

New York’s Town Hall was the perfect venue for the Lantern Tour. Created by suffragists in 1921, the historic hall has hosted events of political and social significance as well as singular musical performances by Charlie Parker, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and countless others. There will be another Lantern Tour benefit January 6, 2020, in Nashville, with Sheryl Crow.