Patty Griffin

Photo by John Carrico

Patty Griffin

Patty Griffin was introduced thusly: "There are a lot of great musicians in Austin, but none is as amazing and wonderful as Patty Griffin." Strong words; a safer superlative would be that Griffin delivered one of the most diverse performances of ACL '08. Griffin made the bold choice of bookending her set with ballads, filling the balance with an impressive variety of songs, both her own and covers by Lefty Frizzell ("I Want to Be With You Always"), Tom Waits ("Hang on St. Christopher"), and gospel group the Consolers ("Waiting for My Child"). Most enjoyable were Griffin's recent dabblings in acoustic folk-blues, made all the more infectious by her Nashville-based band. After closer "Up to the Mountain," Griffin attempted an a cappella encore very nearly thwarted by Mates of State's neighboring set. No matter, Griffin played Ray Charles' "Lonely Avenue" instead.