ROSANNE CASH, Red Butte Garden Amphitheater, Sunday.
Accompanied by the ghosts of her parents and a pervading sense of loneliness, Rosanne Cash delivered a strong, multilayered performance to close out the Red Butte Garden concert series Sunday night.
As with her recent album, "Black Cadillac," Cash did not shy away from the most prominent emotional challenges of her recent life — the death of her father, Johnny, her mother, Vivian, and stepmother, June. Instead, she wrapped her arms around them with giant, emotional farewells in a musical language they had all understood.
Lyrically, she told stories encompassing the life span of her parents, whether it was their initial introduction in "Radio Operator," the funeral procession of "Black Cadillac" or the comforting "I Was Watching You." There were also well-suited covers sprinkled throughout her set, with the most poignant being the gospel standard "Wayfaring Stranger," which became a creeping Spanish lullaby in the hands of her expert backing band.
It was that band, the Telstars, that rounded out her songs, especially when they were joined on dobro by opener Jerry Douglas. For much of the show, their musical accompaniment was sparse and evocative of the emotional landscape — think northeastern Wyoming or West Texas, cast inward — prevalent in Cash's songs.
Douglas shined the brightest on some of the most gut-wrenching songs by Cash, including the piano ballad "The World Unseen" and the midtempo "What We Really Want."
Cash's father's influence was obvious throughout, yet never did her performance feel exploitative or shallow. She seemed to be paying her respects in her own, and very personal, style.
She did step away from her family, especially at the end, when her songs became louder and faster, and, in many ways, it was a welcome respite from both the emotional weight and chilled air. The string of songs beginning with the New Orleans tribute "Crescent City," the searing "Burn This Town Down" and her breakthrough hit "Seven Year Ache" probably constituted the most enjoyable stretch of music the entire night.
A headliner in his own right, Douglas' own hourlong set, which opened the show, included masterful instrumentals such as "Future Man" and "The Wild Rumpus."
E-mail: jlolftin@desnews.com