No one would blame Judy Collins for retiring from performing and relaxing, living off the proceeds of dozens of albums released over the last seven decades. But she continues to tour, sharing her music with her fans.

This is good news to those of us who attended her concert Friday evening at Evanston's Cahn Auditorium.

The lush tones of her 12-string guitar complemented her still-strong voice, but Russel Walden added so much to the music, sitting behind her and providing a brilliant accompaniment on the grand piano. The music needed nothing more than vocals, guitar, and piano to fill the hall.

The 86-year-old singer showed remarkable energy standing at the front of the stage for most of the concert, entertaining us with songs, stories, and jokes. The music took center stage. For two hours, she sang the songs of John Denver ("Jet Plane," "Country Roads"), Bob Dylan ("Mr. Tambourine Man"), Jacques Brel ("Marieke"), and Joni Mitchell ("River," "Both Sides Now"). At one point, Walden surrendered his piano to Judy, who recited two of her original poems while playing softly on the keys.

Between songs, she charmed the audience with stories from her life (her father was a musician with his own radio show, and her husband of 48 years had recently passed away) and threw out corny jokes. (Each cigarette you smoke takes an hour from your life and gives it to Keith Richards). She introduced herself as the American Idol of 1956 and joked that "86 is the new 27!"

The concert finished strong with a moving rendition of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns," followed by an encore of "Amazing Grace," to which the audience sang along.

The show was not perfect because Collins's memory is not perfect. The artist frequently glanced at a lyric sheet in front of her, and sometimes Walden had to provide the name of a person or place that she had forgotten. But it was far better than I expected, and Judy Collins proved that she is still a national treasure.