WHAT becomes a legend most? Joan Baez wore her fame modestly and with ease.

Time has also been kind, but after more than 28,000 days on Earth (she has just turned 77), Baez has decided this will be her last formal tour. This didn’t get a mention, but the ovation she received as she walked on stage spoke volumes.

Starting solo, Baez presented a variety of material from her long career. It is most unusual for someone of her longevity that Baez's most recent choices were as good as most of her more famous selections (Farewell Angelina, The Times They Are A-Changin', House Of The Rising Son all present and correct).

The President Sang Amazing Grace, a highlight from her new Whistling Down The Wind album, was also a key moment on stage – a sombre, striking reflection on gun crime.

A comparatively modernist song, Another World by Anohni, also stood out – a woman saying goodbye – with her son Gabe on percussion pushing home the message.

Baez has always been an astute interpreter of other songwriters; she introduced Bob Dylan to the world after all. Her own songs could still sting, Diamonds And Rust from the mid-Seventies was gently cutting about her famous beau. In neither reflective nor sombre mood, Violeta Parra’s Gracias A La Vida spoke volumes – ‘here’s to life’ borne heavenward by the audience’s singing.

The only disappointment was, apart from an M&S aside, Baez didn’t really talk about her life or songs. That, however, would have meant less material, and with 24 tunes over 75 minutes, she gave good value as ever.

York would not let Baez leave the stage, and her second encore The Boxer felt a fitting way for this campaigner to kiss York goodbye.