The stage at Jaffrey’s historic Park Theatre was bare, save for a baby grand piano, a mic stand and a French flower bucket of red roses. At exactly one minute past the introductory remarks, a slight figure in an electric blue pants suit came out, adjusted the rhinestone strap on her signature 12-string guitar and began playing Norwegian Wood. Russell Walden, her accompanist, was brilliant — a perfect foil — harmonizing, laughing at her jokes, and picking up her lines when she forgot them, which was often, and which she admitted to with honesty and humor. Introducing Send in the Clowns, she said, ​“You all know this song. I do, too, sometimes.”

Judy Collins in 86 years old and is still touring. Read that sentence again. Singer-songwriter, storyteller, comedienne, activist and, above all, stellar performer, she stood on stage for nearly all of the 90-minute program, sitting only to take over Russell’s piano for two extraordinary numbers from her 2022 album, Spellbound.

The audience was composed of others like me, pilgrims of a certain age on a journey back to something familiar, more hopeful, less cruel. She took us through her standards: Both Sides Now, Suzanne, In My Life, When I Was a Girl in Colorado, My Father, Anathea and, finally, Amazing Grace, which we all sang with her. Most of us were riveted, didn’t want to get up, amazed at her stamina, generosity and still powerful voice. And then she blew us all away a second time. Moving over to that flower bucket, she bent down and took out the roses and, one by one, distributed them to nearby audience members. I swear she stayed onstage until most everyone had quite reluctantly tiptoed out of the auditorium to make the dark country drive home. The last thing I heard was a man, calling in a full-throated voice, ​“Thank you, Judy.”

Indeed. For everything.