Cowboy Junkies sow magic

BAR HARBOR – It was a hot night, even by the ocean, but the Cowboy Junkies kept things cool inside the Criterion Theater.

Sarah Harmer had the audience going early, with a strong, clear opener (think Ani DiFranco minus the angst) before the Junkies took the stage.

When they started, Margo Timmins’ haunting voice was nearly drowned out on “Dragging Hooks,” but the sound evened out and the band settled in for a set that lasted nearly two hours.

The Junkies mixed in old favorites, such as “Hard to Explain,” “Murder, Tonight, in the Trailer Park” and “30 Summers” with grittier, guitar-heavy tracks from their latest album, “Open,” such as “I’m So Open” and the lilting “Small Swift Birds.” The band didn’t indulge the pleas for “Sweet Jane,” which audience members hollered between nearly every song.

Though the Cowboy Junkies aren’t known for fluffy, happy music, they didn’t let the heaviness of their subjects weigh down their performance. It seemed introspective at times, but Timmins’ captivating vocals lured everyone into her reverie.

Timmins also drew the audience in with stories of her summers in Maine. She and her brothers-bandmates, drummer Peter and guitarist Michael, grew up in Montreal and spent their holidays in Kennebunk, swimming, climbing on rocks and eating fried clams. Now, her biggest Maine connection is on the TV. Timmins admitted that while the band is on the road, she spends a fair amount of time watching Mount Desert Island’s queen of all media, Martha Stewart. So, for reasons that were hard to explain, she decided to dedicate “Hard to Explain” to Stewart. The audience howled. Of course, it was a good thing.

The Junkies played a strong, driving set all the way through, giving an edge to the softness of “1000 Year Prayer,” and making everyone in the small theater feel like they had just been cut off from their relatives in northern Canada in “The Last Spike.”

But the most stirring performance came in the encore, when Timmins poured out a soft, dark rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road.”

“Show a little faith, there’s magic in the night …” she sang, in that unforgettable voice.

And, at least for a little while, there was.