Lynn comes on strong and feisty in Northampton

NORTHAMPTON - Loretta Lynn's fans know exactly what made her famous, and they've learned to expect it of her.

"Tell us a story!" came the eager plea from the back of Calvin Theatre Thursday night.

"Tell you a story? Once upon a time . . ." the country-music matriarch shot back in jest.

There was no need for the request, though. Lynn spent her entire 75-minute set spinning candid yarns about her career, her fabled marriage to her late hubby, Doolittle, and mostly her songs. Even at 72, she said, she still wants to "finish off" the gal who had designs on her man so many decades ago and inspired the spitfire anthem "Fist City."

Hinting at future plans, Lynn casually mentioned that she's working on new songs with rocker Elvis Costello: "They're trying to make a rock star out of me, honey, but it'll never happen," she said to no one in particular. (For more on that, see Names on Page B8.)

If Lynn seemed ailing or overshadowed by her guest performers a few weeks ago at the Indian Ranch in Webster, she blazed a stirring comeback in Northampton, strong in voice and feisty in spirit.

Elegant in a necklace Garth Brooks gave her and in one of her trademark ballroom gowns - this time in shimmering black - Lynn sat for most of the evening, as she recently fell and broke her shoulder.

The set was surprisingly unscripted, often guided by audience requests and played superbly by her band, the Coalminers. There were the note-for-note hits - "You Ain't Woman Enough," "You're Lookin' at Country," and "Blue Kentucky Girl" - but she also sang "Let Your Love Flow," "Portland, Oregon" (from 2004's "Van Lear Rose," her acclaimed album with the White Stripes's Jack White), and "Dear Uncle Sam." She wrote the latter during the Vietnam era, and its patriotism coyly suggested her ambivalence about war: "I really love my country/ But I also love my man."

She also dusted off the heartbreaking "Table for Two" ("Table for two/ Party of one"), and a rousing gospel medley, sung with her backup singers, preceded the inevitable closer, "Coal Miner's Daughter."

Speaking of medleys, that most dreaded way to cram in the greatest hits, Lynn segued from "One's on the Way" to "The Pill," perfectly setting it up as a cause-and-effect punch line.

Boston-based Eilen Jewell and her trio of suited musicians opened with a set of closing-time country reminiscent more of Shelby Lynne than Loretta Lynn. With guitarist Jerry Miller's fancy fretwork leading the way, the group got a standing ovation - no small feat when you're opening for the world's most celebrated coal miner's daughter.

James Reed can be reached at jreed@globe.com.