Alison Krauss, Robert Plant and T-Burnett (above) perform their encore at a concert at Starlight Theater in Kansas City on Tuesday, September 23. They played “Don’t Knock,” “When the Levee Breaks,” “Killing the Blues” and “One Woman Man.” There are two more videos at the bottom.
In 1984, when Alison Krauss was thirteen, she won the fiddle championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, near where I grew up, and I’ve watched her from afar ever since.
This is the set list for the Krauss-Plant September 23, 2008, concert at Starlight. The concert didn't follow this order exactly, but it's close enough.
Krauss is an extraordinary bluegrass violinist and singer. She’s exquisite as her bow flies over her violin. Her voice is high, rich and pure, like crystal ringing. She’s won 20 Grammy awards, more than any other female artist and is tied for seventh most won by any artist.
When she joined with Robert Plant on stage, it was incredible. I’d already listened to my recording of their album “Raising Sand” scores of times. They seem so in “tune” with each other in so many ways, maybe even smitten. Plant kept giving her kisses. The September 23rd concert was the first night of the second leg of their tour. Plant said they’d been apart on stage for forty days. He sounded like a lover being reunited with his beloved.
For those who might not be familiar with Krauss’ work, she performed on the soundtracks of “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and “Cold Mountain.” She isn’t splashed across the pages of magazines or chased by paparazzi the way a lot of no-talent celebrities are. She simply performs like an angel, and we are raised to heaven by her musical gifts.
Alison Krauss, Robert Plant.
To learn more about her go to about Alison Krauss. Her official website is Alison Krauss. She’s now touring with Robert Plant. Go to his website at Robert Plant. Krauss and Plant recently performed at a music festival in Austin, Texas. You can read about it here: Hitting the Radar: A Festival Soars in Texas. For my post on Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin click here. Robert Plant is my favorite musician…….
Below is a documentary about Krauss and Plant coming together to make “Raising Sand.” Below that is a video of Krauss and Plant performing Led Zeppelin’s “The Battle of Evermore” at Starlight Theater on September 23, 2008.
Allison Krauss and Robert Plant play with T-Bone Burnett and his band at Starlight Theater on September 23, 2008, in Kansas City.
Catherine Sherman 