An Incredible Concert

[Estonut]

As part of a subscription season, I bought tickets to see the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss show, where they perform and promote their "Raising Sand" project. The show was last night at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. I am still in awe.

I was never the biggest Led Zeppelin fan. I respect their place in rock history and know all of their songs that were played on the radio (perhaps not by name, though), but I never purchased their albums while I was growing up. I was much more partial to the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, the Kinks, Bowie and Queen. I think the only reason I didn't like LZ more was because of RP's screaming style of singing.

Last night was one of the most amazing concert experiences I've ever had, and I've been to a lot of concerts. T-Bone Burnett, who produced the album, put together a great backing band of Nashville-type players. I would never have expected Plant to sing all night, instead of scream. The way Alison Krauss backed him and/or shared vocals with him was gorgeous. The combination of his softer, rougher voice and her angelic voice was just beautiful.

The biggest surprises, to me, anyway, were:
1) How much I enjoyed the 4 or 5 reworked LZ songs they managed to sneak in. They were instantly recognizable, yet totally different from the original versions. Take away Plant screaming over the top of the music and replace it with Alison Krauss singing her lungs out, and you've got an altogether different animal.
2) What a great guy Plant seemed to be. Compared to everyone else on stage, he had way more experience and star power, but he never acted like it. They were simply a band, clearly enjoying what they were doing. A few times, he stood in the back with one of the other guys, just doing backing vocals, out of the spotlight. There seemed to be none of the pretension one might expect from such a legend. He knew exactly when he was in the spotlight and when he wasn't. He truly shared the stage with everyone on it.


If it comes your way, the tour is highly recommended:

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Featuring T Bone Burnett
6.25.08 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl 8:00pm
6.27.08 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre 8:00pm
6.28.08 Lake Tahoe/Stateline, NV Harvey's 8:00pm
6.30.08 San Diego, CA Humphrey's 8:00pm
7.01.08 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre 8:00pm
7.07.08 Grand Prairie (Dallas), TX Nokia Theatre 8:00pm
7.08.08 Memphis, TN Mud Island Amphitheatre 8:00pm
7.10.08 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amphitheatre 8:00pm
7.11.08 Raleigh, NC RBC Center 8:00pm
7.12.08 Philadelphia, PA Mann Center For Performing Arts 8:00pm
7.14.08 Toronto, ON Molson Amphitheatre 8:00pm
7.15.08 Cleveland, OH Time Warner Cable Amphitheater At Tower City 8:00pm
7.18.08 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena 8:00pm
7.19.08 Nashville, TN Sommet Center 8:00pm

Raising Sand