speed of dark

Uncle T wound up Day 2 at Austin City Limits with this dynamite duo and the legendary T-Bone Burnett on guitar. "Battle of Evermore!" Wowza! That's one of my favorite Led Zep songs.

~alt-gramma~

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

I caught the last 30 minutes of this amazing set. They sounded magnificent; much more powerful than I’d anticipated. These guys went into a musical trance and took the huge crowd with them on their journey. By the time I got there it was dark and much cooler. I was pretty tired by that time, and just wanted to relax in the grass and listen to this wonderful music. I got as close as I could, which wasn’t too close. But I could hear everything (the sound was impeccable) and viewed the stage with my binoculars. Alison was in a black dress with styled-up hair. Plant was wearing blue jeans and a blue un-tucked shirt. The band was tight and the music was just wonderful. They really deliver in concert, so it’s no wonder they’ve been a big concert draw this year.

The band:
• Robert Plant: lead vocals
• Allison Krauss: lead vocals, violin
• T-Bone Burnett: Guitar
• Dennis Crouch: bass
• Buddy Miller: lead guitar
• Stuart Duncan: mandolin, fiddle, banjo, guitar
• Jay Bellarose: drummer/percussionist

Set list included (last 30 minutes):
• Black Dog [Robert Plant solo from KCRW's Covers Project CD, 2007]: I heard from somebody that did this Led Zeppelin cover earlier in the set; though I didn’t witness this.
• Fortune Teller: I heard this as I was coming walking toward the stage, with Plant singing this old song from their CD. Really nice sound.
• Nothin' (Townes Van Zant cover): Then they did a hypnotically brilliant version of this stark song, with Plant doing some great vocals. Allison provided backing vocals and violin. Amazing performance.
• Dynamite Woman (Doug Sahm cover) or Bon Temps Rouler: T-Bone Burnett did one of these songs, I think. And it was very good.
• Down to the River to Pray [Alison Krauss from the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack]: When Allison Krauss sang this O Brother Where Art Though song her spellbinding vocals put the crowd in a trance. She’s such a great singer.
• The Battle Of Evermore: This Led Zeppelin cover was absolutely incredible and transcendent from the opening mandolin notes, and people jumped up from the grass for its climax. This was totally magical, and was possibly the set’s high point. This was the one I wanted to hear. This was so good in concert.
• Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On): They ended the concert with a wonderful rocking version of this Everly Brothers cover.

MySpace | Website | Label: Rounder Records
Buy at Robert Plant/Alison Krauss Store, Amazon.com

Leaving (Day 2):
Walked back on the riverside trail, which at night was the fastest way to go. Another great day of music. I did quite a bit of walking today, and my legs were very sore.

Photo from Paste Magazine