Tag: Alison Krauss live

Live: Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss, and Ida Mae – Memorial Coliseum – Ft. Wayne, In – August 05, 2019

2019 is turning out to be a year of legends in terms of my concert viewing. First there was Sir Paul McCartney, then Jeff Lynne and his latest version of ELO, and now Willie Nelson – one of the greatest songwriters and country music legends of all time.

Opening for him were a new British country / blues husband (Chris Turpin) and wife (Stephanie Jean) duo Ida Mae, who put on a simple and effective set of dark country tunes using nothing but a foot pedal electric bass drum, a guitar, a tambourine, and matching vocals. They were elated to be on the tour and playing in the biggest venue they’ve played so far. According to Jean, the only other time they’d been in an arena was to see a hockey game.

Ida Mae playing the largest venue they’ve played so far.

Up next was none other than multiple Grammy Award-winner Alison Krauss. She’d put on a great show the first time I saw her, and I was sure she’d put on another great performance. She didn’t disappoint. Performing on a stage decorated with antique lamps, doll houses, benches, and even a bicycle, Krauss and her band played a lovely set of Americana, gospel, country, and blues that had everyone in the palm of her hand. Among the highlights were “River in the Rain,” “Forget About It,” “Ghost in This House,” “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” and “Down to the River to Pray.”

Alison Krauss and her lovely voice hypnotizing the place.

The Red Headed Stranger was up next, and he came out belting “Whiskey River.” He had the crowd laughing and singing during his cover of Toby Keith’s “Beer for my Horses.” Nelson’s singing was a little quiet at first, but his acoustic guitar shredding made up for it. His voice was warmed up by the time he reached “If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time” and crowd favorites like “Mama, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” “On the Road Again,” and “You Were Always on My Mind.” He also made me giddy by doing three Hank Williams covers (“Jambalaya,” “Hey Good Lookin’,” and “Move It on Over.”).

He ended the show with a fourth Williams cover, “I Saw the Light,” as well as the classic “I’ll Fly Away” – both sung with Ms. Krauss who came back onstage wearing a jacket because it was chilly throughout the whole coliseum. It was nice to see them having fun and you could tell Krauss was joyfully singing with one of her idols.

Nelson has since cancelled his tour due to him experiencing “breathing problems.” I hope he recovers soon and get back on the road. Don’t miss him. He’s still touring at age 86, but I can’t imagine he’ll be doing it much longer.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Alison Krauss – September 12, 2018 – South Bend, IN

Alison Krauss‘ South Bend stop on her current tour was supposed to be at the Morris Theatre.  That was changed, however, when a piece of the ceiling inside the Morris fell to the floor days earlier and the venue was closed for repairs.  Her show (like Ringo Starr‘s before her) was moved to South Bend’s Century Center.

My wife and I arrived there with our tickets for “main floor left center” seats in row W, seats 12 and 13.  What we found in the ad hoc seating area was chaos.  All “main floor” seats were set up in the far rear stage left corner of the room.  Five different docents each told us different information on where our seats were located.  We were told to sit in the “mezzanine” seats at one point, and then told all “main floor” seats were across the room and to sit wherever we could find a seat.  The “main floor” seats were listed by row, however (written in pencil that was hard to see, no less), and row W stopped at seat #10.  Seats 12 and 13 didn’t exist.  I asked if more chairs were available and was told they had enough seats for all tickets sold.  This turned out to be more misinformation, because as more and more people showed up with no idea where to sit, docents started bringing out more chairs.  One row of seats moved all their seats to the left by two spots either by suggestion of a docent or just for the hell of it.  People were still confused about where to sit within seven minutes of the start of Ms. Krauss’ set.

Ms. Krauss did put on a fine show, so all was well once she took the stage.  She and her band, which featured members of Union Station and the Cox Family Singers, performed a lot of spiritual hymns, bluegrass classics, and some of her more popular love songs.

Starting with a cover of Roger Miller‘s “River in the Rain,” Ms. Krauss’ amazing voice immediately filled the room.  Her cover of Willie Nelson‘s “I Never Cared for You” was heartbreaking, and “Ghost in This House” was perfect now that pumpkin spice is all the rage and Halloween decorations are going up again.

Her cover of Little Milton‘s “Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson” was a blast and the traditional “Down to the River to Pray” was inspiring.  The cover of the Carter Family‘s “Keep on the Sunny Side” was a fun highlight, and the closer of “It Is Well with My Soul” was divine.

Go see her if you can.  Goofy seating is worth the headache for the lovely song craft you’ll hear.

Keep your mind open.

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