Night two… Wow!
Talk about an incredible show. Opening act was Sharon Little from PA. Hers is a Cinderella story…. five months ago she was a waitress. Last night she performed her last show on the tour with Robert & Allison (she’s been the opening act in 34 cities.) She was so sweet and soulful; deserving of her standing ovation! As she thanked the audience for coming she mentioned that Robert Plant visited her dressing room before she took the stage one last time and gave her a hug. She then said, “I know I’m probably a nobody to everybody here tonight; but right now I feel like a somebody. Thanks again.” Then she and her band ripped a few more tunes. She’s honest. We liked her. And her jacket was straight vintage.
Robert and Allison played for over two hours… including a 5-song ovation. T Bone Burnett was in his glory. Buddy Miller strong. The utility player, Stuart Duncan, was amazing. If it had strings, he used it to fill the place with all sorts of sound and color. Together, they played material from Raising Sand as well as some standards and Zeppelin material re-arranged in the spirit of the project. The sound was eerie and slinky. And yeah hey mama, we liked they way moved and grooved. Robert’s dance steps were charming. Allison was beautiful, perfect and effortless. She liked being home.
And speaking of home, we realized as we left the Sommet our time at Nashville was coming to an end. There were three hours until last call so we headed across the street to Layla’s … the place with the hot dog cart outside and chicken wire on the side of the stage. The band was playing all sorts of ruckus stuff, the perfect counter-balance to what we just heard. In exchange for two bar stools in the back, we promised to keep watch of this particular beer can AND the precious popcorn buns. Civic duty.
Around 1:30, our friendly barkeep found us slouching on the job, took this picture on our camera as evidence and said we might think about heading home. After contributing the the tip jar of course! Gladly. Worth every dime!
Nashville or Bust 
Nashville, TN may be home for Alison Kraus now, but she (and her brother Victor) are originally from Champaign, Illinois (30 miles south of my hometown of Gibson City). Not bad for a Northern girl! 😉 Sounds like your birthday trip was fab!
Comment by Carla Gesell-Streeter | July 20, 2008 |