Nashville Show

[Kentuckygirl]

Hopefully someone will post a set list with pics, I was on Robert's side of the stage in the first side section, two rows up. I took a couple of shots with my Blackberry but I don't know how to zoom so they didn't turn out well. I had a wonderful view of backstage area, as well as "Robert's people" sitting on the back side of the stage. At the end of the concert our section noticed that Robert's entourage (of three) all had coats and rain gear on, and it was over 90 degrees with no rain, but horrible humidity last night. There was no explaination for coats other than they were going directly to airport and back to England after the show. Robert ended the show by commenting that they were going to "take a rest" but "we will be back".

Compared to night one in Louisville, the difference was amazing in that Alison appeared more loose and relaxed and genuinely was enjoying herself on stage. She joked with the crowd about being home finally and "having to spend a thousand dollars at Whole Foods". Robert was extremely loose, making off-color remarks such as "we don't always finish together every night" then ducking Alison's glare. They were extremely playful on stage. The opening act, Sharon Little, told of Robert visiting her dressing room (there was a lot of whooping in the crowd on that one) and wishing her well and giving her a "big hug".

Usually at Sommet Center shows celebrities make cameos, and join for sing-alongs. A recent Bon Jovi concert drew several country stars onto the stage, and the people I was sitting around all wondered if that would happen last night, but it did not. The VIP boxes were all full. The Tennessean will report later if any local celebrities were in the audience. This was my first visit to the Sommet Center as I am a newbie to the Nashville area and I was extremely impressed with the venue. The location is excellent, there is nothing better than stepping out of a concert and being able to cross the street directly to Tootsie's.

Intersting comments from the Tennessean interview with Beverly Keel: Alison herself seems very uncertain on how long this collaboration will last. She commented that "Robert can pick up a CD in Seattle and go off in an entirely different direction". Robert was also asked point-blank if he is buying a house in Nashville, and the answer was a definite "no". He doesn't own houses anywhere except England. It is also clear that Alison is tired of the "Yoko" comparisons, stated that she isn't keeping Robert from doing anything. You get the feeling that she is along on HIS ride.

[Roxie]

Great review! Sounds like it was a good show to be at. I like the Whole Foods remark. Do you have a link to that interview? Sounds like an interesting read!

[Kentuckygirl]

Great review! Sounds like it was a good show to be at. I like the Whole Foods remark. Do you have a link to that interview? Sounds like an interesting read!

Here it is

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...UNEIN/807200407

[Aquamarine]

Here's a few. (Frank Melfi was there, his are probably better than mine. )

Forgot to add that Robert did Eddie Cochran's "Nervous Breakdown."

[Aquamarine]

[alwizard03]

Here's a few. (Frank Melfi was there, his are probably better than mine. )

And for a cool Millon He might sell You some

Forgot to add that Robert did Eddie Cochran's "Nervous Breakdown."

Love Your pictures I doubt His would be any better.

[Dzldoc]

Here's a few. (Frank Melfi was there, his are probably better than mine. )

Forgot to add that Robert did Eddie Cochran's "Nervous Breakdown."

Great shots!

Who's the little guy standing between Robert and Alison?

[Patrycja]

Here's a few. (Frank Melfi was there, his are probably better than mine. )

Forgot to add that Robert did Eddie Cochran's "Nervous Breakdown."

WOW now those are awesome seats! Nice photos, thanks for posting. That first one looks like they've got a hobbit playing bass

[Patrycja]

Great shots!

Who's the little guy standing between Robert and Alison?

Geez, ya beat me to it!

[Aquamarine]

The little guy was Dennis Crouch.

There are a few pics where Jonesy comes out looking the same size between Page and Plant--must be the photographic curse of the bass player.

[alwizard03]

Found this and thought it was interesting.

[walterswalk]

Didn't anyone at the show last night see me in this T-shirt I wore ?

Everybody saw you mate the shirt stood out a mile

[Knebby]

Thanks for the detailed review - interesting stuff. I heard that was a good show.

He doesn't own houses anywhere except England.

Not entirely accurate as he has a place in Wales and property in Ibiza.

[walterswalk]

Thanks for the detailed review - interesting stuff. I heard that was a good show.

Not entirely accurate as he has a place in Wales and property in Ibiza.

Dam beat me to it Knebby

[Knebby]

Dam beat me to it Knebby

Olympic typing champion WW.

[StringBender]

Is that Stuart Duncan guest spotting on fiddle?

Duncan is one of the best fiddlers ever.......and if that's not him, Stuart has a twin.

[Aquamarine]

Is that Stuart Duncan guest spotting on fiddle?

Duncan is one of the best fiddlers ever.......and if that's not him, Stuart has a twin.

Yes, that's him--and at every show, Krauss has introduced him as "my favorite musician in the whole world."

Edit to clarify: he's been playing as a regular member of the band, rather than a guest.

[ninelives]

Is that Stuart Duncan guest spotting on fiddle?

Duncan is one of the best fiddlers ever.......and if that's not him, Stuart has a twin.

He sure is not only an amazing fiddler, but musician in general. Really the whole band are pretty stellar and work really well off each other.

[beatbo]

here is the interview from the tennessean, to save people from the jump.

excellent interview, thanks for the post, kentuckygirl!

Rock god Plant finds new roots

Krauss collaboration inspires

By BEVERLY KEEL • Staff Writer • July 20, 2008

While Alison Krauss performed before her hometown crowd at Sommet Center on Saturday night, it was also a homecoming of sorts for her British singing partner, Robert Plant.

Nashville, after all, was the birthplace of Plant's new and personally satisfying sound, a collaboration with Krauss, the queen of bluegrass, and producer/musician T Bone Burnett that resulted in the Music City-recorded album Raising Sand, which was released in October.

Now, with new dates added to their current tour and plans for a second album in the works, the former Led Zeppelin frontman couldn't be happier with his newfound musical direction.

"I was looking for clues when I came to Nashville," said Plant, 59. "I've found them with big, beautiful Alison. She is so multifarious — she is like a diamond.

"I'm a rock 'n' roll singer," he added. "I'm coming from another place, really. But again, I always had Charlie Rich's 'Life's Little Ups and Downs' in my back pocket."

Raising Sand has been certified gold, and its first single, "Gone, Gone, Gone," earned a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. It made its debut at No. 2 on Billboard's Top 200 charts, the highest chart position of his post-Zeppelin career. The album made numerous critics' lists of the Top 10 albums of 2007.

"I must say, in all earnest, that this whole portion of my musical adventure would have never even been a consideration even three years ago, really," Plant said. The band he and Krauss have been touring with is largely composed of Nashville musicians, and it's been a bit of a culture shock for the British-born singer.

"To suddenly be exposed to so many different mindsets and culture — everything from the bus culture to the down-home, almost cute nature of the way things are working on a kind of almost Nashville scene. It's definitely a different way of doing it to what I'm used to."

Beyond their magnificent musicianship, Plant was attracted to the band members' historical knowledge and earnestness.

"What Alison talks about is almost like a family tree of how you get to today," he said. "And that substance is the same with each player in this combination of talents. Everybody has a deep respect for when it all came from and where we're taking it."

He contrasts that respect for tradition and history with the contemporary U.K. music scene, which he sees as "almost like a kind of epicurean event, where you land in different cultures and in different odd scenes and you take whatever glistens the most and move on."

For his part, Plant identifies much more with the Nashvillians' approach. "For me, it's almost like I've reached a very beautiful place, because I, too, am quite locked into the root of why I did what I did in the first place and those musicians that affected me when I was a kid," he said. "As Alison was saying, 'Sometimes it's so easy to listen to something and to be moved to tears by it.' That whole deal ... in the kind of transience of modern British music you don't kind of get that. You don't carry Charlie Rich's voice forever — but I do.

"So these guys, this whole combination of people, is like a home that I didn't know about."

'I never was that guy'

In the minds of many, Plant's "home" will forever be Led Zeppelin, one of the most influential rock bands in history.

The group, which formed in 1968 and disbanded after the 1980 death of drummer John Bonham, has sold more than 200 million albums and produced such classics as "Whole Lotta Love," "Rock and Roll," "Ramble On," "Kashmir," "Black Dog" and, of course, "Stairway to Heaven."

Onstage, Zeppelin's guitar-driven music was infused by equal parts blues, testosterone and swagger. Offstage, their substance-fueled excesses were rock 'n' roll legend. ("It's funny, because I get some stories, but I don't think I get the same stories that other people get," Krauss said, laughing. "I don't ask him.")

It's been 28 years since Plant has regularly performed with Led Zeppelin. (For context, Krauss was 9 years old then.) While some of his fans have evolved from hip hugger-wearing, live-for-the-moment young adults into 401(k)-saving grandparents clad in relaxed-fit Dockers, they still cling to the iconic image of Plant as golden rock god.

But Led Zeppelin was just the beginning of the indefatigable and peripatetic quest for sounds and rhythms that drives Plant to this day. His projects have been influenced by music from North Africa, Egypt, Morocco, India and other countries around the globe.

Sure, he can still sing Led Zeppelin songs, but he's not that guy anymore.

"I never was that guy," the singer said. "That is why I wrote, I suppose, ethereal moments within Zeppelin. If you listen to 'The Rain Song': 'It is the springtime of my loving / the second season I am to know / You are the sunlight in my growing / so little warmth I've felt before. …' "

"There were so many different guys in that group singing and writing," he said. "That was why the group was so good. Everybody could go into different characters — the raucous one, the sort of braggadocio, the kind of back-door man. …"

The surviving members of Led Zeppelin — Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones — have reunited for one-off performances over the years, in 1985, 1988, 1995 and 2007.

Their Dec. 10, 2007, London reunion concert, which honored Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun and featured Bonham's son, Jason, on drums, sparked a cacophony of international anticipation of a reunion tour. There was widespread speculation — and even erroneous confirmation — that the band would headline the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, which took place in Manchester, Tenn., in June.

Despite the relentless media speculation and fan demand, Plant said he doesn't feel pressure to rejoin his old band mates.

"I appreciate what people feel," he said, "and in a way they might be justified, but how does one go about giving everybody everywhere what they want? Because everybody wants a different angle of it all. So I think what I'm doing now is the best way for people to know who I am. I think that the six or seven other Robert Plants are going to have to wait."

'Don't know where he's going'

When asked to describe Plant, Krauss called him an artist. "I hate to use that word, because everybody goes, 'Oh, please.' But he is really all about moving ahead, and he doesn't look back.

"I think, man, just moving on this path like a snake and not looking back. You don't know where he's going. He's going to go around this curve over here, and maybe he got a CD in Seattle and that made him turn this other way. Or maybe he shook somebody's hand in Istanbul and that's why he's turned to the right now.

"When I was first talking to Robert about doing (Raising Sand), I thought, 'What is he doing? What does he want to do?' The more I got to know him, I think, 'Ah, it makes sense to me now.' He's constantly on the move to find inspiration."

The bluegrass veteran said Plant has introduced her to a world of music she never knew existed, from Egyptian love songs to the Mississippi blues. "He is so spontaneous and comfortable in his skin. I think, 'Ah, if I had the tiniest bit of that confidence!'

"At least in the studio, everything is about what is happening right this second, not what it's going to turn into in two months," Krauss said. "I've always thought that way in the studio: 'If I wait two weeks, I can sing it better.' He is about what is right at that moment. I don't think I can ever go back to recording the same way again because of that."

When Krauss told her brother she was working with Plant, he asked her what the rock singer was like. She told him, "He's just like us."

"He doesn't want any veneer," she said. "He is very likable, very down-to-earth and very enthusiastic. I haven't met anybody, when he walked into a room, that he just didn't light up. He's very friendly and he has a serious charm about him.

"You are amazed that he is who he is, after all that attention."

Keep rambling on

Plant, who lives in England and has no American residences, has no plans to buy a house in Nashville.

"I'm at the age now where I still feel as if I have the flag of a privateer vessel above my head," he said. "I like the idea of descending on environments and being besotted by conditions and places and groups of interesting people. What that means is, if you stay there, the reality rubs through, and in the end … I think at this stage in my life I want to keep landing."

Plant is happily ensconced in talks of a reunion — with Krauss. If producer Burnett has his way, Plant and Krauss will write together this time as well as record. This leg of the tour ended with Nashville's show, but last week the pair announced additional fall dates.

"As long as I can enjoy her humor and her enthusiasm and that conciliatory, maternal thing that she has for me — when she taps me on the hand at the end of the show, as if I have been a good boy and brought everything back from the grocery store without breaking it — as long as that is an issue that I can enjoy, a condition, then I shall do another project, yeah," he said.

Of course, some media outlets interpreted the new Plant/Krauss fall tour dates — as they did the initial tour — as just one more thing that's delaying a Led Zeppelin reunion. The Guardian in England asked, "Is Alison Krauss the new Yoko Ono?"

"Oh, whatever," said Krauss dismissively. "I don't think about it. I didn't cause anybody to do anything."

Plant, however, was not pleased. "What a cheap shot," he said. "These guys, they should dare to do better than that."

There are far more important issues in the world to be concerned with than a Led Zeppelin reunion, he said. "But if you're thinking about whether there will be another Indiana Jones? Well, gee, there is. Could Led Zeppelin play together? Of course they could, but why? And for what? That is the question. ... Otherwise we'd have kept going after we lost John Bonham. So my ideal is that I go with my heart."

And his heart is telling him that his adventures are endless.

"There was a great song once, which I am surprised never made it into the annals of contemporary American country music/folk music," he said. "It's called 'Rejoice for the Song Has No Ending.' That is basically what it is: The song has no ending if you can turn the song and keep it real and beautiful, and that is what is happening to me."

Celebrity columnist Beverly Keel can be reached at 615-259-8073 or beverly@tennessean.com.

[Kentuckygirl]

Flew out of Nashville today on a Business trip and overheard some interesting comments about this collaboration in the Delta lounge. The large Southern Baptist contingent are not respnding that well to Plant's appearance on the Nashville scene. They seem to think he still trashes hotels and is intent on leading Alison into some sort of moral abyss. I absoultely love having Robert in town. The only thing that would make me happier is to see Jimmy Page come in with a bunch of banjos. That would really fix them. LOL

[Angel With A Broken Wing]

^^ good one Kentuckygirl!

here is the interview from the tennessean, to save people from the jump.

Sure, he can still sing Led Zeppelin songs, but he's not that guy anymore.

"I never was that guy," the singer said. "That is why I wrote, I suppose, ethereal moments within Zeppelin. If you listen to 'The Rain Song': 'It is the springtime of my loving / the second season I am to know / You are the sunlight in my growing / so little warmth I've felt before. …' "

"There were so many different guys in that group singing and writing," he said. "That was why the group was so good. Everybody could go into different characters — the raucous one, the sort of braggadocio, the kind of back-door man. …"

This is a really good interview, I like this quote about going into "different characters". This sounds like the more thoughtful side of Plant, no LZ putdowns (implied or otherwise) here.

[eternal light]

"I was looking for clues when I came to Nashville," said Plant, 59. "I've found them with big, beautiful Alison. She is so multifarious — she is like a diamond.

"I'm a rock 'n' roll singer," he added. "I'm coming from another place, really. But again, I always had Charlie Rich's 'Life's Little Ups and Downs' in my back pocket."

Here we go.

[Hotplant]

Here's a few. (Frank Melfi was there, his are probably better than mine. )

Forgot to add that Robert did Eddie Cochran's "Nervous Breakdown."

Wonderful pics Aqua!!!! Looks like you were up close. Cool. Thanks for posting those.

[reids]

Yes. Thanks for sharing.

Dennis Crouch is from Strawberry, Alabama.

Great bass player.

R

[Memphis]

Greetings everyone and good evening,

I've been searching out reviews of the Nashville and Memphis show and was very happy to find this thread. I always enjoy reading fan reviews because they have a personal touch and insight that only a fan would notice or appreciate.

Kenturygirl, that is a wonderful review and you touched on all the highlights of the show. I also love the photos posted and I did noticed the pros dashing around.

I missed the Memphis show which is funny since I'm from Memphis and had been harping about how Robert Plant over looked us here in the land of Grace and Elvis--the last time he was floating around the crossroads...I got the Nashville tickets way before the Memphis show was announcement and found myself making an eleven hour drive from North Carolina to Tennessee to see Robert Plant and Alison Krauss...I really do love this music man haha

and I must say I was well rewarded with an amazing show. I had read the reviews and seen the clips of the past shows and had it set in my mind that I wouldn't be surprised but this show really did take me to places I hadn't been to in so long and it was a nice trip. I took my step mother who was not familiar with Robert Plant or his past or Alison Krauss and this cross-wiring of styles of music. For my step mom it was clearly a musically introduced that crossed over the culture lines.

When the show first started I did have this odd thought of it being a musical wedding and that each set of fans was there to either see the groom (Robert Plant) or the bride (Alison Krauss)

I was also left speechless by the trick bag of songs they all pulled out and dusted off and rearranged for us. I noticed the Led Zeppelin/Plant and Krauss songs got a lot of applause and many times people were giving full standing ovations. "In the mood" was something I wasn't expecting to hear and see done in that fashion. I also felt Robert Plant's version of Eddie Cochran's Nervous Breakdown was very on the mark and had a great touch of Elvis moves and sounds haha...It was great to even get a taste of the Staple singers and there were a few moments I felt like I was in church and had found religion again.

There is a chemistry between all of those seasoned performers and it seem that each one was a star and each one knew when to pull back or move forward to let the others shine. The drummer was also amazing.

Everything seemed in sync and planned--even down to the change in the curtains and lights to match the songs and vibe. There was a soft echo in my thoughts of Johnny Cash and June Carter because of how well matched Robert and Alison voices were.

I had never really gotten to watch Robert Plant step back-- or be one of the ones watching the show too--from where we were we could watch Robert or Alison take their breaks while T. Bone or the others were on stage. It really was a magical moment and I was also very shocked when they all came back and did that awesome encore and it seemed that no one was ready to go home or pack it up haha

A few times I got lost in the thought of how well this music fits Robert and kept thinking he is such a country boy...he could walk the southern crossroads and fit in with every good ol' boy from the deep American south and no one would be the wisest. Cowboy boots and all...

I think on the flip side I was expecting a more diverse crowd of people but I wasn't sure if it was because of the concert being in Nashville or just the style of music...the crowd seem to be more of an older mix of people. There were times that I felt that the songs echoed the "No Quarter" Plant and Page moment but with a whole refresh vibe which seems to be the way Robert Plant rearranges songs by adding new life to the past songs.

It was clear that the fans where there to be apart of something bigger than all of us and I did see a few people dancing but it was also interesting to notice that everyone seemed glued and mystified--At one point I wondered if everyone was breathing --I know there were moments I think I was holding my breath haha.

I did see a lot of photos and videos being taken and wasn't surprised to find clips on youtube. And I do hope there will be a professional recording of this marriage of styles. I want this on dvd or a live cd very badly. I did see one Led Zeppelin t-shirt haha I do have to request smaller t-shirts next time around...my 4 year old was very upset that she didn't get to go see her favorite singer but next time around I'll be sure to take her

I do hope this journey that Mr. Plant is going on continues but I know just when we are all comfortable with the experience-- Robert Plant has turned the corner and moved on to something even more enlightening-- And all we can do is follow the piper...

This show really was worth the eleven hour drive to see it and just for the record my step mom is now a fan of this long hair -well fit- older gentleman with the very nice voice and Alison's voice won her over from the first note...

It was clear that everyone on that stage was there for the music and for the fans...and the embrace the fans gave back had to be felt by all...and I know I can probably safely say--we will all be waiting for the next time.

I have renewed respect for Robert Plant and just can't stop loving that man...

PS...

Y'all come back now, you hear?