How new music from Led Zeppelin could eschew the new-music/bathroom-break paradox

Put yourself in the shoes of your favorite classic rock act.

Your band got back together and decided to have another go at it. It's been a while, but the chemistry is there, and you're juiced about some new music you're writing and rehearsing.

But your new music has not seen the light of day outside of a rehearsal studio, and you're not sure how well it would be received if you played it live alongside the many hits your fans would expect to hear. Bob Lefsetz describes the dilemma:

"[W]hen people go to the show today, they only want to hear the hits. They don't want to hear anything new. And when you do fire up your new compositions, they immediately go to the bathroom, got get a drink. New material is like the obligatory drum solo of yore, signal for a break.

"Therefore, every act that is not a flash in the pan is an oldies act. The customer, paying an overinflated price for a ducat, feels he DESERVES to hear the hits. That's why you charged him so much, right? ...

"You want to grow. But your audience won't let you. They don't want to hear anything new."

Lefsetz continues on in yesterday's post to offer what I consider a pretty good suggestion that could guide new music from any classic rock act, including Led Zeppelin, toward acceptance among fans -- so as to avoid the new-music/bathroom-break paradox.

The new album -- or even a disc or electronic download with only the songs you intend to play live -- comes complimentary with your advance concert ticket purchase. That way, fans can play it ahead of time and become acquainted with it and grow to love. It'll be something they actually want to hear because it fits in with the old stuff!

"If all the money is in touring, why are you trying to sell your music? Doesn't it make more sense to give it away, in the hope that people will have a better concert experience?

"... [I]f the $100 ticket came with the new material, the audience would be motivated to play the new stuff, in ANTICIPATION of the show. After a while, this will become the new behavior, people will know to listen to the free new music, because that's what the act is going to play!

"Even the Eagles. How many hits do they have? That's all people want to hear. But the band finally made a new album, they'd like to stretch out on stage. How do they keep the audience from being disinterested? By making sure each and every customer has the new music in ADVANCE!

"... If you're a touring act, you've got to stop thinking of your new music as a revenue source. Rather, it's an investment in your career, its vitality, its longevity. The key is to get it in as many hands as possible so your sphere of influence, your customer base, doesn't shrink, but GROWS!

"... As it is, you're announcing your tour almost a year before it happens, getting all that revenue up front, before anybody else does... If you give away the music with the ticket, the audience has a long time to become familiar with it! Hell, the dropping of the album and the on sale date happen simultaneously!"

So, what say you part-time Zep marketing strategists? Time has changed since 1980. Audiences, their demand, their expectations, have all changed. Could new Zep material be distributed as explained above? Would this do the trick? Could Led Zeppelin successfully adapt in the 21st century and help forge new behavior among its listening audience, the same way Led Zeppelin of yore revolutionized the 90-10 split?

Do Jimmy and Jonesy realize...?

Robert Plant's entire professional career has been one of constant evolution. When Led Zeppelin evolved as a band, Robert evolved as a singer. When Led Zeppelin broke up, Robert found new ways to branch out. When he made peace with his past, he discovered ways to redevelop the music of his past while never failing to forge new territory ahead.

Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones must be cognizant of this; after all, they're in the middle of it all. They're more aware of it than is any hack who's typing up opinions on a BlackBerry after a day's work in Washington, D.C., right?

But exactly how deep is their appreciation for how far Robert has come in the 28 years since Led Zeppelin ceased functioning as a creative force?

How many times do you think they have spun Robert's album with Alison Krauss to know what Raising Sand is all about? How many shows have they caught on their tour, which went to the United Kingdom last week?

Think either has watched enough Strange Sensation videos over the past eight years to understand Robert's passion in the Dreamland and Mighty ReArranger albums?

I don't think it's appropriate to consider the possibility of any future Led Zeppelin activity without fully comprehending the disparate personalities involved and the places in which those people must find themselves, and each other.

Any modern-day, full-length Led Zeppelin concert would, by all expectations, necessarily have to be more like that concert in London last December than any show before it. It's just natural and proper to assume this.

That means the inevitable numbers cannot be pulled. And we all know which ones those are. The band would be forever maligned if any of the following five did not make it into the set list of a 2008/2009 show: "Black Dog," "Since I've Been Loving You," "Dazed and Confused," "Stairway to Heaven" and "Whole Lotta Love."

Dare to put on a Led Zeppelin concert without those at this time, and nothing would be closer to professional suicide. Somebody, somewhere, would paint Led Zeppelin as irrelevant old folks who don't know how to pander to the masses when that's what they should be doing.

So, half your set list has already been dictated by popular demand. That much is set in stone.

Sure, save for "Dazed," these songs never dropped from Zep set lists once they made it into the live act. And Page, Plant, Jones and Jason Bonham had no problem playing them back then. They were in charge.

Someone at or near age 60 deserves better than to be told what to do. It must be frustrating when that happens.

On top of that, it's probably true that there are many songs a modern-day Led Zeppelin concert should ignore. Basically, anything not performed by Led Zeppelin by 1980 falls into that category.

Plant, Page and Jones have been fond of working cover songs into their own live sets and onto their solo albums since then. But it would be seen as heresy for Page to insist on adding Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" to a Zep set, or for Jones to demand "Down to the River to Pray" stuck in between a couple of acoustic songs.

This is especially more challenging to Plant, who has never shied away from a good cover.

I mean, you can play "We're Gonna Groove" and "Gallows Pole" and "In My Time of Dying" at a Led Zeppelin concert. Even though they're (basically) covers, they're fair game because the original Zeppelin touched them.

But two of Plant's three most recent albums have been almost entirely made up of covers. Led Zeppelin never played songs by Gene Clark, Arthur Lee, the Everly Brothers, Stephen Stills or Skip Spence, so there are an awful lot of cover songs he favors that wouldn't quite fit into a Zep show.

Not only that, but it's also natural that Led Zeppelin shows would force the band members to ignore performing any songs from their outside projects. Who stands to suffer the most from this? Again, it's Plant, who since 1980 has taken part in eight albums of new material.

Imagine a Led Zeppelin concert that ignores Page's unremarkable solo album, Outrider, and any of the work by his other bands, the Firm and Coverdale/Page. Totally believable and appropriate, isn't it?

What are you giving up by ignoring JPJ's solo work? Mostly some great instrumentals spread across three albums.

Ignore Robert's post-Zep career in a concert, and there's a whole lot more auspiciously missing.

He went out and played some shows like that in 1998, playing to the big houses with Jimmy Page, and note how Plant ended up pulling the plug by the end of the year.

Tell Robert he isn't free to reproduce certain material onstage, and you may have yourself a dealbreaker, folks.

It is these factors that make a Led Zeppelin show seem restrictive to the creative process and to future evolution.

Fans who argue Page, Plant and Jones ought to write new material are kidding themselves if they think new songs will be given a fighting chance in a live setting. No matter how good it is, it would still be deemed a bathroom break. There's no room for a bathroom break in the Led Zeppelin legacy.

All in all, the band's own legacy is the hindrance that may keep the group from reforming yet again. It stands to be tainted.

The uneducated rumor mill says Led Zeppelin will be touring soon. And further, Whitesnake is opening for them. I'm going to laugh myself silly. There's absolutely no way this story has any credibility today.

And the money? Please. That won't change Robert's mind. Not now, not ever. "Tour" is a bad word. Maybe Led Zeppelin would agree to play a few charity events, but probably not more than about eight. He definitely isn't interested in the "T" word. It's just not about the money.

Personally, I don't see how a Led Zeppelin reunion could be anything more than just a few charity benefits and a huge commitment.

New online-only videos span Led Zeppelin's career

The other day, I chortled when I read a comment on this blog from my friend Rich, requesting some live Zeppelin clips rather than live clips of Zep covers from a music festival in 2008 where no Led Zeppelin members even appeared. He has a point!

It just so happens that some vintage live Zeppelin performances are being uploaded to Youtube these days with the approval of the band. The LedZeppelin Youtube channel is officially sanctioned by the group, so some video and audio clips are now seeing their official release exclusively online.

The channel has some clips from their previous official releases. Who could forget this excerpt of the powerful "I Can't Quit You Baby" from the Royal Albert Hall in 1970?

...or this funky version of "The Ocean" performed at Madison Square Garden in 1973?

...or the classic and penultimate take on "Kashmir" from the Knebworth 1979 shows?

But what's especially interesting to see are some of the videos added over the past couple of weeks whose release the band had heretofore withheld authorizing.

Chris Welch took some 8mm footage of the group on tour in West Germany in July 1970. Now these clips have been edited together and come to life with the soundtrack of "Celebration Day" supplied for effect.

An outstanding performance of "Sick Again" from the L.A. Forum in 1977 is presented in full with several sources supplying great angles of Jimmy Page in his white dragon suit wielding his double-neck guitar, and the rest of the guys doing what they do best. This montage was spliced together by Sam Rapallo, webmaster of the official Led Zeppelin Web site, www.ledzeppelin.com.

The band takes flight in this 8mm footage shot on location in Pittsburgh in 1973 outside the Starship. This was the location of a famous photo shoot in which the band poses next to their touring plane with Robert Plant opening his arms wide. The first half of the footage is accompanied by Page's guitar instrumental "Bron-Y-Aur," until we arrive at the concert. Then, snippets of that night's version of "Rock and Roll" and "Black Dog" kick in with the visuals synched up to the tunes.

Cut to a year earlier in San Bernardino, Calif., where the band can be seen and heard ripping up a version of "The Song Remains the Same" a whole year before it was released. Page's guitar antics continue in the middle of his "Heartbreaker" solo. This also includes snippets of "Black Dog," "Stairway to Heaven" and Page's violin bow solo from "Dazed and Confused." Remarkably, before the footage ends with a brief snippet of "Whole Lotta Love," we get a glimpse of a rare onstage performance of "The Crunge."

Here's a version of "Kashmir" recorded in Los Angeles the year it came out on album. That Mellotron John Paul Jones plays may not be quite in tune, but what else would you expect from a 1975 performance?

Fast-forward two years, again in Los Angeles, and this time there's nearly 10 minutes' worth of Led Zeppelin performing. This 8mm footage includes a shot of Jones at his keyboard during "Trampled Underfoot" and another of John Bonham during his "Over the Top" drum solo. Page can be seen performing portions of a guitar solo that preceded "Achilles Last Stand." But the biggest surprise of the night comes five-and-a-half minutes into the video, when Led Zeppelin welcomes a rare guest onstage -- namely Keith Moon, drummer for the Who. With Keith at Plant's microphone and Plant at the drums, hilarity ensues! Moon then sticks around to play timpani and tambourine for the encores, and Page marks the one-off occasion with an out-of-tune string heard a few times at the beginning of "Rock and Roll."

There are also segments from several shows on Led Zeppelin's final tour. Catch up with them in 1980 at their destinations in Munich:

...and Zurich:

...and Rotterdam.

Led Zeppelin's music featured at MerleFest

While Led Zeppelin didn't make an appearance at MerleFest 2008 (was anybody predicting this?), the group's music did. The Waybacks chose to perform Led Zeppelin II in its entirety for the Hillside Album Hour on Saturday afternoon. Here are some clips from that performance:

John Paul Jones has been semi-regular at the annual MerleFest in North Carolina over the past five years. He first attended in 2004 when he was taking mandolin lessons from Chris Thile. He returned the following year, performing together as members of Mutual Admiration Society. In 2007, Jones performed again at MerleFest, sitting in with Uncle Earl, the Sam Bush Band, Donna the Buffalo and the Duhks.

This year, Jones was assumedly overseas, readying for an onstage performance April 30 with Robyn Hitchcock at Bergenfest in Norway.

Where things currently stand between Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin

Here's a topic that will never go away. Where do things stand between Robert Plant and his former bandmates in Led Zeppelin?

Well, the topic would go away if he were joining them. Rumor has it that Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones are playing with Jason Bonham in a London rehearsal studio, aiming to write some new music.

I can confirm for sure that Robert Plant isn't there. I just saw him two nights in a row in Tennessee. I can also confirm that Jimmy, Jonesy and Jason were not there. (Members of the Spin Doctors were at the Chattanooga show though, down a few seats from Alison Krauss's parents.)

Robert's concerts with Alison contain a few examples of what I would call "Zeppelin moments." What I'm referring to do has nothing to do with the song choice. It has everything to do with Plant's enthusiasm and energy while he's performing. The band gets tight and in the pocket, and once they achieve that, they can become loose. And a Zeppelin moment is not a Zeppelin moment solely because it is tight but loose, or because there is light and shade (which there certainly is in Plant and Krauss's song arrangements). A Zeppelin moment is defined by the presence of unbridled emotion. There were two distinct Zeppelin moments in Knoxville: They came in "Hey Hey, What Can I Do" and "The Battle of Evermore." There were also two distinct Zeppelin moments in Chattanooga, and they weren't even in Zeppelin songs! (I know I'm going out on a limb here. Love me or hate me; agree with me or disagree with me. Just don't shoot the messenger. I know what I felt at the show.) The Zeppelin moments in Chattanooga were in Townes Van Zandt's "Nothin'" and the Page-Plant song "Please Read the Letter." There, I said it.

In his constant and ongoing evolution since 1980, Robert has written and covered songs that mean as much to him as the ones he wrote with Led Zeppelin. Songs by Arthur Lee, Bukka White, Skip Spence and Gene Clark hold personal meaning to Robert, as much as tunes by Willie Dixon, Blind Willie Johnson and Memphis Minnie did to him in the Zeppelin era. He has spent more than 20 years latching onto those influences and writing incredible solo material. And in that time, we witnessed him first abandoning the Zeppelin material and then re-embracing it, arguably even improving on it. Along the way, he has come to terms with his history, becoming able to play Led Zeppelin songs in concert once again, and even without making it necessary to share the stage with Jimmy Page or John Paul Jones (or, hell, for that matter, Jason Bonham). Robert has come to terms with who he is.

Know who he is? Lyricist for "Black Dog." Lyricist for "The Battle of Evermore." Singer on "Black Country Woman." Lyricist and bluesy belter on "Hey Hey What Can I Do." Singer on "When the Levee Breaks." All of that, and more. Think he's ashamed of that? Hell no!

["Misty Mountain Hop" and "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)" aside, right? And his self-inflicted Spinal Tap references notwithstanding.]

Point is, he's come to terms with his past life as Led Zeppelin's dynamic frontman and has discerned a way to make that complement everything he's doing today, whether it be with the Strange Sensation or Alison Krauss or whatever. What he's doing is commercially viable, and it's lately been dramatically successful, both commercially and critically, moreso than anything else he's done recently.

But notice the words I've just slipped by you? "Past life" as Led Zeppelin's singer. Probably didn't make you flinch. Probably not. He was Led Zeppelin's singer in 1980. Yeah, he did it again a few months ago, but it was as foreign to him playing a fourpiece version of "In My Time of Dying" as it was for us, the listeners. He didn't know what to do onstage when approaching that song. He's said as much himself; listen to David Fricke's interview with him in Rolling Stone if you don't believe me! Robert Plant was unsure of how to carry himself heading to the stage in London this December. Why? Because he had to go back in time, way back in time, to get there. Mentally. Personally. Maybe physically. Zeppelin was how many years in the past? We're talking 1980, so what's that? 2007 minus 1980... That's 27 years!? Sounds like "past" to me, over a quarter of a century.

Ok, let's use the word "challenging" here. You tell me, I'm a dumb guy here. What's more challenging: doing something you've already done, decades ago, and proved recently you can still do, or spreading your wings and trying something brand new? Which is more challenging? To be sure, I'm talking about the difference between singing on a Led Zeppelin tour that would be teeming with the "Ramble On"s and the "Rock and Roll"s that come with a tour.... And oh yeah, don't forget "Stairway to Heaven"... Difference between that and what he's doing now, the Raising Sand 2008 tour.

One of my biggest lasting visual impressions of the shows the past two days is of Robert sharing a single microphone with two other male singers, with Alison Krauss a few feet away delvering a spiritual number. He's harmonizing with these guys. He's humbling himself. In Knoxville, I tried to figure out which of the three male voices was his, and I couldn't. Have no clue. Promised myself to listen more closely in Chattanooga and figure out for sure who was who. And I was a lot closer to the stage and I blocked off all distractions and put nothing between me and the sound and visuals coming at me. Know what? I still have no clue which voice was Robert Plant's. No clue! My favorite singer in the world! And I couldn't tell you if that voice was his or that of some dudes named Buddy Miller or Stuart Duncan. And that's the whole point. He blended so well. He's working out with this thing. Now you tell me what's challenging. Not only challenging but enticing. Plant may view it as reverting to the past or repeating history unnecessarily to try out a Led Zeppelin tour and give that another go. Even if there's the call of new material, it may not be enough to draw his interest.

And bear in mind, as my traveling mate just reminded me, there aren't enough doctors in the world to support a Led Zeppelin tour.

Above photo from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss concert Knoxville, Tenn., courtesy of Bruce "The Buckeye"

LedZeppelinNews.com review of Plant-Krauss show in Knoxville, Tenn.

Photo from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss concert in Knoxville, Tenn., courtesy of Bruce "The Buckeye"

8:57 lights out. A soft musical intro rich with fiddles is cued onstage. The band members take their instruments, with T Bone. Taking center stage for ampment. The golden god steps on from stage left. The dazzling bluegrass angel steps on from the opposite side. "Rich Woman" has started, and we're underway in Knoxville.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss both have long, flowing, curly blond hair. Alison's ruffles are sweetly swaying. She's checking out the action between lines. Plant, on the other hand'is just snapping his fingers and moving his body from the waist up. To me, that's what cool is. He's smiling, they're looking back and forth at each other, and he's right on for every musical cue.

They're even gesturing to one another for the lyrics 'She's got the money, and I've got the honey." Plant seems to be amused by this. Plant owns the song a few different times too' after choruses when he adds a few ad libbed lines and at the song's end when he moves with the final note.

"Leave My Woman Alone" is a faster number that wouldn't have been out of place on the album. Alison's got a fiddle with her for this one. Plant's taking care of the verses here, the country star he is these days. That black button-down shirt and graying beard of his don't seem very out of place in this setting. On this third show of the tour, and having already picked up a CMT award last week, he's fitting in quite well into this new role. Which may be why the next song also works in this act.

"Black Dog" isn't the pounding thumper it was in 1971. Now it's arranged quietly, with a banjo picking the riff. Thank goodness that riff's not lost! Robert and Alison grace us with the opening line, and folks recognizing it are appreciative. The guy next to me is laughing with amusement. Each line of the song is greeted with loud screams. The place loves it! Robert beckons the crowd to echo back the "ahh ahh"s -- I would really prefer to listen to the band during those parts though! This arrangement is brooding and it cooks. A violin solo takes the place of a guitar solo, filling the place well.

For "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us," Robert takes his seat on a stool behind Alison where no spotlight is on him. He's oohing and ahhing behind her on this tune from the Sam Philips catalog, which she is nailing on both vocals and that set of strings she loves to wield. Robert's intent gaze is on her during her instrumental interludes. The tempo is a tad lower than on the album, which is a welcome fact. Alison remains the center of attention for "Through the Morning, Through the Night." Three-part harmony gets us through portions of this tune, courtesy of Plant and Stuart Duncan, who has already established himself as a multi-instrumentalist.

The logical thing to do after a two-song Alison spotlight is to do the same for Robert. Well, he gets that for the next song, "Fortune Teller," which is delivered with amazing conviction. Then even better is a two-song hit of Led Zeppelin material. Plant says "Black Country Woman" was very Tennessee. For the later verses, he and Krauss are singing their hearts out, and the PA is at max volume as it was for the choruses of "Through the Morning, Through the Night." The next song is the best-received so far, "Hey Hey What Can I Do." Toward the end of it, he's singing like he did back in Zeppelin days, and it really shows how much he is into this. Give this man a break!

And he gets one. A long one. T Bone Burnett leads the band in a few, "The Rat Age" and "Levez les Bons Temps Rouler." Alison's take on "Trampled Rose" follows, with "Green Pastures" next. Finally, Plant is back to sing with Stuart Duncan and Billy Miller in a three-man harmony part backing Alison on "Down to the River to Pray." I'll have to listen again tomorrow because I couldn't identify which part -- low, medium or high -- Robert was singing.

The next song was all his. "Nothin'" featured a slightly different arrangement compared to the one on their album. To me, the album version works better, but this one still maintained a measure of light and shade, which is what the song demands.

Plant and Krauss return to duo mode now for a soft "Killing the Blues." Alison absolutely shines on the solo piece "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson," which Robert watches from the side of the stage with a can of something in hand.

"When the Levee Breaks" sounds like it has been combined with another song. For another assignment, I'll have to figure out what those additional lyrics are from. Anyway, the tune works. This is really hot. After this is "The Battle of Evermore" in probably the best live arrangment it's ever been in. Alison weaves in and out of it in fine fashion, although I must admit it seemed she was not completely sure of her parts and Robert was coaching her through it. They sounded great together again on "Please Read the Letter," the third song in a row that Jimmy Page helped Plant to introduce to audiences through the years.

A glimmering backdrop is revealed behind the stage for "Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)" to make it look like their CMT award-winning video. And it sounds just like it too!

Never forget: Nurses do it better.

That's about all I'm posting now. More from Chattanooga after tomorrow's show!

Fan details first Plant-Krauss show

The following is posted with permission of its author, Tim Druck:

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Louisville, Kentucky
The Palace
April 18, 2008

Lineup:

• Robert Plant - Vocals
• Alison Krauss - Vocals and fiddles
• T Bone Burnett - Guitars and vocals
• Stuart Duncan - Guitars and mandolins
• Buddy Miller - Guitars, mandolins, pedal steel and autoharp
• Dennis Crouch - Bass and banjo
• Jay Bellerose - Drums and percussion

Robert Plant is alive and well, and what a show. This evening saw the triumphant return of a golden god, accompanied by the voice of an angel, who held her own even in the glare of one of rock's brightest stars.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss took the stage with a roar of approval from the crowd – Robert particularly drawing cheers but gracefully diverting attention to Alison and T Bone Burnett. Robert enters wearing a grey-on-grey suit coat embroidered with flowers over a black/purple iridescent vest, white ruffled shirt and worn, faded jeans – he's playing every bit the old codger, moving slowly and shuffling hump-backed around the stage, eyeing Alison up and down as she faces away, then he looks away when she notices and grins. No funny business here – this is a professional relationship. Alison is gorgeous in a spaghetti-strap red-and-white checkered dress that strikes her just below the knee – a simple country-girl cotton dress that seems to suit Robert just fine. T Bone is resplendent in a charcoal blazer over a bright blue Nehru-collared vest with about 15 buttons and gray slacks cut like 1890s pants – what a star. The rest of the band is appropriately subdued and watching just like the rest of us as the magic unfolds.

The ensemble tears through a gorgeous rendition of "Rich Woman" and a very naughty-looking Alison singing straight through "Leave My Woman Alone" without ever changing a lyric – Robert notices and approves. Robert is still doing the stiff codger thing, snapping his fingers and looking very Tony Bennett. Off comes Robert's jacket at the end of the song, just as a very familiar tune comes from the banjo – the crowd erupts in recognition, and a very different "Black Dog" pleases the jam-packed and very fired-up Louisville crowd.

Alison treats us to a ghostly "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us" with Robert singing backup, and Robert stays in backup mode for a simply crackling "Through the Morning, Through the Night," Alison at her best, the heartbreak dripping from her adorable twang and Robert soaking up her tears with a very good baritone. Robert steps out front for "Fortune Teller" and thrills us by just being Robert, telling us at the end that "Now I gets my fortune read for free."

What? Surely not! A Physical Graffiti appearance – Alison really into it as the crowd explodes at recognition of "Black Country Woman." It's everything you would think it is, Alison and Robert shouting soul at each other and the outstanding band bringing wonderful rhythms out of the percussion section.

Here's an oddity – a sudden, unexplained appearance of "29 Palms" and the first time all night that Robert and Alison seem uncomfortable. I don't think Alison likes this one. Sung well, but a bit of a flat spot.

Here Robert introduces "the mastermind of this whole project," T Bone Burnett, and he and Alison leave the stage while T Bone and band blast through an expert set with a dirty, Keith Richards feel ... "Waiting for a Long Time," and "Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler ("Let the Good Times Roll" in French)" – the music is good but the crowd is getting restless.

Alison returns for a simply spot-on perfect, soaring vocal on "Trampled Rose." Angelic under white light, this amazing voice just seems to pour from her whenever she opens her mouth, effortlessly. The band is ghostly behind her, the dark aura of the music returning and the audience silent, spellbound, erupting for a standing ovation after the song.

The crowd is silent again for a truly amazing Alison vocal (does she ever tire?) on the legendary Emmylou Harris' "Green Pastures." Robert on very close harmony backup, with just bassist Dennis Crouch and guitarist Stuart Duncan accompanying them, and again a very appreciative crowd erupting at the end – Alison interrupts the crowd by starting the spiritual "Down in the River to Pray," a cappella, as Robert gathers guitarists Stuart Duncan and Buddy Miller to hum tenor background, then full background, the singers sounding like an old-time church choir and the audience not sure how to act, wanting to cheer but right now they're in church and they know they better not act up.

Robert leads us through Townes Van Zandt's "Nothin'." Introduces the band.

Alison joins up for what's become a parade of very pretty songs – who'd have thought? "Killing the Blues" is an interesting twist for a lady you almost didn't believe a few songs ago when she told you she wasn't capable of killing a man. Robert's mostly in backup mode again, and deflecting attention to Alison, who's polite to him and not quite sure what to make of this superstar attention and rock-and-roll crowd.

The crowd knows what to do though, and cheers them on. Robert and the band start playing and singing about old Rosie ... my girl ... the mournful fiddles foreshadowing what's next ... can it be? "If it keeps on raining, the levee's gonna break ..." Only this is a funeral dirge, slow and nasty with Alison's wail over Robert's apparition and the thunderous drums of Jay Bellerose.

More? Stuart Duncan strolls around behind Robert and Alison and, out of nowhere, those ethereal first chords of "The Battle of Evermore" and those who ever suggested they do this one are proven right in an instant, as the spare arrangement and Alison Krauss turn this into a treat not heard since Sandy Denny herself – listen to this, Najma!

Here comes "Please Read the Letter." I'm so wrung out after this night that I just can't write anymore. "Gone Gone Gone." Lots of crowd noise calling for encores. Encores. Good God, go see this show. Beg, borrow, steal.

Set list:

• Rich Woman
• Leave My Woman Alone
• Black Dog
• Sister
• Rosetta Goes Before Us
• Through the Morning, Through the Night
• Fortune Teller
• Black Country Woman
• 29 Palms
• Waiting for a Long Time
• Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler
• Trampled Rose
• Green Pastures
• Down in the River to Pray
• Nothin'
• Killing the Blues
• When the Levee Breaks
• The Battle of Evermore
• Please Read the Letter
• Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)

Encores:

• Stick With Me Baby
• One Woman Man
• Your Long Journey

I also want to talk about the opener. This young lady from Philly was introduced as "CBS recording artist Sharon Little." A few songs later you discover she was a waitress a few months ago ... between songs she seems almost embarassed, but when the music starts, she gives a sultry-voiced, hip-grinding, basement juke-joint, down and dirty set that stunned the enthusiastic crowd and earned a hearty standing ovation at the end. This girl is the real deal, and if there's any justice in the world, she'll be huge. If I had to describe her, I'd say if Chris Robinson impregnated Gwen Stefani and she was raised by Alannah Miles, that would be pretty close. Her name is Sharon Little, her CD drops May 27, and you should listen. Let's get behind this young lady and make sure we hear from her for a long, long time.

Set list:

• Follow That Sound
• Set You Free
• Holdin' On
• Ooh Wee
• What Gets in the Way
• Try