The Robert Plant and Alison Krauss tour made its way to Eugene, Oregon’s Cuthbert Amphitheater last night…August 19th, 2024.
When the two singers hit the stage at 8 PM the sun was still shining and they could see the 5,000 fans in the sold out amphitheater. The show kicked off with three of the duo’s best tracks…”Rich Woman”, their fun remake of 60s hit “Fortune Teller”, and the first hit from their latest album “Can’t Let Go”. Their harmony was perfect, and both voices sounded great. It’s a wonder that 76-year-old Robert Plant (his birthday is today) still retains such a powerful, and at times subtle voice.
The much younger (53) Alison Krauss of course has one of the most beautiful voices in music, and she could also match Plant’s power. The sound at the concert was very well-mixed, and the supporting band was everything you could want for these multi-Grammy-winning artists.
If you’re familiar with the two very successful albums by Plant & Krauss, you know their sound is unique. Besides the standard guitars, bass & drums, they featured two violins (one by Krauss), a banjo, and mandolin. Somehow the combination of a Bluegrass/Country artist and a Hard Rock artist works. It’s probably based on how well they can blend their voices, along with the guidance of Oscar winning producer T Bone Burnett.
It was a little surprising how much Robert Plant dominated the music that was selected. He had many more lead vocals than Krauss, and about one-third of the setlist featured Led Zeppelin songs cleverly arranged for these musicians…who could really rock when needed. Plant also served as host for the evening, often with a fun touch. Here’s the setlist (from setlist.fm, blue ink links are not active).
In Eugene they shifted their first hit single “Gone Gone Gone” to be the second and final song of the encore.
Alison Krauss of course had some great lead vocals (such as on “The Price Of Love”), and she also provided many excellent harmony vocals and significant violin parts throughout the evening. The innovative arranging included two violins substituting for Jimmy Page guitar leads on some hard-rocking Led Zeppelin favorites.
The concert by the two stars lasted about an hour-and-a-half, and they “batted a thousand” with the songs they performed.
Fans of their music can be sure that they present a concert worthy of all those Grammys they’ve won. Here are a couple more photos from the end of the show.
There are other articles on the site about Alison Krauss (including close-up photos from her 2011 concert in Bend, Oregon), and about the recordings of Plant and Krauss.
Loved looking at the photos and reading
Was at this concert there was a blue moon that evening enjoyed it so much love these guys. Their vocals blend so nice what a perfect evening!!