If nothing else will convince you, Allison Krauss’s voice will assure you there’s a God. Nothing so pure, sweet, and perfect could come about by accident.
Whitney and I went to The Louisville Palace last night for a performance of Allison Krauss and Union Station at 7:30. Being the last night of their two-night engagement at the Palace, the band was relaxed and playful, taking the audience through a setlist that ranged from haunting ballads to hard-thrumming bluegrass to more contemporary Country, mixing light banter and anecdotes along the way.
Jerry Douglass lent his signature Dobro to the rest of Union Station, made up of Allison doing both vocals and fiddle; Dan Tyminski on vocal, mandolin, and guitar; Ron Block on Banjo and Guitar; and Barry Bales on Bass. Their sound is tight and well-rehearsed, but retains the improvisational flair and virtuosity that keeps me coming back. Douglass is peerless on the Dobro, having redefined the instrument’s modern sound, and both Block and Tyminski amaze.
The concert itself ran for about 2 hours, with the band gathering around a single area microphone (an homage to the old Bluegrass radio programs) for their encores: Krauss and Tyminski singing the hauting “My Ain True Love”, the core of Union Station harmonizing ‘round Allison for “Down to the River to Pray”, and one final number I can’t remember.
Utterly amazing. Fills my heart just to know people still exist that play real instruments and sing without electronic “magic” assisting them.