Krauss and Plant in Perfect Harmony

June 13
Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland

recommended beverage:
they have Hoegaarden. 'Nough said.

One has to marvel at how these two cats, from opposite ends of the musical universe, came together but it's a wondrous joy they did. Bluegrass queen Alison Krauss and Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant put on a stunning show at Merriweather.

They played some songs from their debut album as a duo, Raising Sand, and an array of covers in a repertoire that touched on a range of musical genres: bluegrass, folk, rock, and gospel. Of course, they threw in some Zep, rearranged quite a bit, likely the work of T-Bone Burnett who plays in their band. The three Zeppelin tunes were "Black Dog" (turned into a ballad!), "Black Country Woman," and "The Battle of Evermore."

The harmonies were gorgeous and Plant often yielded to Krauss to spotlight her violin playing or voice. Krauss sings like an angel, but seemed uncomfortable with all the attention. Her singing on "Trampled Rose" was nothing short of majestic.

Before their three-song encore, they ended the set with the Everly Brothers cover "Gone, Gone, Gone," currently tearing up the airwaves.

Photos by ClubD.