Manchester Apollo, 13 July 2012

There are a few current musical acts on my must-see-live list and others that aren’t around any more to savour - through death or split or retirement. Sadly, I’ve missed so many live acts due to absence, travel, work, money but most importantly my previous lack of realisation that live is really where it’s at. High on my must-see list was Alison Krauss and Union Station following receipt of several studio and one superb live double album. Note that I mention Union Station, a band that transcends many others in its chosen genres and is so vital in what must be the world’s finest studio and onstage musical partnership.

It’s another dreary, wet night in Manchester - I cannot remember a summer as bad as this one - and as I walk towards the box office I notice equipment trucks but no fancy tour buses. However, there is a mini bus which I suspect transports the artists from a nearby hotel. I’m also feeling just a bit lucky as this UK leg of the tour only hits a few big cities before heading off back to the USA. It’s a fully seated sell-out show with a couple of welcome enhancements: there’s no support act and it starts dead-on 8pm.

Almost without exeption in my long experience of covering shows there’s one or more very inferior support acts and one is made to hang around till late for the main feature. Of course it helps the venue sell a lot more overpriced drinks but fans are wising up and missing the support acts…

The stage set for Krauss & Co couldn’t be simpler - all I spotted were a couple of small red candles burning where few would have noticed - with instruments and mics standing to attention. In fact there were no less than four vocal mics which indicates strongly how important this partnership between artist and band are, and the amount of talent we were about to witness. The lights dim, the polite cheers start and on troup the players who before long are playing one of my favourite tunes from the latest album, title track ‘Paper Airplanes’. Now I’ve read and heard Krauss’s voice compared with a bird’s. That’s actually incorrect. Listen to a bird sing and it’s not really smooth and fluid, rather, it’s bristly and very noisy (well most are). Krauss is something else. It’s as smooth as silk, relatively quiet (great sound job by the engineer here), effortless but expressive; it’s as natural as breathing or a gently flowing mountain stream.

In the past I’ve used the phrase, ’sounded just like the record’, and applied it to acts that were almost as good. But on the night Krauss & Co were truly perfect - vocally and instrumentally. In fact so much so that in the last ten years I’ve not heard a singer and band perform as well. The song is one of Krauus’s very best; it’s simple, slow-moving with the most gorgeous words and crescendo chorus. The instrumental performances are superb and come into their own with the next song, ‘Dustbowl Children’, where Krauss steps back from the limelight and lets Tyminski perform vocals while she reverts to violin and Ron BLock on banjo is pure magic. This is blue grass at its best and most vibrant with a hint of gospel
to provide depth to the message.

With ‘Sinking Stone’ the full beauty and quality of the harmonies is on show - I’ve never heard better from anyone, ever. Those four mics were put to maximum use as Douglas, Block and Tyminsky chimed in with vocal backing to melt the hardest of hearts. Then another of my favouirites, ‘Let Me Touch You For Awhile’, a classic Krauss song where she travels the vocal scale with Jerry Douglas lending a helping hand with the most wonderful dobro work. This lady has won more Grammies than just about any other woman and this song exemplifies just why. Then arrives another sad classic in ‘Ghost In The House’ with one of the most expressive and moving vocals of the night. The song moves along at the slowest pace which puts emphasis on the excellent lyrics. It’s perfect…

Then things a little more uptempo with probably my favourite Krauss song ‘Baby, Now That I’ve Found You’which brings out another powerful performance from Douglas. There are too many special songs and moments from this show to mention individually although the songs from the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? met with the greatest audience response. Union Station were incredible and especialy when allowed to perform on their own with the magnificent ‘The Boy Who Couldn’t How Corn’ with its amazing instrumental intro and fabulous Tyminski vocal (and later Krauss backing vocal) - a real toe-tapper this big-boy! Then there was the memorable moment when Jerry Douglas sailed off on his own with the tribute to Peador O’Donnel and song medley including the fabulous ‘Monkey Let The Hogs Out’.

Krauss was personable without going over the top but still held the audience vice-tight with her captivating vocal performance. The setlist echoed the best of an illustrious past right up to the latest album PAPER AIRPLANE - I lost track of time but we must be talking about a minimum 2-hour show. Union Station also deserve their place in musical history with a performance that can only be described as perfect - both vocally and instrumentally. This is a show that will live vibrantly in my memory till the day I die and I suspect her fans went home with similar thoughts.

As if you would like to revisit the show then buy ALISON KRAUSS + UNION STATION LIVE which is a double album released back in 2002.

Alison Krauss - Lead Vocals, fiddle, viola
Barry Bales - Bass
Ron Block - Guitar, banjo, backing vocals
Dan Tyminski - Vocals/backing vocals, guitar, mandolin
Jerry Douglas - Dobro, backing vocals

SETLIST

Paper Airplane, Dustbowl Children, Who’s Your Uncle, Daylight, Sinking Stone, Let me Touch You For Awhile, Ghost In This House, Baby Now That I’ve Found You, Rain Please Go Away, Sawing On The Strings, Wild Bill Jones, Every Time You say Goodbye, Medley (Jerry Douglas), Pastures Of Plenty, The Boy Who Couldn’t Hoe Corn, Dimming Of The Day, Man Of Constant Sorrow, When You say Nothing At All, Whiskey Lullaby, Down To The River To Pray, Your Long Journey, There Is A Reason.