By K.D. Norris
60-second Review
Alison Krauss with Union Station and the Cox siblings, with Steve Delopoulos opening, June 17, at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, Mi.
I will admit up front that I’m not much of a “classic country” kind of guy; nothing personal, just not much for a lot of Appalachian hymnals and broken-hearted love affairs.
Actually, I made a Meijer Gardens concert series date with Alison Krauss on Sunday night primarily on the expectation of hearing a couple songs from her stunning, now 10-year-old, pairing with ex-Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant on the T-Bone Burnett produced Raising Sand, one of my favorite albums in recent years.
And while my expectations were met — with her offering fine versions of Raising Sand’s “Let Your Loss be Your Lesson” and “Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us” as part of her 23-song, 95-minute set — Krauss’ mostly mellow mixture of country comfort and country sass was perfect for hot, steamy Michigan summer evening.
With the sterling vocal assistance of siblings Sidney and Suzanne Cox, Sidney’s excellent work on the dobro, and the tight accompaniment of the core of Krauss’ long-time band Union Station, the sell-out crowd clearly enjoyed a night of … you guessed it … Appalachian hymnals and songs of broken-hearted love affairs.
Krauss’ voice, one of the most unique in all music, not just country music, was sonically sweet, her violin work was fine in ensemble and, when she felt so inclined, very strong in the lead, as she relied mostly on songs from her 2017 release Windy City and her last release of originals with Union Station, 2011’s Paper Airplane.
My favorites of the night were unique covers of Willie Nelson’s “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground”, Glen Campbell’s “Gentle on my Mind” (actually written by John Hartford), and, as part of her 3-song encore, Keith Whitley’s “When You Say Nothing at All.” Ya, I know: all classic country. But, hey, good is good.
I guess the biggest compliment I can give Krauss is that her songs from Raising Sand will simply be pleasant afterthoughts.
May I have more, please?
One of the best things about well-known performers breezing through Meijer Gardens is the sometimes unknown performers they bring as opening acts. In the case of Ms. Krauss: Steven Delopoulos — a New Jersey singer/songwriter who took the stage with only his acoustic guitar, his pleasingly sparse vocal range and often raw, occasionally nonsensical, song lyrics.
Almost from the moment he took the stage during an 8-song, 40-minute set, I saw Delopoulos as the physical and musical reincarnation of one of my favorite 1970s singer/songwriters, Harry Chapin. (If your old enough, remember “Taxi” and “Cats in the Cradle”?) I liked that a lot.
I loved it, however, when, either responding to a request from the crowd or pulling it out of his regular set list, Delopoulos offered up a stripped-down version of fellow New Jerseyite Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road”.
Marched right down after the set and put down some cold, hard cash for the singer’s Straight Jacket LP. I figure Jersey Steve will go perfectly with a hit of Jamison Irish whisky on a soon-to-come cool fall night.
Also, a quick glance at the ongoing Meijer Gardens concert list, and concerts with originally-priced tickets still available, finds 10 of the remaining 23 shows have not yet sold out, including Seal this week, June 20, as well as three I’m looking forward to: Joe Jackson on July 20, Lyle Lovett on Aug. 27, and +Live+ to close the season on Sept. 3.
For more information visit meijergardens.com .
