When Robert Plant and Alison Krauss strolled on stage Saturday night, they met in the middle and held hands briefly. For much of the rest of the night, their voices intertwined just as easily.
The music luminaries — Plant is the former singer of Led Zeppelin and Krauss is a bluegrass virtuoso — visited the Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown on their Can’t Let Go tour in their Pittsburgh debut.
For 90 minutes, the unlikely duo pleasingly traveled through more than a century of music history, whether it was New Orleans R&B, country, folk or the blues. And, of course, a few Led Zeppelin classics.
“We came here to bring a message. The message is just smile, just have a very nice time. Nothing too profound,” Plant told the pavilion-only crowd a few songs into the night. “If you can see your way to it, move your hips, shake your hips.”
The band then launched into Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll,” which brought the crowd to its feet. But this was no note-for-note replication of the 1971 classic; instead, it was a countrified shuffle, with guitarist JD McPherson trading multiple solos with Stuart Duncan on the fiddle.
.@RobertPlant and @AlisonKrauss playing Saturday night at @Pav_StarLake pic.twitter.com/NbJt7F6ItR
— Mike Palm (@MikePalmMedia) June 16, 2024
A building and brewing “Gallows Pole” was one of the night’s highlights, followed by “The Battle of Evermore” (with Krauss hitting all the high notes). Bats flew through the sky during this song, giving new meaning to the lyric of “The sky is filled with good and bad.”
The pre-encore closer of “When the Levee Breaks” offered a nod to Led Zeppelin’s “Friends” on the fiddle, as well as multiple false stops and a powerful ending.
The rest of the band — drummer Jay Bellerose, bassist Dennis Crouch and multi-instrumentalist Viktor Krauss (Alison’s brother) — provided a solid foundation, especially on “High and Lonesome,” which featured a heavy, rumbling vibe.
Of course, this project is more than Led Zeppelin covers and reinterpretations. Plant may have been used to the spotlight as the frontman of the 1970s biggest band, but the 75-year-old took a step back — literally and figuratively — on several songs, giving Krauss the spotlight as he offered background vocals and played the maracas.
Krauss’ powerful voice shined, especially on the melancholy “The Price of Love” and “Trouble With My Lover,” both from 2021’s “Raise the Roof,” their follow-up album to 2007’s “Raising Sand.” She also played the fiddle throughout the night, with a haunting “You Led Me to the Wrong” and “Please Read the Letter.”
And, considering the longevity of his career, Plant’s voice sounded strong but never overpowering. But the songs where the pair’s voices blended together — “Rich Woman” and “Last Kind Words Blues,” for example — showed the powerful connection they share. Plant at one point acknowledged that Krauss “sings like an angel.”
For an encore, they finished with a pair of covers from The Everly Brothers: “Stick With Me Baby” and “Gone Gone Gone.”
Saturday’s performance was just another milestone for Pittsburgh fans of Americana music, who have already been treated to Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and Bonnie Raitt this year. They’ll also have a visit from Lucinda Williams next week, plus the Outlaw Music Festival, with Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp, as well as Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson, to name a few.
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Pulling double duty, McPherson opened the show with his solo band. The guitarist played a 30-minute set of rockabilly/garage rock that looked to the past but never felt outdated. The set included a cover of Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life, a surf-tinged “On the Lips” and a toe-tapping “Let the Good Times Roll.”
.@jdmcphersonjr opening for @plantkrauss at @Pav_StarLake + a look at the merch pic.twitter.com/om2TspZ6le
— Mike Palm (@MikePalmMedia) June 15, 2024
