I think I had a semi-religious conversion experience last night when Dan and I went to see Alison Krauss and Union Station in concert. I have seen a great many concerts in my life. Live music performances just never cease to mesmerize me, and I frequently annoy Dan with my immediate willingness to fork over large chunks of money to see an artist perform live. I get the impression that a lot of people just figure if they have the CD, they can live without going to the concert. I am not one of those people. I love concerts for their loudness and the cheering and the opportunity to just sit and actually focus on the music, which isn’t usually how you listen to music if you think about it. I love concerts even more than I love chocolate, and that is saying something. So needless to say, I was thrilled when Dan got me tickets to see Alison Krauss and Union Station live in Albuquerque. I’ve heard they put on a great show, and I figured it would be a lot of fun.
However, prior to last night, I didn’t really count Alison Krauss among my “all-time, top five, desert island” favorite artists, to quote a line from an excellent movie which I will give you a nickel if you name. I liked her a lot, yes, but I kind of figured I could get by without her music if I had to.
Well.
About ten minutes into the concert, I repented of my wicked ways and I am now ready to declare that Alison Krauss and Union Station may just be the finest musical group of our time. I swear, people, it was like watching magicians levitate giant boulders with their minds or shoot lightning out of their hands, that’s how amazing it was seeing them perform. I have never seen anything like it. There is really no way to understand how complex the music is until you see it performed live. That realization alone is jaw-dropping. But they played these incredibly complicated songs like they were tying their shoes or brushing their teeth, or doing something else that normal people do all the time. Like it was nothing. You know how when you hear a recorded song, it’s almost too perfect, and you think “There’s no way that’s real. It’s got to be spliced and digitally vamped up somehow to sound like that.” I really thought that about Alison Krauss and Union Station. I just thought there was no way that that many people could possibly play that many notes and not mess one up somewhere along the way.
Again, I repent. They were flawless. And hilarious. Who knew that Alison Krauss was a funny woman? That just doesn’t really come across in the music, I suppose, but between songs she would tell these stories that made you spit out your Coke you were laughing so hard. And then they would take you right out of that laughing and make you want to cry with one of those heartbreakingly-sad songs they play so well. It was the single most entertaining show I have ever attended, and I was amazed when Dan told me they had played for two and a half hours, because it just went by so quickly.
I don’t even know what else to tell y’all except that if you EVER get the opportunity to see them live, you should run and not walk to get tickets. It’s well worth your money.
Hallelujah, world without end, amen.
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Comments (11)
Haley, I am so jealous and green with envy! I thought about you enjoying your evening as I was chasing a naked baby around the house, trying to get her in the bath tub. I feel the same as you do about attending a concert. There is nothing like being right there! I will definitely go to their concert if they ever come near me again! SO JEALOUS!!!!
Posted by Shanelle | March 7, 2005 4:29 PM
Posted on March 7, 2005 16:29
Oh, Shanelle. You would have LOVED it. I thought about you and wished you were there ... but in any case, wherever you guys end up moving next, you can probably see them somewhere. They do a pretty extensive tour .. all over the northeast, and California, and Colorado and just everywhere. Next time they tour, maybe we can go together.
Posted by Haley | March 7, 2005 4:51 PM
Posted on March 7, 2005 16:51
High Fidelity?
I'm jealous, too!!! I adore Alison Krauss... The woman (and her band) is incredible. I married an anti-concert-attender, so you won't mind if I fly down and join you and Dan sometime, will you?
Posted by Becca | March 8, 2005 9:19 AM
Posted on March 8, 2005 09:19
And the nickel goes to Rebecca! I love that movie so much. Just for that, you can come down and go to a concert with me sometime when I want to see someone that Dan just absolutely refuses to see. Which will no doubt happen very soon. I'll give you that nickel when I see you at Charity's wedding in May. Deal?
Posted by Haley | March 8, 2005 9:45 AM
Posted on March 8, 2005 09:45
Deal. And if you want, I can give you the nice, new, unspilled-upon Zion cookbook and you can bring me my yucky one. I groan everytime I open my book because it has a sweet note to you and Dan inside the front cover. : /
Posted by Becca | March 9, 2005 9:45 AM
Posted on March 9, 2005 09:45
Yes, but I have the personalized spilled-upon version, which is also special. :) I'll bring back your cookbook, but you have to let me kiss on baby Livia in exchange for it.
Posted by Haley | March 9, 2005 1:50 PM
Posted on March 9, 2005 13:50
Just curious....what's the "Zion" cookbook?
Posted by Shanelle | March 9, 2005 5:04 PM
Posted on March 9, 2005 17:04
Ok, my wife is a TOTAL music nerd. Frist, when I told her I got tickets to see AKUS (Alison Krauss and Union Station) she started crying. (For most of you who know Haley, this comes as no surprise.) Second, I bought her a t-shirt at the concert. When we got home she wanted to sleep in it - and she did. Come on! I gave up sleeping with my GI Joes years ago! (Haley wouldn't let me bring them to bed.)
Posted by Dan | March 9, 2005 9:24 PM
Posted on March 9, 2005 21:24
Hey, Shanelle. The Zion cookbook is a cookbook that Rebecca's church, Zion, put together. She gave me a copy of it last time we saw each other, but she accidentally gave me her old one instead of the new one she had bought for me.
I considered saying it was a cookbook for the afterlife, but I decided against it. :)
Posted by Haley | March 10, 2005 5:15 PM
Posted on March 10, 2005 17:15
I agree with dan, haley is a complete music nerd, but she has good taste. See, now being single has it's advantages too. I can sleep with my G.I. Joes if I want to, and you know what, I'm feeling frisky tonight, I think the Transformers may just join the party. :)
Posted by sooshie | March 10, 2005 10:36 PM
Posted on March 10, 2005 22:36
Rock on, Mike. Enjoy your G.I. Joes. Also, because you've come to my defense, here's a heads-up: Wilco is going to be here on April 26, I think. We're not going to make it to that one because we're going to see Sarah McLachan the very next night, but I figured you would want to know about that ... it's going to be at the Kiva, which should make it an awesome show.
Posted by Haley | March 11, 2005 9:19 AM
Posted on March 11, 2005 09:19