Lenox — Alison Krauss, the 27-time grammy-winning bluegrass singer and fiddler, and Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant are coming to Tanglewood on July 2. The duo’s “Raising the Roof” tour, continued from 2022, features music of 2021’s T Bone Burnett-produced, Grammy-nominated “Raise the Roof” and 2007’s Grammy-sweeping “Raising Sand.” J. D. McPherson plays guitar in the band and has been opening for Plant and Krauss since the 2022 leg of the tour. Listen to this YouTube mix of his music, and you’ll agree that McPherson is capable of stealing the show from the headliners.
Plant and Krauss’ collaboration began when multi-Grammy-winning producer and specialist in Americana, roots, and alternative country music T Bone Burnett approached Plant about the idea of collaborating with Krauss. It was a really good idea: Their first record together, “Raising Sand,” won five Grammy awards, and their second, “Raising the Roof,” received a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album and yielded the killer single, a cover of Betty Harris’ and Randy Weeks’ (Lucinda Williams) “Can’t Let Go” (which you can expect to hear as an encore on July 2).
Besides McPherson on guitar, the Plant/Krauss band consists of drummer Jay Bellerose; bassist Dennis Crouch; string player Stuart Duncan; and Alison’s brother, Viktor, on keyboards and guitar.
The duo’s return to the road in 2022 included sold-out shows at the Beacon Theatre in New York City and LA’s Greek Theatre, as well as headline appearances at such festivals as Bonnaroo, Glastonbury, and Roskilde.
This year’s leg of the tour starts April 25 in Shreveport, La., so the band is sure to be extremely tight by the time the tour bus reaches Lenox in July. And set lists from their 2022 tour give us a pretty good idea of the tunes Plant, Krauss, and band will play at Tanglewood.
Will Plant sing any Led Zeppelin tunes at Tanglewood? Yes, a few: “Rock and Roll,” “When the Levee Breaks,” and the Tolkien-inspired “Battle of Evermore” are likely on the band’s 2023 set list. They also play a song written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page that Krauss and Plant sing together.
“Raise the Roof” was nominated for three Grammys at the 65th Grammy Awards, including Best Americana Album, Best American Roots Song for “High and Lonesome,” and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Going Where the Lonely Go.” It was the number one most-played album at Americana radio in 2022, maintaining the number-one spot for 21 consecutive weeks.
In support of “Raise the Roof,” Plant and Krauss have appeared on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Kelly Clarkson Show, CBS, PBS, MSNBC, and BBC. Last fall, the duo made a special 90-minute episode of the American television program CMT Crossroads. The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Variety, Pitchfork, NPR, and many others have given the album conspicuously high praise.
Hear Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on their “Raise the Roof” tour Sunday, July 2 at Tanglewood. Tickets go on sale March 9. More information here.
