By JENNIFER CHANCELLOR
World Scene Writer
Alison Krauss walked onstage, fiddle poised, ready for Saturday night’s nearly full house at the historic Brady Theater.
Before she could utter a syllable, though, one eager fan yelled, "Welcome to Tulsa!" The crowd erupted in cheers. Krauss and her band, Union Station, answered with a grin and a nod before launching into the tune "Paper Airplane."
Afterward, she shielded her eyes from the spotlights and chatted conversationally, thanking everyone.
An eclectic crowd greeted her, a mix of young and old, casual and well-dressed. They each responded as one -- with delight and acclamation.
Krauss' vocals effervesced with ease over "Daylight" and "Sinking Stone," her fiddle clutched in front of her chest like a talisman as she swayed in front of her microphone.
Applause rose as Krauss and her band rolled into "Let Me Touch You for Awhile," as she again balanced a vocal lead with fiddle interludes.
The band’s music is an unconventional but harmonious mix of genres, from bluegrass and folk and elements of R&B, blues, pop, country and Americana. It works. It
definitely works.
"Thankye, Alison!," crowed another audience member in a rare moment of silence. No other words were needed. The band used it as a segue into the instrumental "Who's Your Uncle."
The band sailed through its set, including "Ghost in This House," "Baby, Now That I've Found You," "Rain Please Go Away," "Sawing on the Strings," "Dimming of the Day," a soulful rendition of Paul McCartney's classic "No More Lonely Nights," their version of a crowd-clapping traditional folk tune "Man Of Constant Sorrow" (made popular in the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou") , "Oh, Atlanta," "When You Say Nothing At All," "Whiskey Lullaby" and more.
Through the set, guitarist-mandolinist and co-lead vocalist Dan Tyminski helped build momentum.
"Dust Bowl Children" swept fans into silence, riveted by the profound simplicity of his storytelling.
Tyminsky also took the lead and ushered in more intensity during performances of "Wild Bill Jones" and “The Boy Who Wouldn’t Hoe Corn.”
"What a wonderful town with a history steeped in music," added steel guitarist Jerry Douglas during his solo interlude. "We're just happy you're here seeing us tonight instead of watching 'The Hunger Games.'" Laughter erupted in the aisles.
He also said he was happy to be back. Last time he was in Tulsa, it was as a part of Elvis Costello's band onstage at another historic Tulsa venue, Cain's Ballroom.
The night's mood was playful, despite the music's often heavy-themed lyrics.
After being introduced by Krauss as "our bulk underwear purchaser," banjo player Ron Block joked that he did indeed enjoy bulk
everything. Krauss admitted she's new to the concept, but also delights in it. It became Saturday night's running joke.
(Tyminski also displayed his "shirt I bought in bulk" as he spread his arms wide for the crowd to see as he marveled at his own cornflower blue, button-down shirt.)
Alison Krauss and Union Station is road warrior act that is as comfortable as ever together. The band performs gloriously as a whole – a true collective. Their harmonies, both instrumental and vocal, were captivating.
They happily ribbed each other, and at one point Krauss even called out bassist Barry Bales for training his dog to hunt.
"Hey, if God didn't want me killing things, he wouldn't have made 'em of meat!"
A lighthearted Krauss admitted that they enjoyed songs in which just about everything bad that could happen
does happen. Through it all runs threads of hope and redemption.
An encore of "Down to the River to Pray," "Your Long Journey" and "There Is a Reason" included a crowd singalong as if they were soul-touching hymns.
"We don't want anyone coming to our show feeling good," Krauss joked. The audience laughed appreciatively, knowing all to well the buoyancy inherent in irony and powerful storytelling.
She smiled and poked -- it's Block's fault if folks leave feeling a little mournful.
Indeed, even after two full hours, the ending came too soon.
