A bluesy, rootsy Robert Plant & Alison Krauss “Raise The Roof,” plus a little Led Zeppelin

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Individually, England’s Robert Plant and Illinois’ own Alison Krauss have kept as busy as ever with recordings and travels, but collectively speaking, it’s been a whopping 14 years since the occasional pair of collaborators came to the Chicago area.

Luckily, that all changed when the twosome made its way downtown to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, selling out the pavilion and filling up the front half of the spacious lawn, much like the prior visit to Ravinia.

The show came in support of their sophomore album, “Raise The Roof,” a like-minded, rootsy sequel to “Raising Sand,” which naturally was an instant classic and garnered the Grammy Award for “Album Of The Year.”

The Led Zeppelin singer turned longtime solo switch-hitter and the bluegrass/country queen who leads Union Station pulled mainly from those two projects throughout almost two hours, frequently covering Americana, blues, indie rock, alt-country and basically anything in between, plus debuting a few originals.

Li’l Millet And His Creoles’ “Rich Woman,” Calexico’s “Quattro (World Drifts In)” and Benny Spellman’s “Fortune Teller” were a few early examples of Plant and Krauss effortlessly trading or intertwining their respective tones of grit and grace.

The seamlessness was far from a shock given he’s arguably the greatest rock vocalist that’s ever lived and she’s her lane’s equivalent, but neither rested on any laurels or even relied all that much on personal back catalogues thanks to their folk-flavored reboot of Jimmy Page and Plant’s “Please Read The Letter,” the new “High And Lonesome,” Little Milton’s “Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson” and Bert Jansch’s “It Don’t Bother Me.”

Plant & Krauss did indeed get the led out on a few occasions, adding fresh dimensions to “Rock And Roll,” “The Battle Of Evermore” and the Zep-popularized “When The Levee Breaks” with the originator letting off a few of those distinctive wails amidst some bluesy howls, accompanied by his angel of a duet partner and violin player, alongside the rumble of an exemplary four-piece band.

Shared muses The Everly Brothers were the only other act to get as much airtime with “The Price Of Love,” “Gone, Gone, Gone” and “Stick With Me Baby” staggered throughout the set, possessing a similar dynamic and kinship as any of the above that will likely elevate these typically individual artists into a similarly revered status as a true super duo.

Click here for more photos of Robert Plant & Alison Krauss at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

For additional information on Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, visit PlantKrauss.com.

For a list of upcoming Jam Productions shows, visit JamUSA.com.

For a list of upcoming shows at Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion, visit CityOfChicago.org.