Robert Plant & Alison Krauss “Can’t Let Go” of “Raise The Roof,” a little Led Zep and Ravinia

Photos provided by Kyle Dunleavy / Ravinia Festival

When Robert Plant & Alison Krauss made their Ravinia duo debut little over a decade-and-a-half ago, it stood out so much, fans of either individual artist or their collective partnership are still talking about it.

And despite taking the legendary Led Zeppelin leader and the bluegrass meets country singer/fiddle playing star almost as long to record another album together, “Raise The Roof” finally broke the silence.

In fact, the reception on the road continues to be so strong, the pair simply “Can’t Let Go” and added a fresh round of shows, including a near-capacity Ravinia, where for 90 minutes, they turned in lots of the latest project, a little bit of their Grammy Award-winning start, “Raising Sand,” and a few surprises, all assisted by five phenomenal musicians.

The shared thread between them both is acclaimed producer T Bone Burnett (Bob Dylan, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”), plus their desire to unearth somewhat obscure Americana, folk, blues and rootsy gems, occasionally writing along those lines as well.

That meant everything from Li’l Millet And His Creoles’ “Rich Woman,” Benny Spellman’s “Fortune Teller,” the Lucinda Williams-popularized “Can’t Let Go” and The Everly Brothers’ “The Price Of Love,” each enhanced by their expertly blended harmonies and increasing chemistry.  

Plant took a slight but certainly welcome detour to reframe Zeppelin’s “Rock And Roll” in a similarly organic light, prior to reconnecting with Krauss to touch on his latter day Jimmy Page collaboration “Please Read The Letter.”

The newer “High And Lonesome” also allowed the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer to defy his 75 years with another round of uniquely distinctive wails, while Krauss’ gentle purity primarily carried Geeshie Wiley’s “Last Kind Words Blues” and Allen Toussaint’s R&B rumbler “Trouble With My Lover.”

Plant & Krauss even kicked a little more Led out, offering earthy editions of the hypnotic “Gallows Pole,” dueting during “The Battle Of Evermore” and giving the band some slots to solo throughout the stunning “When The Levee Breaks.”

Though there were tons of other “Good Times Bad Times” they could’ve pulled from, an Everlys-themed encore of “Stick With Me Baby” and “Gone Gone Gone” reenforced their current purpose of revitalizing overlooked gems and ensured it was a Ravinia return to remember.

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

Upcoming concert highlights at Ravinia include Hauser (Jun. 14); Michael Franti & Spearhead (Jun. 15); Kurt Elling (Jun. 16); Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (Jun. 19); Violent Femmes (Jun. 21); Little Feat and Los Lobos (Jun. 22); Michael Feinstein (Jun. 23); Ben Platt (Jun. 28); Roger Daltrey (Jun. 29); Clint Black and Lyle Lovett And His Large Band (Jun. 30); Arrival (Jul. 5); Daryl Hall and Elvis Costello & The Imposters (Jul. 6); The Beach Boys (Jul. 7); Norah Jones and Mavis Staples (Jul. 14); Kodachrome: The Music Of Paul Simon (Jul. 19); Killer Queen (Jul. 27); Gipsy Kings (Jul. 31); Henry Mancini Centennial (Aug. 4); Victor Wooten & The Wooten Brothers (Aug. 7); Angélique Kidjo and Meshell Ndegeocello (Aug. 8); Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge (Aug. 11); Robert Glasper and J. Ivy (Aug. 14); “The Princess Bride” In Concert (Aug. 16); “Up” In Concert (Aug. 17); Gaelic Storm and The High Kings (Aug. 22); O.A.R. (Aug. 23); The Roots (Aug. 24); Samara Joy (Aug. 25); ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd (Aug. 29); The Voice Of Whitney Houston (Aug. 30); TLC and Shaggy (Aug. 31); Tom Jones (Sept. 7); Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit (Sept. 8) and Crowded House (Sept. 11). For additional details, visit Ravinia.org.

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Robert Plant & Alison Krauss “Can’t Let Go” of “Raise The Roof,” a little Led Zep and Ravinia

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