July 23

In the late 1990s, sometime after the release of Now That I’ve Found You, but before the release of O Brother, Where Art Thou?  I was lucky enough to be involved with bringing Miss Alison Krauss to concert in Great Falls, Montana.

She and her band, Union Station, sold out the 2000 seat auditorium with ease.

That was no surprise; Krauss was a multiple Grammy winner, Grand Ole Opry member, and country music Top Ten recording superstar! I was late to the game (as per usual).

What I did have as of the day of the show was a VG+ copy of Krauss’ debut album on Rounder: Too Late To Cry…

Of course, I took this vinyl copy to the pre show/sound check and was lucky enough to get a “Many thanks” autograph on the jacket. The show was fantastic… still one of my top 10 concerts, with plenty of interaction between the band and the crowd. Especially memorable was the reception of arch-dobro newgrass superstar Jerry Douglas and hints of O Brotherdlyness from one Daniel John “Dan” Tyminski.

Krauss was understandably reclusive away from the spotlight, having been in one for most of her life. She was with her new husband and sought solace from annoying autograph hounding promoters in green rooms and hotel suites. Union Station, on the other hand, were more than willing to “socialize” with the locals, however, and were particularly smitten with Great Falls landmark nightspot The Sip-N-Dip:

http://ohairemotorinn.com/?p=sip-n-dip

Piano Pat, mermaids and beer from the Harvest Moon Brewing Company ensured a good time by all!

Happy 44^th birthday Ms. Krauss!