Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD (Washington DC) Friday, June 13

SET LIST
1. Rich Woman
2. Leave My Woman Alone
3. Black Dog
4. Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us
5. Through the Morning, Through the Night
6. So Long, Goodbye to You
7. Fortune Teller
8. In the Mood/Matty Groves/In the Mood
9. Hey Hey What Can I Do?
10. Bon Temps Rouler
11. Shut It Tight
12. Trampled Rose
13. Green Pastures
14. Down To the River To Pray
15. Killing the Blues
16. Nothin’
17. The Battle of Evermore
18. Please Read the Letter
19. Gone, Gone, Gone

ENCORE

1. You Don’t Knock
2. One Woman Man
3. Your Long Journey

from Blue Note:
It was a HOT, HUMID night at Merriweather Post Pavilion, the kind that made Robert Plant’s curls even more wild and full. He wore a short-sleeved black shirt with dark leather pants. Alison Krauss looked like a cool princess in a long, floral dress that blew in the breeze of the stage fan. T-Bone Burnett spoke of the heat but also of the “incredibly good vibe” in Washington, DC. That vibe was certainly shared by all the musicians on the stage. There was a playful rapport and respect for each other’s contribution to the evening’s performance as they traded the spotlight from person to person. Someone from the group had put a small Elvis(?) doll on stage as either a mascot, good luck charm, or possibly as the eighth member of the band, and the doll was also given a quick salute.

Robert was as animated as ever. He gave warm introductions for each person in the band. He was constantly grinning and laughing and moving about the stage. He seemed so amused by the audience’s participation for “Black Dog,” and he laughed out loud when a section of the curtain drape didn’t fall as planned during “Gone, Gone, Gone.” I noticed his toes tapping double time during “Leave My Woman Alone.” Even when he went offstage during Alison’s performance of “Trampled Rose,” I was distracted by his long legs and cowboy boots sticking out behind an amp as he watched from Stage Right. To add a historical touch to the evening, he corrected a sign on the grounds that said, “In the early 1970s a little-known band named Led Zeppelin opened here for The Who.” He jokingly said that it was May 1969 when he and his old mates opened for “that band, those miserable bastards,” and there was so much damage caused that night that they had to give their earnings back. This brought great cheers among the crowd to which he cheekily followed up with “And next week, Iron Maiden!”

The encore seemed brief and a little subdued when they sang “Your Long Journey.” T-Bone Burnett mentioned their sadness of the news of Tim Russert’s passing earlier in the day, and he dedicated the song to him. I was very touched by the way Robert held onto Alison’s hand as they took their final bows and farewelled the crowd. It was a wonderful evening and everything that I hoped it would be!