Down From the Mountain Tour

Down From the Mountain Tour

Uncasville, CT

July 2, 2002

by Fern MacDonald

As I stood grasping my husband's hand tightly, I looked around at the almost capacity crowd of the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. Everyone was holding hands and singing "Amazing Grace," led by the legendary Ralph Stanley during the evening's encore. He would sing a line like a quick little hymn, and the audience would follow suit. It was the perfect way to end an even more superb night of acoustic roots oriented music, lyrics sometimes steeped in the traditions of America's past. It seemed like the ideal way to bring in the up and coming birth of our great nation this 4th of July. The entire evening had been a celebration of a genre of music that had been influential but long forgotten by the masses till recently - bluegrass.

With the unbridled success of the soundtrack from the movie, "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou," has come a new awakening of the riches to be unearthed in American roots music. Tuesday night's concert, showcasing over thirty artists, some from this soundtrack and the subsequent "Down From The Mountain" CD, was composed of an impressive array of multi-talented musicians, each greatly influencing the genre in their own way.

The night began with master of ceremonies, Rodney Crowell, introducing the Nashville Bluegrass Band, who offered up some fine spiritual sentiment before providing the backup support for many of the other artists for most of the evening. The pace was fast and well-staged, as each group or artist would perform only a few numbers. Among these accomplished acts were Norman and Nancy Blake, Alison Krauss and Union Station, EmmyLou Harris, Jerry Douglas, Patty Loveless, the Del McCoury Band and Chris Thomas King. Union Station not only showcased the talents of Alison's lilting voice, but also the amazing Douglas on dobro. Dan Tyminski, the "real voice" of George Clooney, treated the crowd to his rendition of "Man of Constant Sorrow," while Harris captivated your heart with her solo outing of the haunting and mystifying "Oh Daddy."

Chris Thomas King is a masterful guitarist, as accomplished as any blues musician of past generations. He brings a fresh style to the traditional blues that lends itself toward any tune. He makes the Delta sound come alive, as if you were back in the early juke joints, and not in an auditorium style venue. His rendition of "John Law Burned Down the Liquor Sto" was amazing. His slide guitar is superb and his short set was worth the ticket price alone.

The Del McCoury Band personify Bluegrass music in its "finest hour." Del himself, a striking gentleman in his early sixties, had performed with the now legendary Bill Monroe, the "father of bluegrass". McCoury is a veteran of the genre and his two sons and their "extended" family are equally astonishing musicians. They have swept the bluegrass award ceremonies for years and it is easy to see why. In my opinion, they are just simply untouchable! Their cover of Richard Thompson's "52 Vincent Black Lightning" makes you believe that it was never written by a British folk artist and shows their ability to embrace music and capture its glory. Their close harmonies are ear candy. Add that to their unparalleled, instrumental talents and you have one breathtaking experience. The audience's deafening applause, after they finished, was further proof of their unmatched popularity.

Ricky Skaggs closed out the first half of the evening with his band, Kentucky Thunder. These guys are just great, plain and simple. Skaggs walked away from commercial country years ago and has been a tremendous help in reviving America's musical past. He was always one step ahead of the "acoustic revival." His band performs like a well oiled machine. Their sound is tight and they showed just how talented they all are during the instrumental "Black Eyed Sally," a recently penned Skaggs' original.

The second half of the evening was a continued celebration of this "lost/now found" roots oriented music. Skill and talent dominated, along with the rich textures of quality tunes. Patty Loveless, (whose sole appearance in the first half came when her voice laid fundamental foundation for three-part harmony in "Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby" with Krauss and Harris), returned for a moving and memorable set, highlighted by her rendition of "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive." Rodney Crowell stepped away from his post as emcee to grace us with the beauty of "Song For the Life," with illustrious backing vocals by Krauss and Harris.

The only way to end this evening was with legendary Ralph Stanley. A small, slight man of seventy-five years, Stanley stood alone in the spotlight, while rendering "Oh Death" a cappella. The power of his ragged voice and the starkness of the moment, sent shivers up my spine. His gruff voice blended well with Loveless during the duet of the traditional, "Pretty Polly," and his reprise of "Man of Constant Sorrow" was a fitting finish to his set. When everyone joined Stanley on stage for the two-song encore, it was evident that this concert had been a special, once-in-a lifetime event.

Written by Fern MacDonald, July 2002

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