[Shotimes] OT GREAT concert AKUS

[Donald Mallinson]

Sometimes, living near Peoria IL isn't such a bad deal.  We 
have a pretty nice civic center with a superb theater for 
quality musical events and drama.

Tonight (Monday night) the wife and I had the extreme 
pleasure of seeing, for the first time live, AKUS. (Allison 
Krause and Union Station).

This was the final concert of their Summer 2003 "Sows and 
Cows" tour. (Allison grew up near Champaign IL and studied 
classical violin at the U of I).

A note about that tour title.  Soon after the start of their 
as yet unnamed tour, they were at yet another Cracker Barrel 
Restaurant when Jerry Douglas (best Dobro player in the 
world) was taking a walk near the tour bus.  An older lady 
was looking the bus over and over, and when Jerry asked her 
if he could help, she asked: "Is this the bus to downtown?" 
to which Jerry replied, it wasn't that type of bus, but was 
a bus for a musical group.  The lady asked what group, and 
he said: "Allison Kraus"  to which the apparently hard of 
hearing lady said: "Sows and Cows?" and a tour name was 
born!  :)

IF the United States has musical treasure, then AKUS has to 
count as sold gold in the treasury.

There was a sold out house to hear the best accoustic group 
I have had the pleasure of seeing and hearing...ever.

Superb singing, arrangements, playing.

If you have a chance to hear them, I don't care if you don't 
like bluegrass or country, you will like this.  Nobody that 
understands talent and beauty can NOT like this music.

Sorry about the OT, but before calling it a night, I had to 
pass along this experience.

Don Mallinson