[PHOTOS] Lampedusa: Surprise Guest Robert Plant Joins Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Buddy Miller, and the Milk Carton Kids at The Sheldon in St. Louis

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ALL PHOTOS BY JASON GONULSEN

The Lampedusa tour hit the Sheldon Concert Hall last night, and it brought a surprise guest: Robert Plant.

The St. Louis stop was billed as Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller, and the Milk Carton Kids, but Griffin had to cancel due to a medical issue. I'd say her replacement, Plant, who was a total surprise, didn't let anyone down. The room erupted on his arrival, which was early in the set. The group of musicians immediately went into "Going to California."

Earle selected "Copperhead Road" and "Goodbye" as two of his songs, while Harris sang a lovely "Love Hurts" duet with Miller. All musicians remained on stage throughout the evening.

From the press release: Lampedusa is an 11-stop concert tour intended to raise awareness of the unprecedented worldwide refugee crisis. Funds raised by Lampedusa will support educational programs for refugees around the world. To learn more, please visit their site.

All photos by Jason Gonulsen.

Darrell Scott Joins Robert Plant's Band of Joy

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Photo credit: Rodney Bursiel

You gotta love these supergroups, or at least the idea of them.

Robert Plant has joined the fun and re-formed Band of Joy, which will feature Darrell Scott, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller, Byron House and Marco Giovino. Better yet, they're hitting the road this summer (see dates below), and an album featuring this line-up will be released later this year on Rounder Records.

Scott's A Crooked Road, a two disc set and his eighth solo album, will be released on May 25, and features 20 originally written tracks. This follows his critically acclaimed 2008 release Modern Hymns.

DARRELL SCOTT TOUR DATES
April 17 Kalamazoo, MI Kalamazoo Valley Community Center
April 23 Roanoke, VA Kirk Avenue Music Hall
April 24 Frostburg, MD Palace Theatre
May 17 Cambridge, MA Club Passim
May 20 Vienna, VA Jammin’ Java
May 25 Nashville, TN The Station Inn
May 27 Decatur, GA Eddie’s Attic
May 28 Cary, NC Six String Café
May 29 Asheville, NC Grey Eagle
June 4 Iowa City, IA Iowa Arts Fest
June 5 Denver, CO Soiled Dove
June 6 Pagosa Springs, CO Pagosa Folk ‘n Bluegrass Festival
June 18 Pomeroy, OH Fur Peace Ranch
July 13 Memphis, TN The Orpheum Theatre*
July 15 Little Rock, AR Robinson Center Music Hall*
July 16 Tulsa, OK Brady Theatre*
July 18 Albuquerque, NM Sandia Casino Amphitheater*
July 20 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theater*
July 21 Tucson, AZ Anselmo Valencia Amphitheater*
July 23 Dallas, TX Meyerson Symphony Hall*
July 24 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion*
July 26 Austin, TX Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater*
July 28 Mobile, AL The Saenger Theatre*
July 30 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall*
July 31 Miami, FL Bayfront Park Amphitheater*
August 9 Lyons, CO Rocky Mt Folks Festival
August 14 Glenwood Springs, CO Hotel Colorado
September 2-6 Miami, FL Sailing Southern Ground Cruise
September 11 Brevard, NC Mountain Song Festival
September 17 Bristol, TN Rhythm and Roots Festival

*as part of Robert Plant’s Band of Joy

Concert Review | Patty Griffin + Buddy Miller at The Pageant in St. Louis

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When Buddy Miller took the stage last Friday at The Pageant in St. Louis and performed the solo acoustic "That's How I Got To Memphis," one could say that he could have kept going -- just him and an acoustic guitar -- and everything would be fine and dandy. But when Patty Griffin joined him on stage for the majority of his set, the evening turned. It became special.

Miller, who is a wonderful songwriter and guitar player, showed off all his talents, and Griffin's voice sweetened his opening set. The standout was "Chalk," off his fabulous latest album, Written in Chalk. It's a sad song, but to hear it live, with Griffin providing harmony, is as a beautiful live moment that you'll come across.

Buddy Miller and Patty Griffin's voices were made for each other, and their current tour is not be missed because of this fact.

Later on, when Griffin took the stage, as the headliner, with Miller and her band, which included another fine guitar player, Doug Lancio, there was already a buzz in the air. As you probably know, live music is better because of this buzz -- you can sense greatness being thrown upon you, and you live for the moment that it's hitting you.



Luckily, Griffin was in fine form. She leaned heavily on her latest album, the gospel-influenced Downtown Church. Her set was a soul journey to the middle of the heart; it was mostly a laid back affair, but if you bought a ticket to the show and expected to be moved by something other than Griffin's voice, then you were misled.

Griffin's voice is such a treasure, and she sings gospel tunes like she's an angel from a blue, cloudless sky. Whether it was "House of Gold" or "Little Fire," Griffin was confident with every word that left her mouth. It was the first night of tour, which usually means a few hiccups here and there, but this performance was more like a group of veterans just doing what they do -- their performance was charmingly flawless.

By the end of the set, after Griffin delivered a few older tunes like "Mary" and "Love Throw a Line," she reached back and gave us a few more gems. The encores included "Top of the World," a song made popular by the Dixie Chicks, and "Up To the Mountain," Griffin's tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. These selections were sandwiched in between one of the only songs she wrote for Downtown Church (and maybe the best one), "Coming Home To Me."

"Any time you say it with heart/ Any time you're falling apart," Griffin sang. "Just remember, you're coming home to me."

This I'll always believe: When you see Patty Griffin live, you're always coming back home to witness something you believe in with all your heart.