Aug. 12, 2002, 8:46AM
By MICHAEL D. CLARK
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle
It isn't easy turning a concert venue capable of holding more than 17,000 into an informal backyard jam. But it's not as rare as live music that makes tearducts overflow as it calms the heart. Neither should seem improbable at a time when the century-old traditions of mountain string music are again as popular as rock and country.
The Down From the Mountain tour dropped into the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Friday night, swirling in from the Appalachian Mountains of the early 20th century.
Presented by T-Bone Burnett and movie producers Joel and Ethan Coen, the concert showcases live performances of the music featured on the Grammy-winning O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. About the only thing missing from this three-hour bluegrass all-star concert was George Clooney running around in prison stripes.
The soundtrack itself, which won the 2001 album of the year Grammy, was a marvel for bringing together some of the greatest living practitioners of bluegrass and mountain soul. Getting the selection of talent -- including Ralph Stanley, Alison Krauss and Union Station, dobro master Jerry Douglas, Emmylou Harris, the Whites, the Fairfield Four and Norman and Nancy Blake -- to take the show on the road is simply a miracle.
Two of the best performers of the night, however, weren't on the O Brother soundtrack at all. The Houston Kid, aka Rodney Crowell, showed up as emcee, telling tales from his youth spent in the shadow of the Astrodome. Patty Loveless was also not on the record, but she should have been.
Dubbed by Stanley as the queen of mountain soul, Loveless drew the crowd to silence with You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive. Backed by lonely acoustic guitars and fiddles, she dedicated this song of loss to her coal-mining father, who died of black lung disease in 1979.
Although the concert was held at a large amphitheater, it wasn't structured like most big stage shows today. Broken into two sets, it was more like a small-town variety show with artists joining in as they saw fit.
Multi-Grammy-winning Krauss and Union Station, one of the most anticipated acts, performed in daylight, even though their repertoire is grand-finale material.
The metered flick of Dan Tyminski's acoustic guitar was emphasized with a bow popping the strings of a standing bass on Let Me Touch You For a While. Over the melody was Krauss, chirping with a simple ease that must have been barrel-aged for smoothness.
"We'd like to introduce you ... to the man who made George Clooney a big stud," Krauss said, introducing Tyminski, the voice of Clooney's Soggy Bottom Boys in the movie. Working with members of the Nashville Bluegrass Band, he delivered a version of Man of Constant Sorrow that the recently departed Alan Lomax would be proud of.
Throughout the show there were many memorable and historic collaborations. The ever-beautiful Emmylou Harris was joined by Crowell for a strum through Jesse Winchester's My Songbird. Pancho & Lefty, her tribute to Townes Van Zandt, was so mesmerizing it was easy to take for granted that Krauss, Crowell and Douglas' dobro of constant sorrow had all sneaked in behind her.
The night was dotted by O Brother moments. Loveless, subbing for Gillian Welch, joined Krauss and Harris for a riverside harmony on Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby. And the baritone of Fairfield Four on Lonesome Valley was powerful enough to shake amplifier speakers.
At the end it was mountain music legend Ralph Stanley, standing on a stage with nothing but an opening G chord by Norman Blake to begin O Death. The 75-year-old's strong, alto twang is one of the last remnants of the original form. As he closed the night with Amazing Grace, the crowd stood and all other artists returned to the stage out of respect.
"Now doesn't it do your hear heart good to know this music is alive and well?" Crowell asked.
Yes, it does.