Alison Krauss at Edgefield

Wednesday night had the makings of a near-perfect night: Live music at an outdoor venue, with a great view of the stage. A cheeseburger in one hand, a plastic cup of microbrewed beer in the other. Lori and I seated comfortably in low-back folding chairs on a gently rolling lawn and my favorite band playing their butts off for two hours as part of the Edgefield summer concert series.

What's not to like?

Alison Krauss and Union Station did their part. Starting with "Paper Airplane," the title track of their new CD, continuing with an assortment of new material and old favorites, and concluding with a four-song acoustic set for an encore, capped by "There Is A Reason," the band was nothing short of awesome.

This was the fourth time I've seen AKUS and it's hard to imagine them sounding any better. The musicianship of the five band members is just stellar. And why wouldn't it be, since two of the guys have played with Alison for about 20 years and the current lineup has been together since 1998?

They play bluegrass, of course, but also venture into Americana, folk and country. Ron Block (banjo/guitar), Dan Tyminski (guitar/mandolin/vocals) and Barry Bales (upright bass) are all solid and Jerry Douglas (dobro/lap steel guitar) is in a class by himself. Throw in Alison on fiddle and vocals and it's no wonder they produce musical magic. (Check out their recent appearance on Letterman.)



As for the rest of the variables:

Weather: You'd think June 29 would be deepe enough into the calendar to guarantee a warm, dry summer night but, no, this is Oregon. It sprinkled from time to time, enough so that a few people pulled out their ponchos and umbrellas, but it never turned into a downpour. When Tyminski sang  "Rain Please Go Away" the crowd burst into good-natured applause.

Food: A bit of a disappointment, but, for me anyway, not enough to rise to a complaint. The cheeseburger was OK -- I can understand the challenges of trying to feed a couple thousand people when the lines are long and you're doing your best to provide some variety among the menu choices. But I felt bad for Lori when they said they'd run out of hummus plates and wouldn't have anymore for 45 minutes. She settled for a veggie burger and made it work, thanks to generous helpings of condiments on what appeared to be a pretty dry patty.

Vibe: You couldn't ask for better. The concert drew people in their 20s as well as their 60s and everything in between, including several parents with young children. People were uniformly friendly and appreciative of the music. One section seemed to have more than its share of free spirits, dancing to a few of the more upbeat songs. Even on the way out, people were remarkably patient navigating their way out of a crowded parking lot.

I'd be mighty happy to see AKUS a fifth time.