David Gray and Alison Krauss at the Santa Barbara Bowl

At the S.B. Bowl, Wed., Oct. 18.

Last week the Bowl was host to two musical heavy hitters when Grammy award winners David Gray and Alison Krauss shared a headlining bill. Gray opened the evening at 7 p.m., an early start time that saw the venue only scattered with attendees, most folks expecting an opening act at that hour. The British singer/songwriter performed his first number a cappella, setting the tone for a stripped-down, powerful first half of his set. Gray rose to stardom with his 1999 album, White Ladder, and it was from that record that much of the evening’s song list was pulled, including favorites “Say Hello Wave Goodbye” and “Babylon.”

Next up was country/bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss, who was on tour for her recently released solo record, Windy City, a 10-song offering of classic country tunes from artists such as Willie Nelson, Roger Miller, and Glen Campbell. Joined onstage by her longtime singing partners, brother-and-sister duo Sidney and Suzanne Cox, Krauss and her crack band brought to life songs from Windy, numbers from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack (“Down to the River to Pray”), and gems from her extensive catalog. It was a glorious evening of top-notch music from two heralded folk artists.