Rhiannon Giddens Tickets

Freight train, freight train, run so fast Freight train, freight train, run so fast Please don't tell what train I'm on And they won't know what route I'm going Accompanied by Dirk Powell's gentle finger picking on Elizabeth Cotton's classic folk song, Rhiannon Giddens opened a sold-out concert at Tucson's Rialto Theatre Friday with a voice as pure as a bell, as free as a bird, as powerful as a locomotive, as lonesome as midnight. Two hours later, she concluded the concert triumphantly with a joyful jig, riding a crest of artistry and energy that had shaken the historic theater to its rafters. You'd think being an awesome artist would be enough. But for the 48-year-old native of Greensboro, North Carolina, it's only the beginning. She's more a force of nature, a barefoot prodigy, a virtuoso on banjo and fiddle with an operatically trained voice. Daughter of a black mother and white father, she makes American music unlike anyone else's from the broadest repertoire imaginable. At the same time she's the artistic director of the global classic Silk Road Ensemble, a role she inherited from Yo-Yo Ma. Her recent collaborations include Beyoncé's groundbreaking “Cowboy Carter” album and the soundtrack of this summer's smash hit “Sinners.” Giddens was undoubtedly the only member of either project to have a Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant along with a Grammy in her resume. The Pulitzer came for writing the music and libretto for the opera “Omar,” taken from the autobiography of an African Muslim man enslaved on a North Carolina cotton plantation in the early 1800s. Her current tour, titled the Old Time Revue, returns her to her musical roots, this time for the happier sounds of black square dance string bands and Zydeco waltzes, along with blues, Merle Haggard, some new compositions and the soulful history lesson that ties them all together. With down-home earthiness masking her stately grace, and disarming humor softening the fury of her political passions, she and her fellow musicians turned the Rialto stage into a back porch, bringing an endless supply of energy and dazzling musicianship to the appreciate audience. A music store's worth of stringed instruments provided the backdrop, as she shared the stage with Justin Robinson on fiddle and banjo; Dirk Powell on guitar, banjo, accordion and fiddle; Amelia Powell on guitar; Justin Harrington, aka Demeanor, on banjo, bones and rapping; and Jason Sypher on bass. As much as a band, the multi-instrumental Revue players are family. Literally. Amelia Powell is Dirk Powell's daughter. Demeanor is Giddens' nephew. Robinson co-founded the Carolina Chocolate Drops with Giddens at the very beginning of their careers. The group went on to win a Grammy. Despite her early pledge to never play with a bassist, the superb Sypher has been backing her since she launched her solo career. The pure exuberance of so many selections on the song list didn't come for free. As much as she was in the moment when she made music, she didn't let the audience forget where the songs came from. She was a frequent visitor to the White House and other official Washington functions during the Obama years. Now, as the pendulum swings back in an idiotic attempt to whitewash history, the echoes and aftermath of slavery can't be erased, no matter how many books are taken from library shelves. They still haunt her. And us. She turned the refrain of her own composition “At the Purchaser's Option” into an anthem that had the Realto pulsing to its powerful heartbeat. You can take my body You can take my bones You can take my blood But not my soul. In his 1997 essay “Cool Like Me,” Donnell Alexander extolled “cool” as black culture's major contribution to American society. “Cool” was the ability of make something of nothing, to make a dollar out of 15 cents, to take “cast-off Civil War marching band instruments” and turn them into jazz. Rhiannon Giddens isn't about cool. While she celebrates the virtues of resourcefulness and resilience, she embodies a different sort of dignity and power. Rather than a mere banjo picker, she has been a one-woman crusader for a much more noble place for the instrument in our history and culture. Before the high lonesome sound of white hillbillies making bluegrass music, before the blackface stereotypes of minstrel shows, the predecessor of the banjo had a different role. Its sound, bursting with energy and life itself, was a connection to the African empires known to a powerful race of human beings before they were enslaved. Every note Rhiannon Giddens plays echoes back to the source. The history lesson she shares is full of inconvenient truths and tragedies beyond number. But also with the joy of surviving them, and forging this survival like metal, into strength. It's a strength Rhiannon Giddens possesses. One of many.

This might be the best concert I’ve ever been to. The band was excellent and every song was good. Rhiannon Giddens is a talented and beautiful human, and the whole experience was incredible.

Such a wonderful, intimate experience……………………………. .

Rhiannon Giddens is nothing short of a musical force—commanding her instrument and voice with breathtaking mastery. Every note felt intentional, every moment rich with meaning. Her ensemble was equally outstanding, blending precision and passion to create a truly immersive experience. If you haven’t seen her live, do yourself a favor—her shows are not just concerts, they’re revelations.

Rhiannon Giddens and her band are superbly talented and warm musicians! Their performance was top drawer! I highly recommend catching their foot-stomping show wherever you can!

Giddens & band were phenomenal. Loved the banjo & fiddle; loved her dancing. The performance was marred for me because this woman directly in front of me started gyrating and waving her arms side to side midway through to the very end. I was seated in the VIP balcony section. Staff should have told her to either sit down or move to an area where she would not be blocking other people’s view.

Rhiannon Guiddens and co were terrific. The venue, however, is wanting. It was never made clear when purchasing tickets that “general seating” actual means general standing at this venue, and that the limited seating in the balcony area requires additional advanced payment for “VIP” upgrade. Standing for 2 + hours is not comfortable for patrons 65 and over.

This was a great concert by wonderful musicians. Of course, it helps if you are a fan of roots music.

As expected, the music was fantastic. But the venue was terrible. First, no seats. This might work for an audience in their 20s, but most of us who went to this concert are north of 60. Standing for 2-3 hours is just not an option. "General admission"means "no reserved seats,"not "no seating at all." Second, the tickets said that the concert started at 7 p.m. It started at 8. So we rushed through dinner only to find ourselves standing in line, waiting for the doors to open. Third, if the venue is going to not allow backpacks, it should say so clearly beforehand. We had to rush back our car, and then rush back.

How many superlatives are enough for this American treasure? Grammy, McArthur, Pulitzer Prize winner with endless creativity. This show, two plus hours with six musicians, was extraordinary. It was enchanting and moving and could have been two hours longer!