Alison Krauss has much on her mind these days.
“I worry about home stuff when I’m gone, and I worry about the road stuff when I’m home,” said the 53-year-old bluegrass icon as she prepped for a show in Texas — part of her and Union Station’s first tour in over a decade. “You just worry, ‘Oh, I’m not going to get all my stuff done,’ or ‘I’m going to forget something.’ I think that’s sort of normal for anyone.”
But this time around, life on the road comes with a fresh set of perks.
“It’s very pleasant on the road, and I have come to realize that there’s a much more consistent life on the road,” said Krauss, whose performance last month of “Whiskey Lullaby” with Brad Paisley on NBC’s “Opry 100: A Live Celebration” was captivating.
“It’s very predictable, and it’s nice to be so focused when you’re out there. But what has really been amazing is that we have received the warmest and sweetest welcome from people that seem to be so happy that we are back out and doing this,” she said.
What she didn’t expect was how reuniting with her Union Station bandmates would make her feel.
“It’s almost like remembering a part of yourself that you put away for a while,” she said. “It’s wild just to remember yourself again. It’s such a treat.”
It’s that part of herself that Krauss will continue to rediscover come Saturday, when the Illinois native returns to the Chicago Theatre — marking the first time the entire group has played the venue since touring its 2011 album, “Paper Airplane.”
“It’s so cool when you remember songs that you sang from years ago and just why you loved them,” said Krauss, who will be joined this time around by Union Station members Jerry Douglas, Ron Block, Barry Bales, and the band’s newest addition, Russell Moore.
For fans of Alison Krauss & Union Station, the memories attached to soul-stirring songs such as “Let Me Touch You For Awhile” and “Every Time You Say Goodbye” are many. Krauss said she can relate to that.
“There’s certain records you listen to as a kid that were so innocent and happy before life happened,” she said. “You have memories of such a carefree life, and those things are important to remember. Those feelings are what make us human, so I love to be a part of that, and I love to experience it myself.”
Krauss is looking forward to her Chicago — and Illinois — homecoming.
“My mom is from Homewood-Flossmoor, and her family lived up there for a long time,” said Krauss, who received the Order of Lincoln last year — Illinois’ highest civilian honor. “I was born in Decatur, and I was raised in Champaign, and I married somebody from Batavia.”
Indeed, Krauss said she still remembers the days she spent staring out the window onto the farmland of her home here.
“The fields either were coming in, or they had just been cut down — and they were equally beautiful and meaningful,” said Krauss, whose multidecade career began when she was a little 14-year-old fiddle prodigy signed to a big deal with Rounder Records. “I loved looking out the window on that drive, and I love seeing it when we come through again.”
But it’s not just the landscapes that she loves.
“I have always thought — that’s why Midwestern people are so blessed,” Krauss said. “They can’t hide behind anything. You can see for miles. You can’t hide anywhere. You’ve got to tell the truth.”
Krauss sings of those truths on the band’s new album “Arcadia,” which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s bluegrass chart upon its release earlier this year. and includes sonically exquisite songs such as “Looks Like the End of the Road”, “The Wrong Way” and “One Ray of Shine.”
And while she didn’t write any of these new songs, Krauss said she will always have a deep appreciation for the craft.
“I’m not a songwriter, but I grew up with them,” she said. “I still remember (songwriter) John Pennell coming over after school, and he’d be working on a new song. It’s such a magical process to watch a real poet. Songwriting is not my gift. So when I find something that is personal or a story I want to tell, it is still very inspiring and energizing.”