So, I saw Robert Plant live in Oakland last night....

[ElectricWiz]

....and he was awesome!

I'd seen him once before, waaaaay back in 92 or something. This show blew that one away. He did only stuff from his new record (which is fantastic) and Zeppelin stuff......and some oddball stuff (see below).

First off, his band is very good, and every song they did (the Zeppelin stuff) was a re-interpretation, but somehow true to the original. You true Zep fans will know that Page and Plant were big fans of middle eastern music (ala Kashmir), and I really like the Robert is letting that influence creep into what he's doing now. Don't get me wrong though, overall it was an earsplitting night of rock and roll. He did about 4 or 5 off the new album (again, which I love), but for you old-school folk....he did the following Zep standards:

No Quarter
That's The Way
Black Dog
Gallows Pole
Heartbreaker
When The Levee Breaks
Whole Lotta Love
Hey Hey What Can I Do

....I think I got 'em all there.

AND....he did Morning Dew (popularized by The Grateful Dead, of whom I'm a big fan.....so cool there....)

AND, in tribute to the Bay Area he did a ripping psychedlic version of Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit. VERY COOL. Crowd went nuts, yada yada.

Overall, he looks good, sounds good, and still whips out an ear piercing Percy siren scream from time to time. It's just plain cool to be in the same building with such a legend (I'm a Zep mega-fan, really I'd say), and he's still vital and full of life and music. Catch 'em while you can.....in a few years he'll be over the hill and you'll be sorry you missed him in the back end of his prime.

He's the man.

Great show.

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

no offense because i know your a huge fan of Plant and so am i.. but maybe you giving him great reviews is a conflict of interest because he is a god to you... I wasn't there so i don't know.. but ive seen him perform live a couple of times on concerts on TV in the past and to me he lost his voice.. can't do what he could do in his youth with Zep... and what is on his solo album's is studio "magic" ... I saw Page live in concert during his Outrider tour back in 1988 i believe and even though Page is a god to me i'll admit he wasn't up to par... his glory days are behind him... and Plant's could be too except on his albums with studio "magic" ... but anyways you have peaked my interest in getting Plant's new album...

 

[ElectricWiz]

Well, you've a valid point here, but I did factor that in, the loss of voice thing - whether I mentioned it or not. From my view, on his new record, he's finally settled into who he is NOW, in that he's making music that suits his current range of voice. This is off topic, but Bob Dylan is the same way. I see him every time he comes through and each time he's fantastic because he knows how to use what little of a voice he's got. So, Robert doesn't strain, he just sings different. Truly, it's an objective point of view I'm putting forth here. In my opinion he hasn't sung very well as far back as, say, Physical Graffitti. The real screamer era for him ended right after Led Zeppelin IV.

Robert Plant is doing something a little different now, and if it was no good I wouldn't like it. I'm definately not the kind of concert goer who praises nothing more than a "legacy" onstage.

I'd even say, to some extent, Bruce Dickinson is the same way. No way can he sing like he did in the Number of the Beast days, but I like how he's using his somewhat more limited range these days, his last three solo albums for instance. Still stellar, but different.

Anyway, point taken, but I'm telling ya, he was great.....and no, if you want to hear Robert ala the Royal Albert Hall 1969 performance (on the DVD - which is stunning) you ain't gonna get that.

No offense taken.

 

[SoundMaster]

I have ALL of Plant's solo records EXCEPT the new one. I HAVE to get it soon.
His last record, although mostly covers, was brilliant.