The legendary lead singer of Led Zeppelin brought his latest version of the Sensational Space Shifters to play some songs from their new album, Lullaby…and the Ceaseless Roar, as well as some old classics, to the Hollywood Palladium. The old Los Angeles ballroom, which holds no more than 2500 people, with standing room only, was a one off special concert for the fans of the superstar rocker. The only other scheduled US dates for the tour were a couple of nights in New York, Chicago and Denver. Coming just a day after Led Zeppelin’s former bassist John Paul Jones played less than ninety miles away in Santa Barbara with the Dave Rawlings Machine, local chat lines were buzzing with the possibility of a mini Zep reunion. Although, Jones was nowhere to be seen, Plant did arrive at the venue ready to rock.
Along with a precious few other classic rock vocal deities, like Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan, Plant was famous for his trademark high pitched wails that permeated Led Zeppelins music. The 66 year old Plant has long since left that extraordinary singing style in the past and has in recent decades found a new and ever evolving voice as a bluesy folk singer. The music is a practical and inevitable evolution from his most folk laden Zeppelin tunes. His latest album has transformed his fascination with American bluegrass, Celtic folk and West African traditional music, into a new amalgamation held together by a new hard rock element. The result is a magical mix of sounds that had the sold out crowd ensconced in adulation at the October 6 concert in the murky old ballroom. The bands’ hundred minute set featured much of the new album interspersed with reworked Led Zeppelin classics and a few classic covers. Plant’s band featured Gambian Juldeh Camara on the riti (a traditional African fiddle) and keyboardist John Baggott, most famous for his work with Portishead and Massive Attack. The band also includes guitarist Liam Tyson, bassist Justin Adams, Billy Fuller, and drummer Dave Smith.
Plant began the evening with a haunting version of the Zeppelin classic “No Quarter”. The crowd seemed electrified from the moment they recognized the song. The aptly named Sensational Space Shifters then switched to newer material with a moody version of “Poor Howard” and the stage was set morphing between Zeppelin classics and the new album. The combination seemed to fit perfectly a bit like a rock opera all drawn together in some mysterious way. The Hollywood crowd stood tightly pressed together on the ballroom floor, while VIP’s were afforded standing room on the balcony above encircling the floor below. Looking up at the single line of elite gawkers, they were somehow reminiscent of the opening shot of the party guests in the “Rocky Horror Picture Show”. But wherever the sold out multi generational crowd stood, most all eyes were transfixed on the stage.
The 14 song set list included 6 Zeppelin classics, two of which were covers themselves, including Joan Baez’s “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” from Zeppelins first album and the Blind Willie Johnson cover, “Nobody’s Fault But Mine”. The band did a fine version of another appropriate for the night Zeppelin classic “Going To California”. But the Dave Rawlings machine version of the same song the night before in Santa Barbara may have to get the nod as the most dramatic, with Jones playing his original haunting mandolin rifts. It was a fine night of music at the Hollywood Palladium, but old Led Zeppelin enthusiasts in the crowd couldn’t help but to continue to wonder what if…?
One Response
Awesome !!!