With only 12 American concert dates scheduled this year, Robert Plant walked out onto the stage of the historic Saenger Theatre in downtown Mobile, Alabama, with a gleam in his eye and a smile on his lips. Resuscitating one of his first bands, The Band Of Joy, Plant is moving forward by actually stepping backwards. Although none of the other original BOJ members are in this incarnation nor does the music seem to resemble the few songs I have heard pre-Zeppelin, it is similar in spirit. If you listen to “I Got To Find My Baby” by the BOJ circa 1968, you will hear a deep blues spiritual that actually falls into the first Zeppelin album’s atmosphere. And Robert Plant is all about creating an atmosphere.
Still surfing the sands of Morocco in his music, the new songs he played tonight have hints of the essence he presented on his Raising Sand recording with Alison Krauss, yet with a bit more pepper. He sang with a reserved intimate zeal, smiling, having fun … but not too much fun. No over-the-top histrionics, unless you counted the crowd going totally nuts whenever a Zeppelin tune was sung, especially “Rock & Roll” during the encore.
To me, it felt like you were in a late-hours blues club where the pick-up band was an amalgam of blues & gospel players having a sit-down before the Sunday dawn. From the new “Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down” to the slinky soul revival of “Wade In The Water”, where it was a sweat dripping clothes stripping testimony, to “Misty Mountain Hop”, Plant was slowly stirring the crowd into a concoction that would boil over by the time he hit the last note of “Rock & Roll”.
Opening with “Down To The Sea” off his Fate of Nations album, Plant eased into two new songs, “Angel Dance” and “House Of Cards”, from his forthcoming Band of Joy album. Bringing in vocalist Patty Griffin, noted for her country-tinged songwriting and folksy repertoire, she stepped into Alison Krauss’ shoes to sing duets with Plant on “Please Read The Letter” and “Rich Woman.” And upon hearing the notes of the first Zeppelin selection of the night, “Misty Mountain Hop”, the crowd stood and acted as if Zeppelin themselves had crystallized in front of them.
I will give Plant credit for not being a vanity-soaked stage hog. The past few years he has given over to sharing his precious spotlight with musicians who also truly shine. Starting with guitarist Buddy Miller, who juke jointed out “Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go” from his Cruel Moon album, to Darrell Scott singing “Satisfied Mind” and Patty Griffin belting out “Move Up”, {lant hung in the background, playing harmonica for Miller and adding harmonies for Griffin.
Adding a bit of chatter between songs, Plant seemed humble, almost shy, talking about his music. He even appeared somewhat apologetic when announcing that many of the songs tonight “are taken from the album premature … but the English are known for those sorts of things”, alluding to the not-yet-released recording. But when talking about the late Townes Van Zandt, his face lit up. “It’s amazing how you can go your whole life as a singer”, he admitted, having only recently discovered the folk legend. “I’ve got it now”. And following the first couple of songs, when someone got up and walked away, he laughingly pleaded, “Don’t go yet. Come back”.
And there you have the nature of this tour: something joyful, soulful and before it’s all said and done, the honey has dripped and you realize you were just rocked by Robert Plant.
Setlist
Down To The Sea, Angel Dance, House Of Cards, Please Read The Letter, Misty Mountain Hop, Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go, Rich Woman, Twelve Gates To The City/Wade In The Water, Tangerine, Satisfied Mind, Move Up, Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down, Central 209, Silver Rider, In The Mood, Houses Of The Holy, Over The Hills & Far Away, Tall Cool One, Gallow’s Pole. ENCORE: Thank You, Rock & Roll, And We Bid You Goodnight
