Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters.

Dale and I went to see Robert Plant and his new band (The Sensational Space Shifters) this past Sunday.  First things first, here is what I wore:



I was going back and forth between this outfit and one that was more of a "sexy hippy" look. I decided on this one because the shoes were more appropriate for standing on a concrete floor amongst a crowd for over 2 hours. That shirt was purchased in the Juniors section at a Ross Dress for Less. I don't care, I love it!

Now, on to the show. I took about 10 cell phone pictures during the entire show. I refuse to be that person that can't put their phone down during the entire performance, focusing more on their picture than the show. I mean, it's a cell phone camera in low light. You are not going to get amazing pictures. The guy in front of me video recorded the entire show on his cell phone camera. We were four rows back from the stage yet Steven Spielberg over here chose to watch the show through the tiny screen of his phone. UNBELIEVABLE!!! I hate when people do this because it messes with the view. You know how a bunch of billboards along a highway can mess up the view of a city? Same thing with people in the crowd holding up a bunch of cell phones. I'm ok with photographers taking photos with their fancy cameras. I've taken my SLR to more than one show. The photographer takes his shot without annoying the crowd (usually). They bob and weave and try to not stick out.

There were other people (mostly the twenty somethings) that continued to text and visit social media sites during the concert. They had to let people know where they were and what they were doing. It was more important to brag about their "experience" than to actually have the experience. I wanted to scream, "BE PRESENT IN THE MOMENT YOU STUPID TOURIST OF LIFE!" (Thanks to Doug Stanhope for that phrase)

Ok, more on stupid people later. Right now I want to tell you about Mr. Plant. One word, "Phenomenal." Five mintes before the musicians took the stage, a stagehand came out and placed (and lit) bundles of  nag champa incense all along the front of the stage. The show started with one of the guitarists playing a beautiful piece on his acoustic. Robert plant sauntered onto the stage, which was bathed in blue light,  and the guitar piece turned into the opening notes of "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You." The audience started hooting and hollering and my heart beat quickened as Robert Plant brought his lips to the mike and sang "baaaaby.....baby baby, I'm gonna leave you."
The rest of the show was just as good as that moment.

He performed a lot of songs from Led Zeppelin. Some were reworked and some were pretty much the same. All were good. There were some new songs, too. He and his band have a great sound. I can't even describe it. Psychedelic blues with an African influence maybe? He has a musician in his band, Juldeh Camara from West Africa, that plays instruments I don't even know the name of. The rest of the band were from the UK. A talented bunch of Brits. 


Robert's voice is still amazing. His stage presence is commanding. At one point, during a song, he crossed the stage towards a security guard in the audience. He then pointed to a lady in the front row that was zonked out of her mind thanks to some substance. The guard and the audience pulled the woman over the security barrier and out to some area for recovery. Robert did all of this without missing a beat of the song he was singing. The man is a pro. 



In my next post, I'm going to talk about paying the Tall Tax at a concert.