House of the Holy: Robert Plant Delivers Another Sensational Space Shifting Show at the Riv -- Chicago Concert Review

Photos by Seth Arkin

Concert Review

Robert Plant & the Sensational Space Shifters
w/ opening act Seth Lakeman
Riviera Theatre, Chicago
February 20, 2018
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Can lightning strike twice in the same place?

That was the question--and hope--on my mind as I ventured to the 2,500-seat Riviera Theatre on a rainy Tuesday night to see a rock god whose legacy is far larger than the venue he filled.

For in October 2014, Robert Plant--the iconic lead singer of Led Zeppelin, who in recent years has repeatedly eschewed clamoring for a reunion tour by the legendary band--had played the Riv with a group of dexterous musicians dubbed the Sensational Space Shifters.

That show--far from the first time I'd seen Plant--stands out among the 700+ concerts I've attended as not just one of my favorites, but palpably "religious," as hearing classics from the Zeppelin canon repeatedly gave me goosebumps.

Tuesday night, if the songs didn't all remain quite the same, the basic outline did: a mix of Plant's fine, rootsy, recent material--now culled from 2017's Carry Fire album as well as 2014's lullaby and... the Ceaseless Roar--with a handful of somewhat reconfigured Zeppelin tracks, plus some potpourri (other solo Plant songs, tunes that inspired him, etc.).

And at 69, Plant remains in good voice, hair and spirits, seemingly quite content to be creating new music that beguiles him while playing relatively intimate venues, rather than reaping untold millions with a far-more pressurized Led Zeppelin reprise.

After a nice solo opening set by the well-named Seth Lakeman, who also plays violin within the Space Shifters, the British legend took the stage for what would be a roughly 100-minute performance, a bit longer than in 2014 or at a 2015 show at the Northerly Island pavilion.

Unlike 2014, when two great Zep cuts--"No Quarter," "Ramble On"--brought instant chills and convusions as songs #1 & 3 on the setlist, this time 'round Plant opened with four recent solo songs ("New World...," "Turn It Up," "May Queen," "Rainbow") before a fine take on the low-key "That's the Way" from Led Zeppelin III.

Of 15 songs played Tuesday, five hearkened back to Zeppelin, but only two--"Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" and "Whole Lotta Love," carryovers from 2014--sent spiritual spasms down my spine.

That I still found it to be a @@@@1/2 show (out of 5) speaks to the quality of Plant's current music, band and performance.

After the first four songs mentioned above and "That's the Way," set the tone, also fitting in nicely were 2005's "All the King's Horses" and "Please Read the Letter," a song Plant originally recorded with Zep mate Jimmy Page for their 1998 collaboration, Walking Into Clarksdale, but re-did--as referenced onstage--with Alison Krauss for the Grammy-winning Raising Sand album. (Notably, Plant never mentioned Page or Led Zeppelin on Tuesday.)

Though enjoyable, the Space Shifters' takes on Zeppelin's "Gallows Pole" (actually an old Leadbelly song) and "Misty Mountain Hop" reworked the famed versions enough not to feel quite as monumental.

The band--most notably guitarists Skin Adams and Justin Adams--also shined on the late bluesman Bukka White's "Fixin' to Die" (revved up to feel Zeppelinesque) and Plant's early solo hit, "In the Mood."

The Chicago setlist echoed what has been played at other tour stops, and while well-curated at face value, given the heavy rain all-day Tuesday I thought Plant should've slyly pulled out "When the Levee Breaks," with its "I'm going to Chicago" line.

I know it may sound a bit askew to admire Plant for not cravenly mining his past yet rueing that there wasn't enough Zeppelin featured in a concert 38 years after that band's demise.

So I want to be clear: This was an excellent show. Plant and Co. sounded great, and any evening spent alongside three dear friends watching an all-time legend wail away counts as a special one.

Especially as "Whole Lotta Love" sent us off into the night, where it continued to rain.

But while there was a good deal of thunder to savor within the erstwhile Riviera--along with the pleasure of seeing Robert Plant happily chart his own course--bolts of truly electrifying lightning just didn't strike quite like they had before.

In the same place.

June Agreeably Becomes September: Energized and Defiant, Robert Plant Looks Back, Forward on His Own Terms -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

Robert Plant
and the Sensational Space Shifters
w/ opening act JD McPherson
FirstMerit Bank Pavilion, Chicago
September 23, 2015
(rescheduled from June 10)
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"These are the Sensational Space Shifters," imparted Robert Plant to the robust crowd gathered at the FirstMerit Bank Pavilion about the impressive collection of musicians with whom he has toured for the past 3 years.

"It could've been different, but it ain't. Thank God."

Although I don't share Plant's aversion to a reconvening of Led Zeppelin--I'd be at a reunion show in a heartbeat--I admire not only his resistance, but the way he seems to revel in his disinterest.

And though, with Wednesday having been the last Space Shifters show on the books, clamoring for a re-Zeppification is likely to reach a crescendo--from the public, press and Jimmy Page, if not necessarily in that order--Plant once again aptly demonstrated that there are more apparently gratifying ways for him to spend his time and talent.

Yet rather than being unwilling to revisit his past--Plant's sets include a good amount of Zep, as well as covers of bluesy, rootsy songs that influenced his passions and career path--the still golden-tressed singer seems simply not to have any need to relive it.

Especially as someone a bit too young to have followed Led Zeppelin when they ruled the earth--though I did relish when my dad added 1979's In Through the Out Door to our family's record collection--it's easy to envision the great music, packed stadiums, worldwide superstardom and larger-than-life existence as a dream anyone would relish resurrecting.

But groupies swarming hotel hallways may not seem as fantastical when you're 67 as at 25, and given that Zeppelin ended with the substance excess-related death of drummer John Bonham--a pre-Zep friend and bandmate of Plant's--while Page also battled harrowing addictions, the realities and recollections may not be as utopian as outsiders may imagine.

Plant also tragically lost his young son during the Zeppelin years, and despite the record-breaking revenues a reunion tour would generate, for an already rich man the idea of reboarding the mothership may not only feel unnecessary but emotionally fraught, especially given the demands and expectations involved--vocally and otherwise.

Still, any inference that Plant isn't abundantly proud of what he, Page, Bonham and John Paul Jones created and accomplished, nor appreciative of the fervor with which fans continue to exalt Led Zeppelin 35 years after their breakup, was again proven misguided throughout Wednesday's 90-minute performance on Northerly Island.

I might even suggest that from an artistic standpoint--rather than in terms of publicity, crowd-size, cross-generational reach, rampant news feed regurgitation or catalog album sales--Plant may well be doing more to promote the monumental merits of his old band than  a reunion run would.

Having been enraptured by Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters' transcendent performance at Chicago's intimate Riviera Theatre just last October, my friend Paolo and I bought tickets for the June date not only as something of an encore--happy to have three other friends newly Planted nearby--but in good part due to the somewhat odd inclusion of indie-rock heroes, The Pixies, as the opening act. (I've also seen Plant several other times over the years, including on two tours with Page in the '90s.) 

The June 10 date wound up coinciding with a Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Finals game, so I wasn't too chagrined when it was canceled on the day of the show due to an illness impeding Plant's voice, but it's too bad the Pixies weren't part of the makeup date, even if--despite being a longtime fan--I wasn't all that enthralled by their festival sets I've caught in recent years.

In their absence, an Oklahoman named JD McPherson and his band delivered a solidly enjoyable opening set in being graciously allotted a full hour by the headliner, who likely appreciates the melange of rock, country, folk, rockabilly, Americana, bluegrass, Appalachian roots music and other styles & textures that have factored heavily into Plant's own musical explorations, including his Grammy-winning Raising Sand album with Alison Krauss.

With the 6-piece Space Shifters more than dextrous enough to traipse all these genres and more--it was again reiterated that Robert Plant doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves for westernizing "World Music" in a way akin to Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel and David Byrne--Plant opened with a rendition of Zeppelin's "Trampled Underfoot" that was both faithful and reinterpreted at the same time.

His still-supple legendary voice the thread that seamlessly linked tunes from 2014's stellar Lullaby and... the Ceaseless Roar ("Turn It Up," "Rainbow," "Little Maggie") with Zeppelin classics ("Black Dog," "Dazed and Confused," "Whole Lotta Love," "Rock and Roll") and old blues covers reminiscent of those in Zep's early canon ("Spoonful," "Fixin' to Die"), Plant impressively foraged the estimable talents of his backing band, including Juldeh Camara on a distinctive African one-string fiddle. (See the full setlist on Setlist.fm)

Way beyond pandering stage patter to the local crowd, Plant graciously recognized that without Chicago record labels like Chess, Vee Jay and Delmark bringing the blues and other American music to Britain, he likely wouldn't have Led the life he has.

(I couldn't help but note that the old Chess Records studio, now the Willie Dixon Blues Heaven Foundation perhaps in part funded by latter-day "Whole Lotta Love" royalties, was only about 2 miles from the lakefront venue.)

Lest anyone forget the "Hammer of the Gods" amidst the diverse soundscape, guitarists Skin Tyson and Justin Adams brought requisite power to Page's iconic riffs in all the right places.

Likely my favorite moment of the night was when Tyson, on acoustic guitar, took centerstage alongside Plant and keyboardist John Baggott for a lushly beautiful take on "The Rain Song" from Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy that served to enhance appreciation for both the original version and what Plant has been doing of late.

It was also reminiscent of the sublime rendition of "Going to California" I witnessed last year at the Riv, a show both Paolo and I agreed was just more mind-blowing due to the proximity that served to make the power chords that much more thunderous. 

That some different Zeppelin tunes took the place of "Ramble On," "What Is and What Should Never Be" and "Bring It On Home," made this Plant show wonderfully complementary, but while terrific, the primordial oomph was just a bit diminished.

Nonetheless, on a beautiful night, with the Chicago skyline as a backdrop in the company of great friends, hearing rock's quintessential singer actually building on his legacy in somewhat unsuspecting fashion--yet again--made not only for the next best thing to a Led Zeppelin reunion, but perhaps, in certain regards, something even better.

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This is a nice composite video a YouTube user named zepperl posted from Wednesday's Robert Plant show, including parts of "The Rain Song" and "Whole Lotta Love," among others: 

Whole Lotta Love...and then Some for Robert Plant as He Blisters the Riv with Past, Present Glories -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

Robert Plant 

and the Sensational Space Shifters

w/ opening act The Last Internationale

Riviera Theatre, Chicago

October 2, 2014

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You know what makes me happy?

Well sure, great friends, righteous music and Led freakin' Zeppelin, all of which will factor into this review.

But one thing that always makes me really happy is seeing people who love what they do.

And who, in the process, bring joy to others--and seemingly themselves--for reasons far more holistic than materialistic.

Without pretending to know his exact reasoning, in seeing Robert Plant at Chicago's Riviera Theatre on Thursday night, I felt like I completely understood--and admired--why he has resisted much clamoring for a Led Zeppelin reunion tour, including from Jimmy Page himself (who along with John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham--son of drummer John Bonham, who's 1980 death ended the band's initial glorious run--has seemingly been ready to go since 2007).

Led Zeppelin, arguably the biggest band of the 1970s, has over-the-years had occasional one-off reunions of the three original members, the most recent in 2007 at London's O2 arena with Jason Bonham on drums.

As documented in the marvelous Celebration Day DVD and CD, the band was still a phenomenal live
act and, according Guinness World Records, the show generated the "Highest Demand for Tickets for One Music Concert."

Supposedly, 20 million ticket requests were submitted online for the approximately 20,000 available.

So it isn't just hardcore fandom hyperbole that suggests a Led Zeppelin reunion tour would be the highest grossing ever, likely generating over $1 billion if enough dates were booked.

But Plant has rebuffed all entreaties, and now touring with a musically and ethnically diverse band dubbed the Sensational Space Shifters, rather than selling out, say, 6 nights at Soldier Field with Led Zeppelin, on Thursday night he played the 2,500-capacity Riviera Theatre.

The show wound up being a sellout, but I was able to get tickets for me and my friend Paolo long after they initially went on sale.

But not only in his stage demeanor did Robert Plant not seem the least concerned about the millions he had foregone, he struck me as all the more blissful and contented for it.

Obviously set for life monetarily and still receiving plenty of adulation--as bestowed here by a crowd that, as several fans remarked upon, was demonstrably old--the man who became a rock 'n roll archetype at the age of 20 and is oft-regarded as the greatest lead singer in rock history just seems incredibly comfortable in his own skin at 66.

No, he can't wail away on the high notes as he did in 1971, but whatever his still supple and emblematic voice has lost in register is largely made up for by a richer depth and more inventive phrasing.

After a fine set by a New York-based band called the Last Internationale--notable for pretty, powerful singer Delila Paz, former Rage Against the Machine member Brad Wilk on drums and a strong political bent--Plant let the Sensational Space Shifters take the stage briefly before he ambled to the mic.

"Close the door, put out the light / 
You know they won't be home tonight"

With the opening of the 1973 Zeppelin classic, "No Quarter," it was clear we were in for a magical evening.

And a euphoric one, that included from me an obnoxious amount of air drumming, guitar playing and more random spasms.

Though I have seen Plant six previous times--including twice on late '90s tours with Page--and have heard him sing most of the Zeppelin stalwarts, there was something both holy and orgasmic about witnessing him deliver spectacular renditions of "Ramble On," "Going to California," "What Is and What Should Never Be," "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" and "Whole Lotta Love."

Given the diverse musicality with which Plant has long surrounded himself, and how stellar the true-to-their-name Senational Space Shifters were--members include West African musician Juldeh Camara, guitarists Skin Tyson and Justin Adams, drummer Dave Smith, keyboardist John Baggott and bassist Billy Fuller--it was hard to imagine the actual Zeppelin, now, sounding any more pleasing.

Not that I wouldn't be there in a heartbeat.

But "there" would undoubtedly be in the back rows of a stadium or at least an arena, while even in the balcony of the Riviera I was far closer to one of the greatest of rock legends than I should have been.

Making the acoustics, and the experience, all the more special.

But to focus simply on the Zeppelin material--a folksy encore version of "Nobody's Fault but Mine" rounded it out--would be a disservice to Plant and the choices and music he has made since then.

His latest album, Lullaby and...the Ceaseless Roar is excellent in a lower-key way, and it was truly a delight to hear several of its songs--"Poor Howard," "Rainbow," "Turn It Up," "Arbaden (Maggie's Baby)," "A Stolen Kiss" and the show-closing "Little Maggie"--complement the Zeppelin treasures and a few blues covers. (See the setlist for Robert Plant at the Riviera in Chicago here.)

As I noted to Paolo, in the context of quintessential classic rock singers and wunderkind musical genius guitarists, it's easy to think that--historically--Plant is to Page as The Who's Roger Daltrey is to Pete Townshend.

But with no disrespect meant to Daltrey, in Zeppelin Plant was far much more of a songwriting collaborator, and after the band's demise, Robert--unlike Roger--has had a rather distinguished solo career.

I can't say I acutely missed anything amidst a show that will rank among the best concerts of my year--and the one that likely fostered my most exuberant exhilaration in quite some time--but beyond the Zep classics and fine new tunes, it's almost a shame past solo gems like "Tall Cool One," "29 Palms," "Other Arms," "In the Mood" and "All the King's Horses" couldn't also illustrate how Plant has stood the test of time while constantly moving forward. (Check out my Solo Plant Spotify playlist.)

I think I've rambled on enough, and there's no way I can adequately convey how it felt to hear the "Dunnunt, dunnunt, de, dunt, dunt" mid-song guitar riff of "What Is and What Should Never Be" smacking me in the face or the epochal denouement of "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" blissfully blowing my head off.

But rock 'n roll--and life--doesn't get much better. Or, for me, more religious.

To quote Paolo in stealing back a word far too co-opted for superfluous mediocrity...

"It was epic." 

And in keeping with where I started, if Plant had decided to close the 90-minute show with "When the Levee Breaks" (given its "going to Chicago" refrain) or, as he did at a Taste of Chicago I heard but didn't attend last summer, my all-time favorite Zeppelin song, "Rock and Roll," or God forbid, "Stairway to Heaven" (which he only ever seems to sing under Led Zeppelin billing), my pants would have undoubtedly wound up rather sticky, yet there was something even fittingly cooler about his ending with a new song ("Little Maggie"), effusively expressing his appreciation to the adoring crowd and taking bows with the band.

This was a man doing what he loves, on his own terms.

And, aptly given the multiple stairways to our balcony perch at the Riv--which was absolutely sweltering, by the way--it was nothing short of heavenly.

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The show was so sublime, I didn't want to miss much of it by shooting video. But here's a snippet I took of "Ramble On" to give you the idea: