Robert Plant squinted toward the audience Thursday night and implored, “Put the cellphones down.” Mockingly, he held an imaginary smartphone in his left palm and pretended to press the keypad.
Some fans, maybe most, did what Plant asked and lowered those little recording devices. But some did not. I wanted to comply, because this was Robert Plant.
But I continued to focus on the man, because … this was Robert Plant.
And, speaking for those who want to mark a piece of history, it is rare when you have Robert Plant in your sights. You have to share that moment, as he is a bona fide rock legend, singing just a few meters away. If I’d been in the crowd at the 1973 Madison Square Garden shows filmed for the concert movie “The Song Remains the Same,” I would have focused on Plant then, too.
His show at Brooklyn Bowl was a feast for fans of Led Zeppelin, and also those who have followed his recent solo career. We were treated to a lot of old Zep songs, reinterpreted through tempo adjustments and new instrumentation from Plant’s backing band, the aptly dubbed Sensational Space Shifters.
“Whole Lotta Love” was a chief example of Plant’s ongoing experimentation with classic Zeppelin songs, as the song served as its own medley, blending Celtic effects, blues and African rhythms. Similarly, such singalongs as “Black Dog,” “What Is And What Should Never Be” and “The Lemon Song” were stretched but not entirely fractured with Plant’s new twists. Plant played an African drum and tambourine, and an African fiddle joined straightforward rock and some bluesy melodies throughout the evening.
Vocally, Plant ascends higher than most rock singers, still. He’s not as high as he once was (vocally, we verify), but he still delivers the songs with power and passion. At 66, Plant’s physical form is that of the lion in the winter, his long, curly hair a mix of blond and gray and creases marking his ever-recognizable face. He is a little thicker but still a nimble front man, knowing his audience — and Brooklyn Bowl was packed for this show — was there for a large measure of nostalgia.
He joked frequently about Las Vegas, saying, “It’s great to be back in Vegas. I feel like Vic Damone,” a cagey reference as most rock vocalists would opt for the more obvious Vegas connection, such as Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin. Later, he did nod to one of the city’s greatest icons, Elvis Presley, and also one of the most inspiring bluesmen ever to pick up a guitar.
“In 1971 or 1972, I saw the King. I’m giving this one to the King, and to B.B. King, too,” he said, then sang a gripping original, “A Stolen Kiss,” calling across the generations, “How long has it been this way? On and on as the days slip away, lost in language, lost in song.”
This was the way Robert Plant recalls seeing one of his heroes, and the recording of that moment was an actual recording. Maybe that’s the most appropriate way to remember a legend, and Robert Plant performed it as only a legend can.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.
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