Robert Plant & the Sensational Space Shifters at the Beacon Theatre

Robert Plant, CBE, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of Led Zeppelin, was born in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England, and was raised in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. As a teenager, Plant developed a passion for the blues, and abandoned training as an accountant to become part of the English Midlands blues scene. By day, he laid tarmac on roads for a construction company in Birmingham and briefly worked in a department store in Halesowen, and by night he sang in blues rock bands. He bonded with drummer  John Bonham while in the Crawling King Snakes. The Yardbirds had split in 1968, and guitarist Jimmy Page recruited Plant, who was singing in Obs-Tweedle, for a new band tentatively called the New Yardbirds. Plant and Bonham merged with Page and bassist John Paul Jones, and the band soon came to be known as Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin became the biggest band in the history of hard rock, but disbanded in 1980 following Bonham's death. Plant briefly considered abandoning music to pursue a career as a teacher, going so far as to be accepted for teacher-training, but was persuaded to launch a solo career. Plant's 11th solo album, Carry Fire, was released on October 13, 2017.

Tonight at the Beacon Theatre, Robert Plant & the Sensational Space Shifters performed an eclectic set that adapted Celtic, North African and other world music genres to rock. These influences dominated to the point where the music was no longer recognizable as rock. The compositions often emphasized violin, keyboards, banjo and acoustic guitar more than lead vocals and electric guitars. The Led Zeppelin songs were reworked into mellower arrangements, and Plant's signature howl was barely heard until the encore. How did the front man for the world's greatest rock band come to make such dreadful music? Plant, your audience implores you to return to rock.

Visit Robert Plant at www.robertplant.com.

Setlist:

1. New World...
2. Turn It Up
3. The May Queen
4. Rainbow
5. That's the Way (Led Zeppelin song)
6. All the King's Horses
7. Please Read the Letter (Jimmy Page & Robert Plant cover)
8. Gallows Pole ([traditional] cover)
9. Carry Fire
10. Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You (Joan Baez cover)
11. Little Maggie ([traditional] cover)
12. Fixin' to Die (Bukka White cover)
13. Misty Mountain Hop (Led Zeppelin song)

Encore:

1. In the Mood
2. Bring It On Home / Whole Lotta Love / Santy Anno (traditional) / Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin song)