Review: Is this Robert Plant tour the closest you will ever get with a Led Zeppelin tour?

April 25, 2008

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Interested in writing for us? Click here. Also join us at for contests and further news. Thanks for visiting!

Either see him now or wait for a while!!

It may be difficult to know exactly what fans expected, or hoped for, at tonight’s Robert Plant and Alison Krauss concert at Memorial Auditorium.

It is a safe bet, however, that many among the sold-out crowd were hoping to see and hear some magic from one of rock’s royalty figures and one of Americana’s most-decorated artists, and if that is the case they were not disappointed.

Seeing a star of Mr. Plant’s stature on a Chattanooga stage is a rare treat, and while Ms. Krauss is a regular visitor here, she also is one of the few artists who consistently sells out her local shows.

Throw in T Bone Burnett, who produced the Grammy-winning Plant and Krauss collaboration “Raising Sand,” Buddy Miller, Union Station alumnus Stuart Duncan, Dennis Crouch and Jay Bellerose, and the odds of a memorable show swing heavily in the fans’ favor.

It was, in fact, one of those rare performances in which the band was every bit the equal of the star attractions, who were stellar.

Mr. Plant, the former lead singer for one of rock’s iconic power groups, Led Zeppelin, perhaps was the biggest curiosity for fans, but it became apparent quickly that the evening would be about traditional, or Americana, or whatever you want to call it, music.

Even the Led Zeppelin numbers such as “Black Dog” were deconstructed and then reconstructed, T Bone style. Rebuilt around a heavy drum and fiddle foundation, it was a show highlight.

The evening’s best moment came from Ms. Krauss.

Blessed with one of the purest and sweetest voices in music, she brought chills to the skin and tears to the eyes during “Down To the River To Pray,” a song she performed with Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch on the “O Brother, Where Art Thou” soundtrack. Last night, she was joined by Mr. Miller, Mr. Duncan and Mr. Plant.

No matter the expectations, tonight’s show was special.