RP/SS Detroit 06.04.01 Review

["Chris Gust" <gusto929@xxxxxxx>]

Setlist: If I Ever Get Lucky, Morning Dew, In the Light, Season of 
the Witch
(w/ Black Dog insert), Sitting By the Window, Hey Joe, Four Sticks, 
Lazy
Me???, 7 & 7 Is, A House Is Not a Motel, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You.
Encore 1: I'm In the Mood, You Need Love / Whole Lotta Love.
Encore 2: Misty Mountain Hop.
Encore 3: Song to the Siren

Robert Plant and Strange Sensation rolled into the Motor City Monday 
night
and put on an astounding show before a packed audience at the 
beautiful
State Street Theatre. This show was a sharp contrast to the previous 
night
in Toronto where nearly everyone remained seated through the show, 
until the
encores. In Detroit, nearly everyone were on their feet throughout,
clapping, singing, dancing, and smiling. While Plant commented in 
Toronto
about the "staid" environment, last night he made mention of the band
feeding off the energy from the crowd. And it showed!

Robert was much more animated during this show with all of the 
trademark
gestures, twirls, and poses. He worked very hard during this show, 
the sweat
pouring off of him throughout. (He probably worked so hard in order to
impress the front row collection of blonde eye-candy that were 
dancing and
swaying for all they were worth.) Quick fashion note: red shirt, black
leather pants.

But I digress! The band was terrific. It was obvious that they were 
enjoying
themselves tremendously, jamming and feeding off each other. It was 
quite a
performance! I have warmed up to "If I Ever Get Lucky" as the show 
opener,
as I think that it sets the proper tone. "In the Light" again had a 
couple
of minor flubs. Plant quietly snuck in the first two verses of "Black 
Dog"
during "Season of the Witch", including a couple soft "aah, aah, ahh, 
ahhs"
"Sitting By the Window" is great, trippy song. "Hey Joe" was again 
very
intense, which left the crowd stunned, I think. "Four Sticks" was 
again very
powerful and a real highlight. I'm still not sure about the name of 
the next
song played (sorry; it may be Lazy Me) but it had the crowd dancing. 
"7 & 7
Is" is really a groovy track, with the rolling keyboard lead. A 
true-to-the
Zeppelin version of "Babe Im Gonna Leave You" closed the main set to a
rousing ovation.

Plant returned for the first encore and (purposely?) led the crowd to
believe that they were going the play his solo career chestnut "In 
the Mood"
but then the band launched into a rousing take of John Lee Hooker's
blues-based song of the same title. At the end of the song, the crowd 
didn't
seem to mind a bit! Robert then paid tribute to the origins of "Whole 
Lotta
Love" with a long speech and the opening verses of "You Need Love" 
before
launching into the Zeppelin classic. The second encore was a surprise,
"Misty Mountain Hop" returned to the set. The boys returned for an
(unprecedented?) third encore of "Song to the Siren".

Plant was in terrific voice (he did not sing like a 53 year old man!) 
and in
a great mood throughout the show. During the encores, he even asked 
the
crowd to pose as he gripped the microphone stand in a mock rock-star 
stance,
as keyboardist John Baggott took a picture! And while loud, I thought 
that
the crowd was very respectful. From my 6th row, right-center 
position, I did
not hear any loudmouths calling for Zeppelin tunes. Even with the 
unfamiliar
songs, many people were smiling, dancing and swaying. It was great to 
see
young 20-somethings groove to the 60's classics.

We had arrived at the venue around mid afternoon and loitered on the 
side of
the building listening to the sound check as it permeated through a 
side
door. No sign of Percy, though, but the band noodled for an hour or 
so,
including parts of Babe and WLL. Across the street is the baseball 
stadium,
Comercia Park, where the Dave Matthews Band was playing the second of 
two
sold-out nights. So we amused ourselves by watching the teeny-boppers 
and
20-somethings stream by. We came across two girls in their late teens 
who,
upon finding out that the Golden God was playing at the State Theatre,
wanted to find someone to trade their Dave Matthews tickets for Plant
tickets!!

Security was pretty tight for the show, with everyone being put 
through an
almost full-body pat-down upon entering the venue, so I wonder what 
kind of
quality audio or video will surface from the show. But if anyone out 
there
knows of a good audio and/or video recording, PLEASE get in touch 
with me.
It was one that I'll always remember. If anyone associated with 
Robert's
management happens to read this, I just want to say THANK YOU for 
coming to
North America to share with us fans the songs that have made such a 
profound
effect on your life!!

~Chris Gust