Rock n Roll has an illustrious past made up of front men who swagger their way off the stage and into the history books. From the slithering hips of Mick Jagger, to the awe-inspiring captivation of Jim Morrison, to the staggering multi-octave range of the late, great Freddie Mercury, the rock front man has been the focal point of the live performance realm. And riding the throne of this kingdom is none other than the Golden God himself: Robert Plant.
Plant has spent the 30 years since the death of John Bonham and the subsequent death of the band he helped found, Led Zeppelin, travelling not only the world but also the universal language of music. Slip sliding between pop/rock covers of 50s hits with The Honeydrippers to psychedelic blues with the incredibly unsung and brilliant Strange Sensation album Mighty Rearranger, and everywhere in between, Plant has proven to have a thirst for change mostly unseen in the rock god front man club.
The latest venture, and the follow up to his Grammy winning bluegrass collaboration with Allison Kraus entitled Raising Sand , is the return to roots (and to the original band name he rolled with in the 60s) blues rock project Band of Joy. Plant and the Band of Joy led a successful tour of the southern states that bred the influence itself and decided (much to my perverse delight) to expand it through North America and Europe. The Vancouver stop is on April 17 at the wonderfully intimate Queen Elizabeth Theatre. I made sure to grab a seat close enough to the front to get a good look at the bulge.
Plant has been torturing fans of Zeppelin for years by refusing to front any kind of reunion of the band in his late friend’s absence. He has confidently and wisely chosen to move forward and grow as much as he can in the time he has on this earth and while his still stellar voice can still climb misty mountains. And like Strider himself, Plant does have a kingdom, but he has forsaken his crown. His reason: to ramble on. To explore what is out there. Because the true measure of a man is the ability to be humble about what you know and what you have yet to learn. The Golden God has many adventures ahead of him, if you get the chance to see him as he passes through your town, take it.
