Early in his show Wednesday night at the Majestic Theatre, Robert Plant admitted he’d played Dallas so many times “in so many incarnations … goodness knows I can’t remember them all.”
It was the ultimate compliment. Unlike most veteran rockers who dutifully crank out the hits night after night, Plant evolves from tour to tour, ignoring the easy route while strictly following his muse. This time out, inspiration led him to a bold hybrid of Celtic and American folk, laced with a metallic, Middle Eastern vibe.
Performing with his latest five-piece band, Saving Grace, the 77-year-old Plant largely abandoned the “golden god” frontman persona he used in Led Zeppelin; in fact, he only played three Zeppelin tunes (more on that in a minute). Instead, he settled into the role of the jovial song-catcher, unveiling his latest bounty of obscure tunes.
The quarry was fascinating and diverse. There were 1930s gospel tunes (“Ain’t No Grave”), 19th-century Irish-British folk numbers (“The Cuckoo,” “As I Roved Out”) and tracks from younger folk songwriters like New York’s Nora Brown (the show-opening “The Very Day I’m Gone”) and Montana’s Martha Scanlan (a transcendent version of “Higher Rock.”)
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When Plant and company finally pulled out the rock songbook, they dug deep for Moby Grape’s “It’s A Beautiful Day Today” and Neil Young’s cryptic “For the Turnstiles.” The show closer was a doozy: A raucous version of “Everybody’s Song,” an unsung gem by the Minnesota slowcore band Low.
The singer traveled back to his solo career for 1983’s “In the Mood” and 1993’s “Calling To You,” reinvented as an ominous West Asian blues tune. But the biggest cheers came when he dipped into the Led Zep catalog for “Ramble On” — with fans singing the J.R.R. Tolkien-inspired verse about evil Gollum — and two buried treasures: “Friends” and “Four Sticks,” which seesawed from thundering rock to mournful balladry. Sadly missing was “The Rain Song,” which was recently dropped from the setlist.
One of rock’s greatest singers, Plant lost his gymnastic voice years ago. He did nail a few high notes Wednesday, but mostly he shifted to the lower ranges, both for the solo spots and his duets with the silken-voiced Suzi Dian.
Dian has an impossible act to follow: Alison Krauss, Plant’s best-known duet partner. But Dian fared well, both with Plant and on her own during Gillian Welch’s haunting “Orphan Girl.” The other British-Welsh band members were just as impressive, especially guitarist Tony Kelsey. String player Matt Worley often stole the spotlight, making his banjo sound like a mandolin, while cellist Barney Morse-Brown ably covered the bass role, plucking the strings more often than bowing them.
Robert Plant, second from left, with his band, Saving Grace. Other members, from left: Suzi Dian, Matt Worley, Barney Morse-Brown, Oli Jefferson and Tony Kelsey.
Tom Oldham
Plant seemed happy to stand in the shadows and let others shine during long stretches of the 90-minute set. And when it came time to bask in the limelight, he did it with panache. After a brilliant harmonica solo in “Ramble On,” he flipped his instrument in the air, kicked out a leg and burst into a huge smile.
The concert could have used more ecstatic moments like that. But when things got too slow and somber, Plant shook it up — like guiding fans through the joyous “la‑la” refrain of Zep’s “The Ocean.”
He may not perform “Stairway to Heaven” anymore. But Plant still knows how to get the crowd singing like he did back in ’73.
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