Page/Plant Review
Walking into Clarksdale LIVE!
A Concert Review!
The Event: Robert Plant & Jimmy Page "Walking into Clarksdale" Tour
The Place: The Bradley Center in Downtown Milwaukee, Wi.
The Date: Wednesday, June 10th, 1998, 7:30 pm
The Result : Outstanding!
To fully appreciate the following concert review, I must
first set the stage, and detail the events that led up to
this "dream fulfillment exercise," which is what it truly was! It
was also another lesson in why sometimes the "fly by the seat of
your pants" mentality is the best way to enjoy life! Walk with
me, if you will, into Clarksdale now !
Early in the morning of June 10th while on the way to
work, I was being bombarded by the usual radio
advertisements, in between the banter of my favorite morning
drive radio show. As the promo ad for The Page/ Plant Show at the
Bradley Center hit me right between the ears, I started to
envision myself at this show with the hopes of actually
witnessing two of the best figures in the world of rock 'n' Roll
execute their craft, the one that put them into the Rock 'n' Roll
Hall of Fame. The notion of attending this Show on a whim
actually started as I was in my favorite Classic Rock n' Roll
chatroom the nite before. By the time I had arrived at work, I
was thoroughly convinced that going to this concert was the right
thing to do.
As the only "on-the-floor" manager of my supermarket gig
for that day, the problem of searching for the tickets
had to be solved, due to the fact that I could not leave work. So
I enlisted the help of a beverage salesman, who most graciously
agreed to do the leg work for me. I didn't want the hassle of
having to stop at a ticket window at the Bradley Center before
the show, because time would have been a problem! (I didn't want
to miss a lick!) So I stuffed the needed dollars into his hand,
and off he went to a competitor, who just happened to have the
Ticketmaster service. I did call Ticketmaster beforehand to get
an approximate price for two tickets. When the beverage salesman
returned with the two tickets in hand, I thanked him, and kicked
it into high-gear to find a taker for the second ticket. After a
few calls, I determined that on such short noticed, it would be
hard to find a home for the second ticket. I decided to ask my 16
year-old daughter to accompany me, which turned out to be the
best solution anyway! I raced home from work, changed into my
concert gear, and off we went to witness the event of a lifetime.
Walking into Milwaukee
The trip into "Brew-Town" was not what I would call
routine. Of course, it was the tail end of rush-hour,
complicated by pesky road construction. The enjoyable part of the
ride was the thousands of Harley Davidsons cruising the
expressways, as Milwaukee was hosting the 95th Anniversary Harley
Davidson Reunion all week long. Also, a local Milwaukee Classic
Hits Rock station featured Page, Plant, and Zeppelin offerings,
along with interviews on their nightly "70s at Seven" segment. It
was the icing on the cake. My daughter would comment, "Oh, I've
heard that one before." As the anticipation started to build, we
rolled off the freeway onto one of the side streets, then made
our way north to find a quick and easy access point to the
Bradley Center. After about a half-hour of searching, we found a
parking spot and sped off to get to our seats. One could not help
feel the excitement, as we marvelled at the incredible numbers of
Harley Davidsons cruising the streets of downtown Milwaukee. It
seemed that around every corner was yet another gathering, or
"street party" in progress. Some of the mini-parties were hosted
by an adjacent tavern or eatery, hoping to attract as many bikers
as possible. Some of the establishments had uffets set up
outside, with tables to dine on, and live bands performing. What
a sight to see! What a perfect atmosphere and setting for event
we were about to witness!
The venue comes alive!
As we approached the Bradley Center's main entrance, the
excitement we experienced on the drive to downtown
Milwaukee and short walk from our parking structure seemed to be
magnified as we felt the energy of anticipation grasp while
passing through the doors and turnstiles. The fact that the
ticket stub returned to each of us would become yet another
reminder of a fabulous night to remember, had not yet dawned on
us as being important. As we walked to our upper-level seats, we
found ourselves perched almost directly left of the stage. The
view was a perfect position to watch all the happenings on stage.
(The seats were better than I expected, considering that I had
purchased the tickets only a few hours beforehand). The opening
act really didn't gain much of our attention, as we got
comfortable with our surroundings and watched the venue starting
to fill up. It was interesting trying to resolve the average age
of the concert-goers filling the seats of the Bradley Center. I
estimated that the predominant demographic was male and female,
18 to 26 years in age, with a random mix of other age groups as
well. In the section we were seated, I was able to determine that
my daughter was probably the youngest in attendance, while I was
probably the oldest. (41 years young!) As the opening act ended
its onslaught and was offered a modest round of applause, the
house lights went up and I saw for the first time, in normal
light, the stage set which would be the launching pad for some of
the best Rock 'n' Roll ever produced, performed, and recorded:
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, and all the memories for which the
Zeppelin offerings held for me! Off to the concourse to burn a
couple of cigarettes, use the restroom, and get something wet to
quench my thirst. My daughter opted to stay put and hold down the
fort. While finishing the last few drags of my cigarette, I
recognized someone from my hometown 55 miles away. We exchanged
greetings and concert memories of shows gone by, talked about all
the Harleys in town, and speculated about the songs that Plant
and Page would be offering on that night. Suddenly, a huge roar
from the arena went up, and the enormous sounds of the intro
soundtrack began. The people who were anxiously waiting knew the
moment of truth had come. Off I sprinted to the access tunnel
into the arena, to find an almost electric feeling of excitement
and pandemonium. The effects lighting was spectacular, the roar
of the electronics and intro-track deafening, and I knew right
then and there that I was on my way to a place I had never been
before! I rejoined my daughter in our seats, and started to clap
wildly. We rose to our feet as the band took the stage, and off
we went to Rock 'n' Roll Heaven.
The Show
It was very clear to me, right from the first song, that
the undersized crowd of the 18,000 seat Bradley Center
would not be intimidated by a few thousand no-shows and unsold
tickets. It was evident to me that the crowd that was there was
there to ROCK, and displayed it with their song-interrupting
cheers and applause of appreciation, with bleacher-banging
episodes that seemed to work its way around the indoor stadium.
During the course of the evening, you could see how the
jubilation of the crowd transformed a very confident Robert Plant
into a dominating force on the stage. His boisterous style and
stage presence seemed to gain speed as the nite rolled on. At
several intervals during the evening, Plant would walk to the
front of the stage with his hands on his hips, as if too
challenge the audience's very presence there. Every time he did,
he was bounced back by waves of screams, shouts, and applause. We
drew from his presence, as he drew from ours.
Jimmy Page on the other hand, did not have to expend much
energy to drive his point home. His almost effortless
delivery of the classic riffs he had so masterfully laid down
years before just seemed to slash thru the Bradley Center like a
hot knife through butter. He was "on fire" all nite long. It was
interesting watching the younger people in attendance. Some
looked so much in awe that they stood motionless! Others, like
myself, chose to expend as much energy as possible, mouthing
every lyric and imitating every guitar lick in an air-guitar
frenzy that transported my soul back to the original place in
time. It felt like the 70s all over again. Even though my
daughter seemed amused by the antics, she did not reply with the
usual "Dad, stop that! You're embarrassing me!" Quite frankly, I
could tell she was enjoying the show just by the way she clapped
wildly, and the fact she did not sit down during the usual
acoustic quiet moments. As the show progressed closer and closer
to the wrap-up song, the entire venue was on its feet, realizing
that at some point very soon, the show they had waited in line
for, had spent the hard earned dollars for, and had told envious
friends about prior to arriving, would soon be over! The crowd
appreciation for the set they had just witnessed was unlike any
other performance I had ever seen or heard. Nothing I could say
could describe the electricity and grandeur of the the two
masters, doing what they have done best for the last 30 years!
Knowing that they would soon be back center stage to lift our
enjoyment to yet another level, we clapped and screamed in
appreciation, while Plant, Page, and the rest of the contingent
filed up a rear catwalk behind the stage, and disappeared behind
some curtains.
What followed next was one of the most vivid displays of
appreciation I have ever witnessed at a concert. The
sustained roar seemed to continue for what seemed like 10
minutes. Although I really don't think it lasted for more than 5
minutes before the contingent of musicians, along with Plant &
Page, filed back out on stage. The Bradley Center was rockin' on
its foundation once again. As they roared through their encore
offerings, a feeling of gratification swept over me. One of
happiness for my daughter Lisa, who had the great opportunity to
witness such an extraordinary event, and a feeling of fulfillment
for me, for I had realized that the show I had just witnessed was
in fact a life-long dream come true. I thought back to to the
times in high school when Zeppelin tuneage dominated the rotation
in my car 8-track player. I thought back to a place in time when
I actually had a chance to see Zeppelin in their heyday, but
couldn't get off of work to go. I thought back to earlier that
same morning, when I didn't even have tickets yet! "Dream
fulfillment" is what this day was.
The Wrap-up
Beads of sweat rolled down my face, as the lights went
back on and the crowd roared in displeasure. The look on
my daughter's face was one of awe and disbelief. A hint of a
smile emerged on her face, as we moved to the stairways to exit
the Bradley Center. I could tell by the continuing roar of the
crowd as they filed out into the concourses, that all in
attendance wished that this nite could have continued in the
comfortable confines of their seats inside the arena. As the
masses rode the escalators to the lower level, spontaneous bursts
of jubilation spilled out of the concert goers mouths, into the
vestibules, and onto the city streets of downtown Milwaukee, only
to be greeted, once again, by thousands of Harley Davidsons. As I
burst through the exit doors and witnessed the controlled
pandemonium in progress, goose-bumps raised on my arms, and I
knew that the wild hair that was planted earlier in the day on
the ride into work was a worthwhile "fly by the seat of your
pants" adventure that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.
This review is not a review at all! I didn't feel I was
qualified to judge the technical aspects of the music.
What I have done is try to convey an "event" rather than
musicology or a laundry list of songs. I think an experience like
Plant/ Page Live is something to be savored and appreciated,
rather than dissected and scrutinized.
Review by: SMR
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