Page/Plant Concert Review
June 26, 1998 Palace of auburn hills (Detroit, MI)
arriving:
Where
do I begin? wow...i will say amazing. I can honestly say this
was one of the most extreme and best days of my life. I had no idea
events like this could make you feel how you do. It was wonderful.
First,
we arrived at the Palace about 6:15 pm, with doors opening a little later
than 6:30. Not many people had arrived yet, which was nice. Before they
opened the doors i couldn't sit still. I have never been more excited in
my life. i ended up having to sit on the ground to control myself.
well
once the security people checked us, we went to the ticket thing. we gave
the lady all three tickets at one time. she had to be rude about it and
instead of saving the stub she just ripped them in half. oh well. we walked
and walked. I bought lots of cool stuff. For some reason, my mind lost
the concept of money. I saw something i liked, i bought it. it was
grand fun.
we
found our seats, which weren't the best. by the time i got to buying tickets
they were pretty picked over. But once the show started i loved the seats.
and would want the same thing next time. we were high enough to see over
everyone and at a good angle to see the stage perfectly.
The
Opening act: 8:10pm
the
opening act, The Lili Haydn Band, began. At first i wasn't crazy
about them. But after only 5 minutes, i really liked them. And by the time
their show was over at 8:53 pm i loved them. It was a great opening.
Now for the big stuff.
The
main performance: 9:15pm
The
equipment was set...the lights went out...the place went wild. The
Palace was not even half full at this time. they put cloudy lights on the
stage, you couldn't see anything. the tension mounted. then
all of a sudden, the much anticipated moment arrived......everyone was
on their feet. The screams came. There they were. Jimmy Page
and Robert Plant. WOW
Everything
was surreal. Nothing existed except for the stage. They went
right into The wanton song.
After that, Bring it on Home
came. Now, i will be honest...i might not get the setlist in order, actually
i know i won't. But i can tell you what i heard the best i can.
now
this next song, really helped get people going. Jimmy was flawless and
totally awesome. Heartbreaker.
This was one of the many, many, many highlights of the night for me.
This was amazing. Pagey was perfect, and Robert's voice was awesome.
They both hopped around and did little dances, almost always smiling. Robert
went from one side of the stage to the other, while Jimmy was just all
over!
Ramble
on and Walking
into Clarksdale were next, I am pretty sure.
everyone knew the Zeppelin songs and that was when everyone was wild, but
when the material from the new album came on, no one seemed to care as
much. So, as you can guess, everyone took their seats during those
songs. Haha, except for me. I never sat down. At a few points, i was the
only one in my section standing. It was awesome.
Now,
i can't remember the order of the songs but i think No
Quarter
was next. Ohh, this was awesome. Robert sounded
as young as ever and it was amazing! The organ wasn't the same without
JPJ, but sounded great! the place calmed down a bit when Shining
in the Light came on. It didn't matter,
it was great.
Now,
for the next song, Robert and Jimmy both sat down. We knew something
was coming. it was the beautiful Going to
California. I was stunned at how Page could
play. I mean yeah, i always knew he was great, but when you see him play.
It just settles in your mind more. I was just blown away at his onstage
talent. and several other songs made me feel the same way.
Tangerine
was next I think. This was also a highlight.
You never think much about this song, i mean yes you do, but when you hear
it live.....it just grabs you.
Now
when you want to get Detroit to rock...you play this song. I have never
seen a reaction to music like i did this song. And i was extremely, i mean
extremely in awe with Jimmy on guitar. It was perfect!!! Wondering the
song yet? Gallows Pole
all the way. That was the real start to the show. Everyone was on their
feet for this one. It was rocking so hard in there, you could just feel
it.
now
if this was planned it was smart...they played heart
in your hand, next. Off of the walking into
clarksdale album. everybody calmed down a lot, but still had that
energy. It was a show watching the crowd.
I
leaned down and mentioned to my friend that i really really wanted to hear
babe i'm gonna leave you. well
guess what came on next? oh, i was flipping out. it was wonderful.
the place was rocking. when the song picks up and gets going you could
see people headbanging all over the arena in the lights. It was awesome
and so energetic. People were rocking. And it never stopped. Ever.
Now,
this tune was wild also. It was such a solid song. It was one of the best
of the night. How many more times.
Everyone was screaming and jumping around and going completely nuts. They
had the lights flashing all around and everyone was singing along.
Looking at people all you could see were arms flying around. It gave
you goosebumps to see all the Zeppelin fans there. It was unconceivable.
The
First release off of the walking into Clarksdale album, Most
High followed How Many more times. Once
again, people calmed down quite considerably. yet, since the night
was wild most everyone stayed up and cheered and screamed. But, not
as many people sang along. Haha, too many late say zep fans i guess.
The
Encore:
The
encore was next and was very well rehearsed. They went into each
song very smoothly and did a flawless job in my ears. The main song
which started and ended the encore, was the most wild song of the entire
night besides Gallows Pole. This was Whole
Lotta Love. Everyone just went crazy
singing. It was wild. And everyone was still jumping around and the
younger generation was headbanding. It was awesome. There were really
three main songs in the encore. But Whole Lotta love was the highlight.
and the solo...oh, my. That solo rocked the building.
The
"almost" end:
Robert
said his goodbye and said how detroit rocked and he was honored to play
here. he said it was fun, but it was time to go. Jimmy had
a huge smile on his face and he waved and just looked at the crowd in awe.
(though he'd seen so much bigger in his life) And then....they were gone.
Everyone Screamed. I mean it was loud and rockin'. everyone had their
lighters up and. No one was leaving. Soon, everyone chanted
"we
want more, we want more, we want more". And everyone started
to stopm and jump up and down. The lights were still off..we knew they'd
be back. And a little less than 10 minutes...they were.
The
Finale:
Robert
came back out with an alcoholic beverage in his hand and everyone just
went freaking crazy. and JImmy also...wow they were back. Robert
mumbled something but the crowd was too loud for anyone to hear.
then they did something i thought was unexpected...they didn't do a hard
rocking song like i though. They did Thank
you. Oh, gosh, the emotions that came with
that song. It was the end and we all knew it. maybe not the end of the
show but the end of the night. It all kind of set in our minds. I
stood but didn't move. I just thought and savored every minute of that
song. tears came to my eyes. It was the emotional highlight
of the night.
But
of course our boys couldn't let the night end like that...the lights were
placed on the drum set. And then we heard it. The place roared.
For the grand finale, they played the ever so energetic Rock
and Roll. IT was crazy. It was awesome.
Jimmy jusmped around and did this leg kick that you used to see him do
20 years ago. the crowd just loved it. and he had the biggest smile.
Robert put the mic towards the audience for the "lonely, lonely, lonely....time".
And everyone just screamed the lyrics. he did that everytime except for
the last verse, he sang and so did we. It was incredible. Everyone
at that concert was One. Everyone had the same feelings and emotions. We
all knew what the other was feeling...haha well not all of us. anyways,
they played the drum ending like Bonzo used to do, just this was an extended
one. It was awesome, it was loud and it was exactly like it used to sound
so long ago. And jimmy came in for the end of the drum solo and the show
was over.
The
Goodbyes:
Everyone
on stage was in smiles. Everyone. They all gathered together and
bowed to the center, left and right. They said their goodnights and we
all knew it was over. And they left. It was the last time i saw Jimmy Page
and Robert Plant. the crowed roared and screamed. I danced around
and embarrassed whoever was near. I didn't care. It was the best
night of my life...
Notes:
JImmy
Page was wearing his usual all black.
Robert
had on stylish silver pants and a blue shirt.
The
show lasted approx. 2 1/2 hours...i will do the figuring later.
The
guy to the left of me was dead drunk and singing everything But Zeppelin
throughout the concert. An example...he seemed to really like Stranglehold
by Ted Nugent.
The
best classic rock radio station in Michigan, 101.1 WRIF, was playing a
dedication to Led Zeppelin that night. We live about an hour and a half
north of Auburn Hills (near Detroit) and got to listent to nonstop Zeppelin
the ENTIRE ride home. It couldnt have been better.
And
if you can, go and see Page/Plant. It was awesome. They played
like they were having fun, they obviously were. That is the best way.
It
was an incredible night!
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