Originally published in Express and Star (UK)
Review of Wolverhampton, UK Show December 12, 2005
by Gemma Handy

With incense burning, Moroccan rugs strewn across the stage and an array of bewildering-looking instruments, the scene was set for an innovative world music-style performance. ||Continue reading||

Review of December 4, 2005 Palais Show, London, UK
Originally appeared in timesonline.co.uk

“I HAVEN’T been in here since Dave Edmunds was chucking up in ’72,” smiled Robert Plant, peering out at a Palais crowd that was crammed into every available space. Back then, at the peak of Led Zeppelin’s success, Plant was the ultimate rock god and, three decades on, despite the mellowing of his music and a voice that avoids its top range, he remains an enigmatic frontman with a swagger in his step. ||Continue reading||

Review of December 4, 2005 Hammersmith Palais, London Show
originally appeared on independent.co.uk
By Chris Mugan

This time last week, the Arab punks Rachid Taha and his band earned five stars for their impressive performance. Now, the legend who fronted Led Zeppelin has come close with his own brand of desert rock. Long a fan of the exotic sounds of far-flung locales, from the Kush to the Atlas mountains, as first heard on the Zep’s own “Kashmir”, Robert Plant has returned to such influences in recent years. His current album, Mighty Rearranger, improves on the blues, folk and Arabic sounds template laid down on 2002’s Dreamland. ||Continue reading||

Originally published in Mojo Magazine (UK)
Review of Wiltern Theater show October 1 & 2, 2005
by Sylvie Simmons

A HANDSOME old tart and a real survivor. The venue, that is. A small, exquisite, Art Deco theatre, one of the few historical gems Los Angeles hasn’t managed to tear down. Tonight, with the crowd pressed right up to the stage, and the red lights, incense and Moroccan rugs, it has an opiated, late ’60s feel. So when Plant starts the show with a song about the hell of living on past glories (Tin Pan Valley) you know that it’s a statement of intent. ||Continue reading||

Review of October 5, 2005 show at Chicago’s House of Blues
Originally published in the Chicago Tribune

By Greg Kot Tribune music critic

New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are sacred ground for musicians throughout the world, and benefits for Hurricane Katrina victims are springing up almost daily in the rock community.

None was pricier or more high-profile than the $1,000-ticket Pearl Jam-Robert Plant concert Wednesday at House of Blues. “Worth every penny,” a sign-bearing fan near the stage declared. The occasion prompted at least a couple of firsts: Near the end of the four-hour show, Pearl Jam and Plant united to perform several songs, including what the former Led Zeppelin singer claimed was the live debut of Zep’s last Top-40 single, “Fool in the Rain.” ||Continue reading||

Review of October 5, 2005 Chicago House of Blues Appearance with Pearl Jam
Originally appeared in Chicago Sun-times

BY ANDERS SMITH LINDALL

Judging only by the crowd assembled at the House of Blues, one wouldn’t have guessed that patrons paid $1,000 each for tickets. These were real fans, and they drank beer and sang along just like they do at $10 shows.

One glance at the stage, though, said this wasn’t just any show. It’s not every day that a bona fide rock legend jams with a best-selling arena act in a club so cozy you could count the ringlets on Robert Plant’s head. But that’s exactly what happened at Wednesday night’s pricy benefit show for hurricane relief: Plant, the former Led Zeppelin front man, joined forces with Pearl Jam in a remarkable display of star power. ||Continue reading||

Review of October 6, 2005 Dallas Show
Originally appeared on Star-Telegram. com

By Mark Lowry Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Rocker’s still got the moves, stage presence to be a star

GRAND PRAIRIE - Robert Plant might not be able to wail as loudly or hold notes as long as he did back in Led Zeppelin’s day (or even in the early part of his solo career), but the man still has stage presence to spare.

And he swivels his hips and thrashes his curly locks like a man half his age, proving why his longevity in the rock biz ain’t a fluke. ||Continue reading||

Review of October 6, 2005 Nokia Live show, Dallas, TX
Originally appeared on wfaa.com

By THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News

Robert Plant had a brain lapse Thursday night at Nokia Theatre and mistakenly called his new CD Manic Nirvana — which is actually the title of an album he put out 15 years ago.

More proof of an aging rock god living in the past? Hardly.

Instead of taking the easy road and playing one Led Zeppelin tune after the next, he dove headfirst into free-form Moroccan rock, techno trance jams and wherever else his muse carried him. When he finally did get the Led out, the sound was that much sweeter. ||Continue reading||

Originally appeared on Billboard.com
Review of Hurricane Katrina Benefit, House of Blues, Chicago, October 5, 2005

By Derek Peel, Chicago

A thousand dollars is a lot for a concert ticket, but Pearl Jam and special guest Robert Plant justified the price last night (Oct. 6) during an intimate benefit for Hurricane Katrina victims at Chicago’s House of Blues. Proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross as well as Habitat for Humanity and the Jazz Foundation of America — none of whom, joked Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder, are subsidiaries of Halliburton.

Plant doesn’t typically play venues this cozy, nor does he usually serve as an opening act, but he modestly submitted to both changes of pace for a strong 45-minute set composed mostly of songs from his new “Mighty Rearranger” album, plus Led Zeppelin classics such as “Black Dog” and “Four Sticks.” ||Continue reading||

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Originally published in Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Review of September 25, 2005 show at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery

By GENE STOUT
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER POP MUSIC CRITIC

Fans greeted Robert Plant with a whole lotta love Sunday night.

A capacity crowd at Chateau Ste. Michelle roared its approval when the former Led Zeppelin frontman took the stage with his current band, The Strange Sensation, for an hourlong set of new and old songs. ||Continue reading||