Robert plant & the SEnsational Space Shifters

Openers: Sheryl Crow, Seth Lakeman

Forest Hills Stadium - Queens, NY

It was a muggy evening in Forest Hills, Queens, where the historic Forest Hills Stadium and West Side Tennis Club reside. The venue, famously the original home of the US Open, was repaired and reopened for concerts in 2013. Back in its original heyday, legends such as Frank Sinatra, The Supremes, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Barbra Streisand, Donna Summer, Simon and Garfunkel (who grew up nearby) and The Who all took its stage. Since reopening, it has picked up right where it left off in the 70s with performers such as Mumford & Sons, Van Morrison, Alabama Shakes, Chance the Rapper, and now rock icon Robert Plant.

Tickets for the show were originally listed in the 40-100 dollar range, but the night before could be had for as cheap as 7 bucks on Stubhub. A travesty frankly, but likely due to the fact that rain was in the forecast and most Robert Plant fans aren't in there 20s anymore. Fortunately for those who went, it wound up not raining at all.

The show started with British folk solo act, Seth Lakeman. At the time he took the stage, the stadium was mostly empty, and being a relatively unknown solo act coming on over an hour before Plant was scheduled to start, he didn't really fill the seats by the end of his set. However, this created a more intimate environment for those who decided to come on time. Lakeman was very talented, had a charming voice, and could play guitar and fiddle exceptionally well. He would surely put on a great show in a smaller venue.

Next came Sheryl Crow, who one initially seems like an odd opener for someone credited as a huge influence of hard rock, but to her credit, she has more hits than most remember. Unfortunately during her opening song, "A Change Would Do You Good," the first non-sung words out of her mouth were possibly the worst one can shout to a New York crowd, "What's up New Jersey?! Or New York...or wherever you're from." Yikes. I don't know if it was a mistake or not, but that's not how you get a New York crowd on your side. In between the next few songs, she worked her way back into favor by suddenly remembering where she was, telling stories of watching Ilie Nastase on TV play on the court which now serves as the general admission area. She also mentioned how she spoke with Queens native John McEnroe before playing that night. All in all she wound up putting on a good show, playing ten songs, running around stage in her sparkly red pants, and singing all her undeniable classics, "Everyday in a Winding Road", "All I Wanna Do", "If It Makes You Happy", and ending with "Soak Up the Sun".

Finally came Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters. Going into the show, I wasn't sure how much Zeppelin they would play, if at all. How silly of me to doubt Robert Plant. He knows what the people want. He knows how to perform. He wasn't going to start with his new stuff or by calling the crowd New Jerseyans. Right off the bat he started with "The Lemon Song" off of Led Zeppelin II. He wound up playing 11 songs total, plus a 2 song encore. Only 5 of the songs were original Space Shifters songs. While not able to hit notes as high as he used to, Plant's voice is still strong and can still get up higher than the average singer. He did not disappoint. The final song of his encore was a medley of "Bring It On Home", "Whole Lotta Love", and "Santianna" which the crowd went nuts for. Perhaps the most beautiful song of the night was "Going to California". As for the Space Shifters, they aren't just a backup band. While I was left wanting a little more from them on guitar, they still rocked out, moved around stage, and engaged the crowd.