Inspired by last week’s extraordinary Detroit-area performance by former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, a Local Spins columnist finds enlightenment and virtuosity in not standing still.
Master of Change: Robert Plant performing earlier this year in Sweden (Photo/Oli Powell, robertplant.com)
Few classic rock icons have more masterfully revamped their musical approach than former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant.
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Nothing proved that more definitively than his cleverly reworked, audience-rousing live renditions of Led Zep standards such as “Black Dog” and “Whole Lotta Love” during last week’s triumphant concert at Meadow Brook Music Festival in Rochester Hills.
Shape-Shifting: Robert Plant and his band at Meadow Brook. (Photo/Local Spins)
Weaving in stunning elements of rootsy folk, blues and world music while staying true to the hard-rock propulsiveness of the originals, the 67-year-old singer and his uber-talented band, The Sensational Space Shifters, pulled off what few artists can manage in a live setting: satiating the voracious appetite of fans for pure nostalgia while pushing stylistic boundaries of musical expression.
Indeed, over the past decade, Plant – while still sporting those long, curly blond locks – hasn’t hesitated to reshape his musical image purely for the sake of creating fresh American roots music that he dearly loves, songs influenced by seminal blues and Americana, all well-suited to his resonant voice.
His studio albums with bluegrass musician Alison Krauss and his Band of Joy reveled in that approach, something the British icon has tweaked even further with the more rock-oriented Sensational Space Shifters on his new album and current tour – something he calls his “baptism” in American culture.
But savvy artisan that he is, Plant recognizes the importance of hitting the audience’s sweet spot, too.
At Meadow Brook, that meant deftly, brilliantly and seamlessly shifting from old favorites like “The Rain Song” to new songs from his latest album and back again, but never without an ear-pleasing twist, injecting powerful, spine-chilling interludes that featured everything from fiddle leads to EDM-styled trippiness.
REINVENTING AMERICAN BLUES AND AN EXAMPLE WORTH FOLLOWING
Of course, this proclivity shouldn’t startle anyone, coming from one of rock’s most recognizable and important lead singers. After all, Led Zeppelin became a superstar band after reinventing American blues music, forever changing the landscape of modern music, and for the better.
Fortunately, the world is littered with examples of reinvention, some voluntary, some forced.
After decades in newspaper journalism, many of us who were summarily and somewhat rudely tossed from an industry that doesn’t have a lot of compassion for some of its most dedicated workers found new ways to showcase our talents and passion. The same might be said for a host of rock and pop stars who were chewed up and spit out by a brutal business that’s blinded by the next big thing and interested only in the next big hit.
Shoot, look no further than West Michigan’s music scene for some shining examples of musical reinvention.
Graham Parsons of The Go Rounds (Photo/Anna Sink)
Grand Rapids bluesman Jimmie Stagger – like Plant, still creating vital music in his 60s – recently released the best album of his career, “Graveyard of My Own,” by abandoning convention and instead going back to his roots to record a mostly solo acoustic album in the all-analog, back-to-tape studio of Grand Rapids’ Goon Lagoon. I called it a musical re-birth, one that’s been embraced by fans.
The moral of the story here might be to never stop changing. Never be afraid to try something new or revisit something old. Don’t stop looking for new ways to express your passion.
Which brings us to Kalamazoo’s The Go Rounds, who have done much the same thing at a much younger age, creating a wondrously twangy and soulful new rock vibe after shuffling and solidifying their lineup while exploring fresh ways to beautifully transform their music.
Frontman Graham Parsons once told me that he’s only interested in seeing his music evolve, always striving to “come up with new, exciting ways to present a song. If something feels comfortable, we try to steer away from that.”
So not surprisingly, The Go Rounds titled their terrific new album, “Don’t Go Not Changin’.”
Call it the art of reinvention.
It’s something Robert Plant has managed to master with staggering results.
VIDEO SNIPPET: Robert Plant at Meadow Brook
Copyright 2015, Spins on Music LLC
