It was a night of the showmen at Ravinia Thursday night with the headliner being the legendary Robert Plant, and opening for him, a Chicago-based group called JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound. Brooks and the Uptown Sound are a funk and R&B group, whose music sounds like the early days. Brooks channels Otis Redding with his vocals and moves onstage. The band had a hit single with a cover of the Wilco song “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.” The band was able to warm up the crowd so easily, getting them ready for the main act of the night. But the thing that's really enjoyable is watching them have fun while they were performing.
Robert Plant is considered one of the golden voices of rock, being the lead vocalist for Led Zeppelin.. After many years in the business, the man still has it. Thursday night Robert Plant headlined at Ravinia in Highland Park. Together with his Band of Joy, which consists of singer Patti Griffin, singer-guitarist Buddy Miller, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Darrell Scott, bassist-vocalist Byron House, and drummer-percussionist-vocalist Marco Giovino. Together they sounded great. I was kind of hesitant going into the concert, wondering what Plant was going to be singing. He played a lot of his solo stuff, which to be honest can be kind of boring. It's more roots rock. But as soon as Plant started singing early Led Zeppelin songs, the crowd went crazy!
He started with “Gallow's Pole,” followed by a very unique version of “Black Dog,” harmonizing with Griffin. Then he went into “What is and What Should Never Be.” Plant loved to have fun with the audience throughout the night, making little comments here and there. Other Zeppelin songs that were played include “Rock and Roll” and “Ramble On.” He also played music from his first solo album, Band of Joy, and Mighty ReArranger. Even though the solo stuff was a little slow for me, the man still has the looks, the moves and the voice especially for being in his 60s. By far, one of the coolest experiences to see Robert Plant singing Led Zeppelin. Overall, the concert was alright, but the Zeppelin songs were well worth the wait!
