Recap Robert Plant And The Band Of Joy at Riverside Theater

For someone who was once the biggest rock star on the planet, Robert Plant has recovered miraculously well from the excesses of Led Zeppelin. Since the old band’s dissolution, Plant has followed his muse through phases of synth pop, dance rock, and multiple reunions with his old bandmates—but his greatest artistic success of the last three decades has come over the past four years. Whereas most songwriters push on well past their shelf lives, Plant returned to his first love—American roots music—for his Grammy-winning 2007 collaboration with Alison Krauss, Raising Sand. He continued to mine this fertile ground, as well as to reimagine a few Zep classics to dazzling effect, with his new Band Of Joy Monday night at the Riverside.

Plant is a far cry from the typical egomaniacal lead singer or grizzled elder statesman. He allowed himself to be the focal point because his name was on the marquee, but his warm admiration for his band was obvious and justified, and he stepped into the shadows several times to allow his bandmates to take the lead. Guitarist Buddy Miller—who co-produced last year’s Band Of Joy album—and multi-instrumentalist Darrell Scott were largely responsible for the expansive sound of the group, displaying a shifting array of talents over a spectrum of country, folk, blues, and rock. Patty Griffin essentially filled Krauss’ role, providing acoustic guitar and harmonizing beautifully with Plant.

While Plant is still on a decidedly retro kick, Band Of Joy is a little less country, and a little more rock and roll than his Raising Sand band, thanks mainly to Miller. His gritty guitar work on “House Of Cards,” “Monkey,” and “Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go” was enthralling, as was his haunting solo during the band’s cover of Low’s “Silver Rider.” But just as impressive was his reworking of Zeppelin tracks, funneling “Black Dog” into swamp boogie reminiscent of Tony Joe White, and steering “Houses Of The Holy” from mellow, moody country into a roughshod folk-rock groove.

The clear highlight of the night was the set’s closer, “Ramble On.” A more impressive performance than any version Zeppelin ever played, this one included a Scott mandolin solo and several dynamic swells based around lush harmonies from Griffin, Miller, and Plant. The chemistry amongst the full band was incredible, keeping the audience guessing as to where they’d take this classic rock relic. Plant has figured out a way to breathe new life into others’ songs as well as his own, sprinkling a little sugar on top of an unparalleled musical legacy.