Robert Plant and The Band of Joy captivates ‘The Old Lady on Brady’

Tulsa, OK -  July 16th was a steamy night in Tulsa. Right before the rain rolled in, a very eager sold out crowd gathered to take in the 3rd show of Robert Plant and the Band of Joy’s Summer Tour at our very own Brady Theater. The Band of Joy consists of Patty Griffin (vocals), Buddy Miller (guitar), Darrell Scott (multi-instrumentalist), Byron House (bass), and Marco Giovino (drums), who are all American musicians. The summer tour is in support of the forthcoming debut record “Band of Joy” that is due out this September.  Most dedicated Zep fans know that the band and album name are from a band Plant lead in the late 60’s before he joined Led Zeppelin.

The house lights are dimmed and one by one the Band of Joy appears and take their instruments. Followed lastly by Robert Plant, and a roar from the crowd. It was amazing to see the iconic, legendary man in person standing there before us all. For those who take their music seriously, this was an “aha” moment. To see the front man of Led Zeppelin in person, standing there in his faded jeans and dark tee-shirt…..it was a historical moment for sure.

Plant has definitely mastered his love for “American Roots” style music and has blanketed it heavily on his new album as well as the Led Zeppelin tunes that were played. The music is full on Americana with country, folk, gospel and blues intertwined with rockabilly. Combine that with the upfront and personal feel of the band and you start to believe you are in a cozy little bar far back in the hills of Tennessee instead of a packed 2,800 seat theater. Some of the Zeppelin tunes were unrecognizable until deep into the song; when a familiar lyric would finally jog your memory. It was definitely a great take on old classics. It also made them current and fitting for the genre Plant is currently going with.

Among the Zeppelin tunes played were “Houses of the Holy”, “Thank You” and “Rock-n-Roll”. From Plant’s solo career, songs like “Rich Woman”, “Down To the Sea” and “Tall Cool One” were welcomed by the adoring fans. Band of Joy did grace us all with several new tunes from the upcoming album which included “House of Cards,” “Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down,” “Central Two O Nine” and their debut song “Angel Dance.” All were well received and left us with the need to hear more.

It was also nice to see a “down to earth” side of Plant when he mistakenly started singing the wrong lyrics to “All the Kings Men.” After stopping the song and explaining what he had done, he had the crowd laughing along with him even as he started up again only to forget the lyrics to the new song. This definitely added to the up close and personal feel of the show and I know no one was disappointed by this charming moment.

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Photos by: Kevin Pyle

As people were leaving for the night and hearing their conversations, you could tell this was a concert that will not soon be forgotten. Robert Plant and the Band of Joy brought what was expected and then some. Filling their fans with joy and hunger for their soon to be released album.