Don't you mean "Ding-dong! The witch is dead!"? Or is "the bastard" a Kiwi variation of the phrase? Now that there has been confirmation of a DNA match, it looks like Osama bin Laden is not only merely dead, he's really most sincerely dead! "DING-DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD!", indeed. I'm not particularly religious so I have no problem celebrating bin Laden's death. I've worked with battered and abused women and children and there are some people in this world beyond redeeming. No amount of prayer or counseling is gonna change them. As for the chance for repercussions, I understand the qualms a few of you have expressed, but there were repercussions having him alive, too. If given the choice between having him dead or alive, I'll take dead anyday. And if there are any reprisals, so be it. We can deal with them. There was terrorism before bin Laden and there will be terrorism after bin Laden. I'm sure most people understand we still have to be vigilant and aware. But every day Osama bin Laden remained free, it was like he and his supporters were laughing at us. The big, powerful, technologically superior United States couldn't find one little old man hiding in a cave. Well now they know that, even though it may take a little time, the United States gets their man. And, with bin Laden's death, and some of the other high-level al Queida deaths, maybe, just maybe it is them that are feeling a little unsure and afraid. Oh sure, eventually someone will take Osama bin Laden's place as the figurehead and the "face" of terror. But I don't think there will be too many eager applicants rushing to fill his shoes, knowing that HE will be next in the U.S.'s crosshairs. And if for no other reason, it was worth killing bin Laden just to give justice and closure to the families of the victims of Sept. 11...nay, to families of all the victims of bin Laden's terrorist plots around the world. The world is a better place with bin Laden dead. BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NAVY SEALS, and everyone else involved with the planning and execution of this VSO. As a fellow vet, I'm so proud and I SALUTE you! I've never trusted Pakistan, so it's about time we kept them in the dark. If they had known about this mission, no doubt they would've alerted bin Laden. You don't hide as long as bin Laden did wthout OFFICIAL help. But the U.S. got him. Today is a good day.

One week later... Sorry for making you wait, Deborah, and everyone else. I'm sure you'll devise a suitable punishment. In the meantime, let me take you back a week ago to Saturday morning, April 23, 2011. After months and months of agonizing waiting and waiting for the Band of Joy tour to hit the Los Angeles area, the day had finally come. Even though I had been out til late Friday night, I still got up early Saturday morning to do my usual concert routine: get in line for standby/release tickets. No Ticketmaster bullshit for me. Got to the Greek Theatre at 8am; perfect...I was first in line! Next person didn't show up until 9am, and he was there to buy Lykke Li tickets. So the two hours I had to kill until the box office opened at 10am, was spent reading the paper, watching the joggers/hikers go by, and chatting with whoever showed up to ask questions. When 10am rolled around, there were only 4 of us queued up for Robert Plant tickets. I had a suspicion that this tour didn't have the buzz that the Raising Sand tour had. For one thing, the Raising Sand tour booked two nights at the Greek, while the Band of Joy scheduled one. But I didn't care...to me, the Band of Joy album was just as good, even better in some ways, as Raising Sand. And I was anticipating this concert as highly as I had the Raising Sand shows...hell, as much as I have ALWAYS anticipated a Robert Plant concert, of which there have been many. As far as I was concerned, the less heat there was for the show, the better chance I had of scoring good seats for me and my friend. Naturally, the first tickets available when the box office opened were scattered singles in section b and the side terraces...the only pairs were in section c. I passed and let the people behind me grab them if they wanted. The trick is to be patient, that is the key. Different bands and promoters have different ways of releasing tickets. Some make the good seats available right away; others will wait until 4, 5, 6, or even as late as right before showtime before releasing them. So as the morning's hazy gloom gave way to brilliant sunshine, I settled down and readied myself for a long wait. At 12 noon, the lady at the B.O. waved me over and said she had 2 singles available...they were great seats (section A row E and section A row A), but I took a chance and passed on them, confident some pairs would pop up later. More people arrived...some buying whatever was available and others joining our few, but hardy crew in line. Another benefit to doing this is that you get to hear the bands do soundcheck. At exactly 4:55pm, Robert and the BOJ began their soundcheck. After a couple minutes of random guitar chords and other instruments warming up, they began to play a song...it was "That's the Way", and it sounded gorgeous. The Greek is an outdoor venue and with the box office situated just to the north of the amphitheatre, you can hear it pretty well. They spent just over 30 minutes on "That's the Way", then started running through "Black Dog". At exactly 5:45pm soundcheck was over. By this time, the line had grown to around 20 people and now, after hearing soundcheck, spirits were high, and a little anxious. Fortunately, the wait was soon over. At 6pm, a mere 15 minutes after soundcheck, I was waved up to the box office window and a couple minutes and $196 later I had a pair of tickets in my hand: Section A Center Row A, seats 116 & 117; the first row right behind the pit section. So I wouldn't be right up against the stage like I was for Raising Sand, but still pretty great seats...maybe 20 feet from the stage. The next couple of people behind me also got section A's, although a few rows further back or off to the side. I didn't stay any longer. It had been a long day in the sun on little sleep the night before. I needed to freshen up and get some liquid and perhaps a light supper in me if I was gonna make it through the concert. Therefore, ironically I was leaving the Greek just as Ledzepfvr was arriving. We had made plans to meet up at the show. As it happened, me and my friend didn't get to the concert until around 8:15 or so. So I would have to wait until intermission to look for Ledzepfvr. Having arrived midway through the North Mississippi Allstars opening set, I am afraid I didn't hear enough to give a proper opinion on their set. As we arrived at our seats, they were just ending a song and then Luther and Cody Dickinson both sat down with acoustic guitars and played a pretty darn good instrumental version of the Allman Brothers "Blue Sky". This was followed by Luther picking up a cigar-box guitar while his brother Cody got back behind the drums and played a wwshboard that was hooked up to a flanger or some other sound effects gadget. They then closed their set with "Amazing Grace", with Luther on bottleneck guitar. Missed their version of Dylan's "Stuck Inside of Mobile...", which I would've liked to have heard. The crowd, or most of them seemed to enjoy them. During intermission, while my friend went to the loo and then purchased drinks, I made the climb from section A to section C, where Ledzepfvr was sitting. I recognized her immediately...just like her photo, she's a hot little redhead. Sorry guys, she's married. Seriously, she is nice as can be and we had a fun little chat. However, as I didn't want to miss the beginning of Plant's set, nor have my friend wondering where I'd wandered off to, I had to regrettably bid adieu and make my way back to my seat. Later I was kicking myself, for in my haste I had neglected to invite her and her hubby to join us for a post-show nosh. One thing I noticed during intermission was that the music that was playing between bands was one of the best mixes I had ever heard at a concert. Lots of vintage treats! Upon arriving back at my seat, I spied about 4 rows in front of us Pamela and Michael Des Barres. And I am pretty sure Lori Mattix was sitting with them. But just as I was going to go up and say "hello" and confirm whether it was Lori or not, the house lights went dark. It was time for the main event! At 9:15pm, the Band of Joy strode on stage to the cheers of about 5,800 lucky concert-goers. Robert looked cool as ever, blue jeans and a dark blue button-down shirt with some sort of pattern on the back. Patty was looking lovely, wearing a beautiful dress that showed off her legs to terrific effect. Buddy Miller was wearing one of his "Buddy" hats. The rest of the band I'm sure most of you know by now, hut just in case there are any stragglers reading this, there is original Band of Joy member Byron House on bass; drummer Marco Giovino; and secret weapon Darrell Scott on guitar, mandolin, banjo, and what looked to be an oud...or maybe it was a basouki. The show kicked off with "Black Dog", in an arrangement similar to Raising Sand, but to my ears it didn't seem as intense as the versions I heard on that tour. And the crowd was quite lacking in energy during the "ah-ah" call-and-response part. The Santa Barbara crowd was much better during this part a couple days later. Perhaps it was because people were still finding their way to their seats...or it was that L.A. laidb-backness, but I thought "Black Dog" didn't achieve the affect it should have. It was an okay opening song, but not a great one IMO. But at least it was out of the way and the band could begin digging into more obscure nuggets. Which was what they did on the second song of the night; as the song went on, my friend and I looked at each other in puzzlement. We knew it wasn't on the BOJ album, nor on Raising Sand. Was it a cover? A Robert Plant solo song? We wracked our memories but came up empty. Whatever it was, it was good and showed Robert's voice and newly-honed singing style to great effect. It wasn't until the next day that we discovered it was a track from the underrated "Fate of Nations" album called "Down to the Sea". A great choice for the set...at this point in his career, I prefer hearing the more lesser-known songs, and he seems more enthusiastic singing them than some of the old warhorses. Next up is "Angel Dance", an up-tempo number by LA legends Los Lobos. Contrary to what some reviewers have said, the audience has been on its feet for all three songs so far. In fact, it wasn't until about the 7th song that most people sat down, so don't believe the cracks some people made about the crowd only standing forvLed Zeppelin tunes. Anyway, now that the band can sense the audience enjoying themselves, you can see smiles widen as the band starts to really relax and cut loose. They really get into some nice harmonies on this song, including a long swooping one at the end. Sweet. Then the first real crowd ERUPTION of the night occurs as the BOJ swings into "Black Country Woman", a favourite from Physical Graffiti and always a highlight of those 1977 shows, even in truncated form. Tonight, Robert and the band really nail it, goosed by the fervor of the crowd...and vice-versa. For this Band of Joy is really spreading the joy around. People are smiling and grooving and bopping along. Even the two kids next to us have stopped texting. Oh, and here's another falsity I've read on occasion: that there's a lack of chemistry between Robert and Patty. Or not enough eye contact. Bah! Don't know what show they were watching. I saw plenty of interaction at the Greek...and at Santa Barbara Bowl. Black Country Woman was the song that really kicked the concert into high-gear, as the BOJ dived into the heart of the set. Starting with Richard Thompson's "House of Cards", the set became song after song of examples of not only FABULOUS singing with FANTASTIC harmonizing; but also sonic excursions into the highways and byways of what writer Greil Marcus once called that old weird strange America. As a slow-burning, smokey-blue cover of Low's "Monkey" (YES!!!), with Robert menacingly hissing "shut up and drive" and Buddy ramping up the tension with reverb-ladened guitar leads to a fine singing turn by Buddy on his "Somewhere Trouble Don't Go", with Robert graciously ceding the spotlight (as he would do several times during the show), and provide wailing harmonica support...and THAT leads into an absolute gorgeous "That's the Way", a shimmering gem with Buddy supplying a suitably Nashville take on Jimmy Page's ethereal guitar lines in the song, as Patty and Darrell strum the acoustics, it becomes clear that the lessons of Raising Sand have taken hold. And those are the communal joys of harmonizing, the brotherhood of a band with multiple singing and instrumental talents. The spookiness of the slow-burning groove and how a soft-spoken line and spare instrumentation can sound just as menacing and edgy as a brigade of heavy metal guitars. After these last two albums and tours, I think it's fair to say that the old joke about "lead singer disease" doesn't apply to Robert Plant...if it ever did. Robert Plant is now a man happy and at ease with his chosen vocation, and it is showing nightly in his stage demeanor. He looks like he's having a ball up there and he really enjoys his fellow band mates and derives pleasure in watching them perform, and therefore has no qualms about letting them take the spotlight. And take the spotlight Darrell Scott does, as he and the entire band delivers a riveting take on the Porter Wagoner classic, "A Satisfied Mind". Up to now, the singing has been fantastic. With "Satisfied Mind" and "Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down", it takes on a superlative, SPIRITUAL GLOW. In fact, by the end of the mesmerizing "Satan...", the show has begun to feel like you've stumbled into some freaky revival meeting deep in the Louisiana backwoods. Well, if you're going to bring down Satan, it helps to have an Angel on your side, and Plant has a good one in Patty Griffin. A little more earthy than the ethereal Alison Krauss, all the same she's got the voice...and she's a looker, too. She gets her turn at a solo spot, performing an old Big Maybelle song, "Ocean of Tears" with plenty of heartfelt emotion. Then, a real fun highlight..."In the Mood", with Percy and Patty together side-by-side stage right, cooing up a storm! Again, how can people say there's no interaction between Patty and Plant? When people said the same thing during the Raising Sand tour I chalked it up to Led Zeppelin fans being bitter that Plant had turned his back on a reunion tour. Now, it must be either the same bitter Zeppelin fans, along with some Alison Krauss fans upset that Robert chose to work with Patty instead of Alison this time. "Please Read the Letter" follows...close to its "Raising Sand" arrangement. This is a song that Raising Sand rescued for me. Before, on Page & Plant's "Clarksdale", it was kind of lost in the crowd; I never really paid attention to it. But hearing it on Raising Sand and on the tour that followed, I was struck by its poignancy. And it further shows how wrong-headed Sarah Vowell's review of Clarksdale in Spin magazine was. A very moving song and Patty and Plant do it justice. Now it's time to lift the spirits and have a little fun heading into the home stretch, and the Zeppelin double-whammy of the never performed in Zeppelins heyday "Houses of the Holy" and "Ramble On" fit the bill nicely and "Ramble" provides the occasion for the Golden God to let loose one of those roars of yore! All too quickly it seems, the band takes a bow as the main set ends. Minutes go by with all of us wildly cheering for an encore. Which we get. But it's all over much too quick...you never wanted the show to end. It's like you're gathered around the campfire and you just want to keep sitting 'round roasting marshmallows and singing songs. You don't want to leave the warm glow of the fire and face the cold dark night. Alas, though, the show must end, and after "Harms Swift Way" and "Gallows Pole", we are treated to a nostalgic tip of the hat to the Grateful Dead when the show ends with "And We Bid You Goodnight", a song the Dead used to close their concerts with. And it is somehow fitting that the Band of Joy ends the concert a cappella, with each member taking a turn at the mic. For these last few years for Robert Plant have been mostly about getting down to the heart-and-soul of the roots of American music, whether it be the swamps of the Bayou or the hills of Appalachia. It has also been about a new way of singing, of learning to blend your voice with others and the power of restraint and subtlety. It was a hard, hard life in those hidden away places in the Appalachian Mountains...or the Bayou...or the dusty plains of Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas. And singing was a way of fighting fears, of sharing the burdens of life by singing about shared experience. And even if you were too poor to afford an instrument, providence provided humans with their own instrument...their voice. The first music mankind made was with his voice, singing a cappella out into the scary, mysterious Neanderthal world. So, in a concert that was a celebration of the glory of the human voice and the way it has been used throughout time to provide solace and uplift to the soul, I can think of no more apropos ending than to have our five merry men and woman cast aside their instrumental armour and stand bare against the night, with just their voices, so glorious and true, send us off with such a warm adieu. And that was that. Almost as soon as they left the stage, the house lights went up...there would be no second encore. It was exactly 10:48pm when the concert ended; 1 hour and 33 minutes. My friend and I fairly floated out the Greek and down through the roads of Los Feliz, leaving behind the ghosts of James Dean and the LaBiancas. And then I come here and I still encounter people whining about Plant not doing a reunion and calling him names, as if that would make any difference. Look, part of me understands your desire...especially you young kids who missed out. But think of it like this: isn't one of the reasons you became a Zeppelin fan to begin with is that they did things their own way; always with passion and integrity. They never conformed or did something just for the money. So if Plant did the reunion without any real passion for it, as a sop to the fans, wouldn't that be against the very principles you admire Led Zeppelin for? Robert Plant is an artist...yes, an ARTIST with a capital A. And he has his muse to follow, and he, and only he can know where that will lead. And when you become a fan of any band or artist, you are somewhat placing your trust in them and if you are committed, you will follow them down any artistic.trail. There is a moving scene in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. King Theoden has only recently broken free of the spell Sarumen cast on him. He knows he has been unwise. Now as he prepares for battle, his aide Gamling helps him put on his armour. The scene as follows: Theoden: Who am I, Gamling? Gamling: You are our King, sire. Theoden: And do you trust your King? Gamling: Your men, my Lord, will follow you to whatever end. Theoden: To whatever end... And that, in a nutshell, is how I feel about Robert Plant. I TRUST HIM. And will follow him wherever.

2 great examples of "Motorik": First, from Neu!'s 1972 debut album, "Hallogallo": Second, from Stereolab's 1993 album "Transient Random-Noise Bursts...", the 18 minute "Jenny Ondioline", which obviously can't fit in one youtube video:

I've got a few extra free minutes on my lunch break, so I thought I'd post the set lists from the two shows I saw, just to tide you over until I can post a more thorough review. GREEK THEATRE, Los Angeles April 23, 2011 1. Black Dog 2. Down to the Sea 3. Angel Dance 4. Black Country Woman 5. House of Cards 6. Monkey 7. Somewhere Trouble Don't Go (Buddy Miller) 8. That's the Way 9. A Satisfied Mind (Darrell Scott) 10. Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down 11. Ocean Of Tears (Patty Griffin) 12. In the Mood 13. Please Read the Letter 14. Houses of the Holy 15. Ramble On Encore: 16. Harms Swift Way 17. Gallows Pole 18. And We Bid You Goodnight Santa Barbara Bowl April 25, 2011 1. Black Dog 2. Down to the Sea 3. Angel Dance 4. Black Country Woman 5. House of Cards 6. Monkey 7. Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go (Buddy Miller) 8. ALL MY LOVE!!! 9. A Satisfied Mind (Darrell Scott) 10. Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down 11. Ocean of Tears (Patty Griffin) 12. In the Mood/Come All Ye 13. Please Read the Letter 14. Houses of the Holy 15. Ramble On Encore: 16. Harm’s Swift Way 17. Gallows Pole 18. And We Bid You Goodnight(following a false start on some other song, with Buddy playing what looked to be an autoharp) I'm not sure, but was this the first time Plant has sung "All My Love" on this tour? It's the first time I've EVER heard him do it in concert. And does anyone, who was close to the stage and could see the setlist, know what the last song was going to be before they stopped and changed to "And We Bid You Goodnight"?

Yes, my Mistress. You know your wish is my command. ;-) But right now I'm dog-tired. You see, around 4 in the morning Monday, still feeling miserable after the Lakers loss on Easter Sunday, I decided that I needed some more JOY in my life. One Band of Joy concert wasn't enough, I had to see another. So on the spur of the moment I road tripped up to Santa Barbara Monday to see Robert and the Band again that night at the SB Bowl. Got back into LA today whereupon I immediately had to help out a friend with a book-signing event. Which we just finished wrapping up about an hour ago. So let me catch up on my sleep and I'll give you a full report ASAP. I have to say, given how thorough he usually is, I am surprised that SteveAJones has yet to post the Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register reviews that appeared in Monday's editions.

3 obvious ones that immediately come to mind are these: Since I've Been Loving You (studio version) - Robert says "Watch out!" Watch out, indeed, as Jimmy rips into one of his most emotive solos ever. In My Time of Dying (live @ Earl's Court 75) - Robert before the second slide solo quotes "Hey Joe" with the lines "So I gave her the gun and I shot her" as Jimmy lays her body to waste with a fusillade of bottleneck bullets. Nobody's Fault But Mine (live on the 77 tour) - Robert does his best Steve Martin imitation exclaiming "Jimmy? Oh Jimmy? Well, EXCUSE ME!", as Jimmy says out of the way Goldilocks, time for me to shred this Les Paul.

Now that I've notched two more Robert Plant concerts on my belt(on the spur of the moment I decided to road trip up to Santa Barbara to see him again after the Greek show in LA), my next two shows will be this weekend. Saturday April 30: Explosions in the Sky @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery There's something awesome about seeing a concert in a cemetery. Sunday May 1: Mudhoney, Adolescents, and White Flag @ the Echo

Sound-check has started...Plant's doing That's the Way right now @ 4:55pm PST.

Well, I am at the Greek Theatre...have been since 8am this morning. First in line, waiting for tickets to be released. Last time around for the Raising Sand tour, I got front row pit tix for me and my date. Hope I'm lucky again today. Wonder if Plant will visit Amoeba or the Bodhi Tree while he's in LA.

Thanks Steve, for all these articles...reading them is getting me amped for tonight's concert! Did you notice the writer of the Seattle Times review? Charles R. Cross, the author of a couple of good Led Zeppelin books, Heaven and Hell & Shadows Taller than our Souls, not to mention Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain bios and being the founder of Backstreets, an excellent Bruce Springsteen fanzine along the lines of Dave Lewis' Tight But Loose. All in all, a far far better writer than the likes of Stephen Davis...trade in your copies of Hammer of the Gods and LZ 1975 for Cross' excellent LZ:Heaven and Hell; you won't be disappointed.

Here's a possible explanation: if I remember correctly, Zeppelin were nailed more by the lyrics than the music of WLL. And while Jimmy plays the riff from WLL in "Might Get Loud", no words are sung. So technically he hasn't violated Willie Dixon's copyright, since it was always Dixon's lyrics that were at issue, not the music. If someone in the film had sung along, then they would've had to include Willie in the credits. That's my take on the discrepancy, at least.

Here's what I've long wanted to know: Did Jimmy actually play on John Barry's Goldfinger sessions? I've been having a hard time finding independent verification.

EXCELLENT POST SAGITTARIUS! :thumbs up: What a great concert memory to share with us. Thanks.

What were the best 77 shows? Any one you were at! Sorry...been feeling cheeky all day...the impending Plant concert's got me in a good mood.

Is the reason financial? Geographically challenged? Lack of free time? Or an aversion to the bands scheduled?

You said it Silver Rider! SO MUCH FUN...and BEYOND! People listen to bootlegs, whether soundboard or audience, and want to nitpick. Blah blah blah. Not to be arrogant or...what's the word, strident, haha...but let me tell you all something; nobody, and I mean NOBODY was walking out of those 1975 LA Forum shows disappointed. You know that Houses of the Holy ad that said "the effect was shattering" or something like that? Well that was LZ in 1975...heavy as fuck and crush-your-skull shatteringly LOUD and INTENSE! Take it from one who was there.

As one who was at all three shows, I also say "GET 'EM ALL!" Actually, maybe it's because I have a bad copy, but my version(EVSD's Deep Throat Part 2) of the Mike Millard tape from March 25 has some weird sound issues...like Jimmy's guitar floats around in weird ways. My memory isn't good enough for me to recall if there were PA issues at the concert that would perhaps account for this. Anyway, thanks to the inclusion of Since I've Been Loving You, and because both the last wah-wah jam at the end of Dazed & Confused AND the EPIC funk jam/Theremin duel with Plant during Whole Lotta Love are the longest and spaciest of the tour...not to mention a GREAT No Quarter; all that and more leads me to declare the March 27th Forum show to be the best of the 3 Forum gigs. PLUS Jimmy was wearing the black dragon pants for the first time; so you can visualize THAT while you listen to the boot! But while we're on the topic of LA 75, let's not forget about Long Beach; specifically the March 12 Long Beach show, which I also attended, and still claim to this day as one of the best Zeppelin shows ever, let alone the best of 1975. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the boot is overloaded with bass(at least until Stairway)...but if you have an Equalizer then you can decrease the bass to where it is listenable and you can hear the band's performance is excellent all-around. And you get an almost complete Crunge!

You're welcome TypeO...hey, you seem to be from the South as well...are YOU by any chance going to Bonarroo?

In the words of the Pointer Sisters: "I'M SO EXCITED...and I just can't hide it!" You see, the LOOOOONG WAIT is finally over, as in just about 24 hours, I'll be at Robert Plant's Band of Joy concert at the Greek Theatre here in the green hills of Griffith Park, Los Angeles. I've had to endure him touring the east, south, midwest, southwest...and now he's where he belongs, the Golden West, amongst the Children of the Sun. I am so stoked for the show...a BIG FU to all the haters and nattering nabobs of negativity. I love the new Band of Joy album(can't wait to hear Buddy Miller, Patty Griffin and the rest of the smokin' band) just like I did Raising Sand. He seemed so happy at the two Raising Sand shows I saw, and that's all I care about; him doing what makes HIM happy, fuck all the rest. I'm hoping to hear all of the Band of Joy album, hopefully a few Raising Sand, or some early blues/gospel/Americana covers...as well as maybe some early Plant solo stuff. Any Zeppelin he deigns to perform is gravy, and totally up to him; I am not going in with the expectation, or even desire, to hear Zeppelin tunes. I purposely have avoided looking at youtube clips, as I like to be surprised when I see a show; I don't want to know too much in advance. But I have perused the setlists on occassion, and I have noticed lately he doesn't always do "Silver Rider". Man, the two Low covers are two of the songs I have most been looking forward to hearing in concert. I know there are some posters here that are close to, or have connections to Mr. Plant; please, PLEASE PLEASE could you see it in your heart to mention to Percy that it would be LOVERLY if he could play BOTH Monkey AND Silver Rider at the Greek tomorrow night? In fact, of the recent setlists I have seen, a setlist similar to the ones he performed at either Louisville or Minnesota would be choice! Tomorrow night will be my 36th Robert Plant concert, if you count the 14 Led Zeppelin shows I saw. Then there were 8 solo Plant shows from 1983-1993...7 Page & Plant shows...followed by 6 more solo shows from the 2002 Dreamland tour to Raising Sand in 2008. And tomorrow at the Greek makes 36. See y'all(or at least those members who are from Los Angeles) there!

Since I assume you live in Virginia, any chance you are going to Bonaroo, which is a tad closer to your environs?

One week after Coachella, Thrash's Big 4 will play their ONLY U.S. concert at the same location used for Coachella, the Indio Polo Fields. Naturally, they scheduled it the same night as the Robert Plant concert at the Greek, so I will not be going; as much as I would like to go, there is NO WAY I am not seeing Robert Plant...HE takes precedence over all. But for you thrash-heads, here's a little preview...and click on the link for even more interviews and stuff. The Big 4 Archives; LA Weekly Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax By Steve Appleford Thursday, Apr 21 2011 The rise and rise of Metallica into one of the major forces in rock has unfolded over the decades like a brilliantly executed surprise attack. Consider where they began: as a SoCal quartet obsessed with the loudest, fastest, darkest heavy metal imaginable in 1981, clawing and scratching for gigs while the Sunset Strip was awash with longhaired boys in lipstick and spandex. Metallica played thrash, not pop, then fled to San Francisco and thrived. They also reflected a rare kind of evolutionary imperative, rising forcefully from the original thrash underground they shared with Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, to arenas and stadiums, then shifted gears just enough in the '90s to vanquish the alternative nation. Metallica elbowed their way onto the KROQ airwaves and headlined Lollapalooza. Now comes an invasion on the hallowed site of Coachella itself. Far bigger than a simple stadium show, Metallica will bring together the preeminent originators of thrash metal on Saturday for a daylong "Big Four" fest at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, just a week after Coachella's remnants are swept away. It follows a Big Four tour of Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax last year in Europe, but the hugeness of bringing these four horsemen of thrash together for the first time in the U.S. should not be lost on the fans who will transform the site into a massive version of the cult short film Heavy Metal Parking Lot. A crowd of 50,000 is expected. "The mainstream ended up embracing us," Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich told me the day the show was announced in January. "That obviously doesn't suck." Birthed largely in Southern California, thrash was a collision of British heavy metal and hard-core punk, a revolutionary noise that was too fast and even a little scary in the right hands. Unlike other products of the '80s, the genre has never faded into nostalgia and obscurity — instead, it continues to renew itself with generation after generation of disaffected teens in black T-shirts and pierced flesh. "It hasn't strayed away from its attitude, that punk root that it's attached to," says Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo. "The music isn't fake. The people who are associated with thrash metal, they like their music. It's stayed true and people respect that." Following the founding fathers, a number of later acts emerged playing even faster, but it was a pointless exercise, more macho than musical. Meanwhile, Metallica became one of the biggest rock bands in the world, filling stadiums as easily as U2 or the Rolling Stones, and got themselves voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, where frontman James Hetfield humbly described his quartet as "somewhat of a heavy band." The other three bands on this weekend's bill did all right in the money-and-fame game as well. Slayer earned their first gold record in 1986, with the Rick Rubin–produced thrash-horror milestone Reign in Blood. Hitting platinum that same year were Megadeth, a jazzier thrash act formed by guitar-shredder Dave Mustaine after he was fired from the original lineup of Metallica. New York–based Anthrax became stars of MTV, collaborating with Public Enemy on the influential 1991 metal-rap mash-up "Bring the Noise." The once-preposterous idea of thrash reaching world domination was only a joke until it wasn't. "There's a lot of intelligence in the music, in the lyrics, in the business of all four bands," says Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian. "Maybe we don't look like the smartest dudes in the world, but every one of these four bands has some really smart people in it — creatively, professionally. We all had a very strong vision." Why, a neophyte might ask, are these particular four bands universally acknowledged as "The Big Four"? What makes precisely these longhairs (and shaved heads) so damn big? Surely other bands of their generation were equally fast and furious, just as committed to darkness and gloom. Their fellow travelers in Testament and Exodus and elsewhere also carried the uncouth thrash flag in the awkward days of hair metal. What separates the Big Four from their brethren is the reality that Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer were not only originators of the thrash sound, but each transcended their own genre. Their names are known to those who have never heard them. Bad reputations precede them. The idea of a Slayer/Megadeth concert remains a vaguely threatening concept to the uninitiated. Last summer, a small crowd of Christian protesters stood vigil outside their show at the Long Beach Arena, still fighting a culture war that ended long ago (maybe when Ozzy Osbourne moved next door to a chummy Pat Boone in Bel-Air). Slayer frontman Tom Araya was raised a traditional Catholic, and Megadeth's Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson are openly born-again Christians. "It just shows that [the protesters] don't know me," Mustaine says. "If you really want to preach the Gospel to people, you have to do it with your deeds and not your words." Mustaine stopped drinking, tries not to swear onstage and has happily accepted the warming of relations between himself and Metallica. The outspoken red-haired guitarist was famously ejected in 1983 during a road trip to New York to make the debut album, and sent home on a Greyhound bus. (His immediate replacement was Kirk Hammett.) The insults were hurled back and forth for decades after, sometimes in fun, sometimes not. The warfare between the metal camps is long behind them, evaporating completely during a Big Four concert last year in Sofia, Bulgaria, when members of all the bands jammed through Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?" together onstage. "We've gotten beyond all the tension of the past," Mustaine insists. "When you're looking at an audience of 100,000 several times a week, it has a way of making you forget about the petty stuff. Honestly, it's like fly shit on a dance floor." The Big Four concert featuring Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax happens Sat., April 23, at the Empire Polo Field in Indio (aka the Coachella Music Festival site). * EXCLUSIVE Interview: Why Anthrax's Scott Ian Hates Coachella and Loves the Big 4 April 21, 2011 * EXCLUSIVE: Megadeth's Dave Mustaine On Embracing the Big 4 and Finally Getting Over Metallica April 22, 2011 * Who Is the Biggest of the Big Four?: Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax in Size Standoff at Post-Coachella Thrash Metal Fest January 25, 2011 * EXCLUSIVE: Slayer's Kerry King Reveals How Thrash Survives April 22, 2011 * EXCLUSIVE: Slayer's Tom Araya Talks Moshpits, Spider-bites and the Big 4 April 21, 2011

Okay, I thought people would be posting their Record Store Day hauls by now...Jahfin, you STARTED this thread, where is your list of RSD goodies?

Just because there wasn't a thread doesn't mean that people here didn't know about him...there was in fact a thread about the theremin and its inventor on the old electric-magic.com board, before it morphed into the "official" Led Zeppelin site. We just never got around to starting a new thread probably because everything had been hashed over and there was nothing new to add. Of course, it goes without saying that a must-see regarding Léon Theremin and his instrument is Steven Martin's(no, not THAT Steve Martin ) excellent documentary "THEREMIN: An Electronic Odyssey", released in 1994 and available on dvd. Besides Léon, you also get performance footage of Clara Rockmore...and they talk to Brian Wilson, Robert Moog, and some of the other usual suspects, but sadly, no one thought to speak to Jimmy Page, or use any footage of Jimmy using the Theremin during Whole Lotta Love. Just imagine if they had shown some of the 1975 tour Theremin battles with Plant...like at Earl's Court. But then, Led Zeppelin always seems to get forgotten by the academic types. I saw a documentary on the mellotron last year and they spent a lot of time on the Moody Blues, and rightly so, but NO John Paul Jones? C'mon filmmakers, think outside the box.

THANK YOU VIRGINIA for being the one person to respond to the thread...as big and important a musical event that Coachella has been for some time now, it's puzzling there wasn't more interest on this board. I've seen Coachella threads on many other band message boards, but here, squadoosh. Oh well, no matter...I didn't go anyway. But for those like you, Virginia, who couldn't go but maybe have an interest in what happened...here's a round-up of various Coachella coverage from the L.A. Times: Coachella 2011: The rise of a new generation No Roger Waters or Prince this year. Instead, the festival got its star wattage from acts that came of age in the aughts. By August Brown and Margaret Wappler, Los Angeles Times April 18, 2011 As the U.K. folk-revival quartet Mumford & Sons, all of whom are in their early 20s, stared out on the 70,000 people or so gathered to watch their set at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on Saturday night, they couldn't help but remark on how much had changed for them. "In 2008, I was a punter sneaking in here for Rage Against the Machine," one of the Mumfords' string players cracked in disbelief. That a kid could go from sneaking in the side gate to playing the main stage at nightfall in a span of three years says everything about this year's iteration on the 12-year-old desert bacchanal, the first in recent memory to draw its star power mostly from artists who formed, grew careers and scaled to the peak of their profession within the 2000s. And taken with this year's new emphasis on keeping out gate crashers, easing transportation in and out of the grounds, and keeping those inside entranced with stages and light sculptures, the weekend felt like it was competing for the long-term loyalties of a generation that considers endless sensory stimulation a necessity. In fact, Coachella's been operating long enough now that it's helped rear bands from buzz act to featured attraction. Arcade Fire expanded its fan base tremendously during its first two Coachella appearances, in 2005 and 2007. In February, the Montreal group shocked many Grammy watchers with an unexpected album of the year award — but for most who had caught the band on the Polo Grounds in years prior, such pomp was a forgone conclusion. "There is a communal feeling here, backstage and out front," said singer PJ Harvey, who performed at Coachella for the first time Sunday night. "A combination of the two is needed, young and old. Everything informs each other. The great artist's parcel gets handed down." Whatever you think of Kings of Leon's blustery Tarzan rock, Arcade Fire's gang-chorus earnestness or Kanye West's ambitions for hip-hop and high-end furniture blogging, this much is undisputed about Coachella 2011: Roger Waters was nowhere in sight, nor was his flying pig. There was no Paul McCartney set (well, save for Macca's brief piggyback cameo with the dance producer Afrojack). While sitting on the grass during British art rock band Foals' electric set, Jazz Brice of Laguna Beach underlined pages in a textbook for a paper due Monday. The Pepperdine student described herself as a "Mumford & Sons enthusiast" who had already seen them four or five times this year. "This year's lineup is really strong," said Brice, 22. "It always seemed a bit off to have Prince or Roger Waters. I mean, it's cool, but this feels more generational." Other second-billed acts such as the Black Keys, Bright Eyes and the Strokes all caught their headwinds in the aughts too, and the hottest-tipped (but ultimately fraught) set of the undercard came from the L.A. teenage rap posse Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. But it wasn't milk and honey for everyone. While many of the festival's logistical problems had been eased (microchip-embedded wristbands discouraged wanton counterfeiting, and shuttle buses eased some of the infamous traffic snarls), an unexpected new one emerged as faulty video monitors and squelching feedback brutalized otherwise powerful sets from R&B experimentalist Erykah Badu and blues-adventurers the Black Keys. But those problems didn't take away from this year's distinctly more relaxed energy. A festival that can rely on a crop of young bands to do its heavy lifting is ensuring its own growth as much as it is paving the way for increased album sales or new discoveries. "I think it's a healthy sign," Guy Garvey, frontman for England's Elbow, which performed a Saturday sunset slot in the Mojave tent, said of the sprightly lineup. Though the band plays arenas back home, where it won the Mercury Prize for "Seldom Seen Kid," Coachella affords Elbow an opportunity to make new fans in the States, where it is still not as well known. "It's a curated festival where not every choice is based on record sales," Garvey said. "It would be a shame if you knocked that out and only went for the biggest game." Of course, the emphasis on youth and Internet-era fame can make some wonder about the big picture. Is Odd Future in this for life? Is Kings of Leon's "Sex on Fire" our "Light My Fire"? Maybe, maybe not. Regardless, the weekend made an impression that's bound to remain as the years pass. "It's its own utopia," said 24-year-old Lauren Mosenthal of Boston, who came for the adventurous disco of Cut Copy and Crystal Castles and the tent-revivalist energy of Arcade Fire. "The natural surroundings of the mountains and perfect weather, the constant visual stimulation from the art installations, the fashion and mind-blowing sets and lights make you forget about the outside world." august.brown@latimes.com margaret.wappler@latimes.com Coachella 2011: 'When I stand on the stage, I want to give the truth,' says PJ Harvey By Margaret Wappler April 18, 2011 During PJ Harvey’s Sunday night set, one of the repasts offered by Coachella before festival headliner Kanye West commanded the main stage, a fan waved a homemade sign that got caught on camera. “PJ Harvey,” it read, “is the REAL closing headliner.” The crowd cheered, the sentiment validating the feverish loyalty Harvey’s listeners trade in, the kind that almost feels sealed by blood oath. Outfitted in a white dress corseted at the waist like a parlor-bound Victorian wife, her sculptural feathered headpiece shooting back from her obsidian hair, Harvey looked ready for the Wild West’s dreamscape, ready to hitch her covered wagon to the trash-strewn grounds. Cradling an autoharp in her arms, Harvey, in her Coachella debut, assessed the crowd with a benevolent gaze that seemed as if it could snap into menace if provoked. Harvey played with her old pal and frequent collaborator John Parish at her side, and her set marched out war-scarred testaments from her latest album, “Let England Shake,” and a few older songs, such as “The Sky Lit Up,” played with more chug than the original, a sense of certainty replacing the near-hysteria. “When I stand on the stage,” Harvey said, in an interview earlier in the day, “I want to give the truth.” We were speaking in her cavernous artist’s trailer on the Polo Grounds, about how she tried to avoid repeating her work. Over the course of eight albums, Harvey has cut a snake’s trail through heartsick alienation, and now with her latest, a nation’s embattled history. “It wouldn’t be honest of me,” she said, “to keep drawing from my past.” With songs such as “Rid of Me,” Harvey whispered and screamed a message: It was acceptable to be difficult, brutal even, in love. But it’s a feeling that’s distant to her now. “I still love that song, but I wrote it many years ago,” she said. “There are other things I want to play now.” Has she moved away from writing personal screeds? “I would hesitate to say that any of my work is personal… you step into characters.” For “Let England Shake,” two years in the making, Harvey was drawn to the characters of her country, particularly voices lost to time or the patriotic machine. “I wanted to use human language,” Harvey said, “not overt political language. I wanted to inhabit the lives of those who have been affected, not the political leaders.” Onstage, she affected even more of a commonplace kind of tone to her singing than on the album, a nasal kind of twang that gives a mantra like “What if I take my problems to the United Nations?” an even richer sense of doomed fallacy. The line is an echo from Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues,” one of the few samples, including a Kurdish love song and the chorus from the classic reggae song "Blood and Fire," woven throughout the album. No matter what kind of diplomacy her songs may call for, at her heart, Harvey will always be a vigilante. Near the end of her set, her eyes were glittering and she stalked the stage more. Her lips screwing into a snarl, she exclaimed, “I want a pistol. I want a gun!” from “Big Exit.” Had Harvey been saying the same line on the same patch of desert 200 years ago, something tells me she would’ve run anyone off her land. Photo: Singer PJ Harvey performs during Day 3 of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio. Credit: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images. Coachella 2011: Kanye West doesn't play it safe as he closes the Indio fest By Todd Martens April 18, 2011 Kanye West said little to the audience for much of his festival closing set. There were no grand guest stars that West brought to the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio. There was little in the way of special effects. Accompanying musicians were there, but they were off to the side. Arrogant, forthright and disarmingly open, West's songs unfold like mini-monologues, and this was a high-concept concert as one-man-show. As theater, West's Coachella set veered toward tragedy, with a song cycle that began with the artist drunk with power, followed him through heartbreak and concluded with a eulogy. As entertainment, West's set was captivating, a festival performance unlike any other, and one that often showcased the artist and the artist alone on a minimal stage. Though rumors of an all-star set were the talk of Coachella, any guests, be it Rihanna or Jay-Z, would have felt crowded in this set-up. This was not, in short, the kind of set one typically sees from one of the world's biggest stars. West came to Coachella to work, to do away with any sideshows, and instead to get straight down to business. It was a brave statement -- a take-me-or-leave-me-type assertion with a carefully laid-out set list. This was far from playing it safe, as the Strokes had earlier done with a set that was heavy on past hits. Coachella 2011 in photos: 360° Panoramas | The acts and scene | The faces Before West appeared, the audience saw what was largely bare stage, although one with a movable staircase that led to a giant painting that echoed Greek mythology. It wasn't there simply to placate West's ego, as he never really got to close to it. Instead, he emerged from the crowd, significantly away from any of his dancers, and stood alone on a crane that slowly led him to the stage. As for West's back-up dancers, of which there were easily more than 20, they were not used for show-off choreography purposes, and instead served as a Greek chorus, following the star's command, or writhing on the floor from song to song. Sometimes they disappeared from the stage entirely, emerging when the emotions of the songs called for added emphasis. They moved in fear or panic of West during the tense "Power," and later were seen gripping their heads in pain. By the time the set got to "Runaway," West found himself with a group of wayward ballerinas, seemingly caught in some sort of magnetic push and pull from the artist. For the first 20 or so minutes, there was no acknowledgement on West's part that he was headlining Coachella. There was no breaking of character as he went from the plea to find faith that is "Jesus Walks" into the forceful "Can't Tell Me Nothing," in which West masked the vulnerability in bravado. The dancers were gone for the song, and it was just West, stalking the front of the stage and putting the audience on defense. "Monster" went even darker, with West finding redemption only in sex. Indie rock singer/songwriter Justin Vernon, known to many as Bon Iver, stood off in the fog-shrouded distance. If not quite West's conscience, Vernon's verses foreshadowed doom, and the artist's straight, matter-of-fact delivery were not there to pass judgment. The set's most harrowing moments came via a brief block of songs from "808s and Heartbreak," when West finally broke the wall between artist and audience after "Say You Will," a song in which the backdrops appear to capture the sound of a life-support system. West declared this Coachella performance his "most important" since his mother died and said he had dreamed of performing "Power" on the Coachella stage as he was writing it West appears to work as if he's always the underdog and is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He said he was humbled to "be able to close the show and see you love me after everything I read and saw on TV said the opposite." He then rewarded the crowd with touches of some of his biggest songs -- "Gold Digger" and "Stronger" among them -- before disappearing under a giant cloth only to reemerge with "Runaway." West stood stage center, and tapped at a snyth. It was only one note, but it was loud, and it echoed, giving the song an added coldness. This wasn't a happy ending, of course, but it was a resolution of sorts, as the artist found peace only in celebrating his faults. Things got chaotic again, though, with "Lost in the World," in which the backup dancers rushed and moved around the stage as if they were dodging city traffic. From there, the set went to "Hey Mama," a love letter written to West's late mother. It's a song full of broken promises, and one that closed the set in a similar manner to which it had begun, with West standing alone. Little else was needed. Photo: Kanye West. Credit: Getty Images Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times Sorry about the lack of photos...for some reason it said the image extension wasn't allowed on this board when I tried to cut and paste the photos from the articles.