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Saturday, September 20, 2014

In Context: Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters



Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters come to BAM September 27 as part of Nonesuch Records at BAM. Context is everything, so get even closer to Plant and band with this curated selection of articles, and videos related to the show. Once you've seen it, help us keep the conversation going by telling us what you thought below.


Program Notes

Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters (PDF)


Watch & Listen


Video
Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters, Live at BAM (NPR.org)
Watch the entire Nonesuch Records at BAM concert for a limited time (through Oct 28).

Video
The Nonesuch/BAM Connection (BAM)
BAM and Nonesuch go way back. Bob Hurwitz and David Bither of Nonesuch elaborate.

Video
Robert Plant with George Stroumboulopoulus (YouTube)
“There are no steps, there’re just staggers,” says Plant of his career trajectory.

Video
Official Trailer: lullaby and…the Ceaseless Roar (YouTube)
“These songs," says Plant, "are an ode to life and love and the fragile adventure that you set out upon unknowingly and unwittingly."

Video
Official Music Video: “Rainbow” (YouTube)
Watch the official music video for Plant and band’s song “Rainbow.”

Audio
Robert Plant with Dave Fanning (RTE.ie)
Plant talks about his latest group on Irish radio.


Read


Review
lullaby and…The Ceaseless  Roar (Pitchfork)
On his first studio album in over four years, Plant “answer[s] his band’s derring-do with some of the most bravely confessional writing of his career.”

Article
Robert Plant On His New Album and Led Zepplin Days (The Independent)
Plant discusses his relationship with Jimmy Page, the “unframed masterpieces” of the Wales landscape, a gospel-choir version of “Stairway to Heaven,” and more.

Official Website
Get to know the English folk singer opening for Plant and band.


Now your turn . . .

So how did you enjoy the show? Likes? Dislikes? Surprises? Tell us what's on your mind in the comments below.

46 comments:

  1. Great Concert. Both Robert and everyone else on the stage were masters. The sound engineering was a total disaster though: I went above all to listen to Robert's wonderful voice and that was the only thing I couldn't hear, all faded away into a meaningless echo.

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    1. Where were you sitting? Going tonight and hope sound is better-as a vocalist I really want to hear Plant sing live!

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    2. Went to last nights show and was amazed . Plant and the band put on a stellar performance. He sounds and looks great. I was so excited to get last minute tickets. Felt like I was 15 again. Plant does not disappoint. New songs as well as zeppelin sounds were fantastic. Perfect theatre so nice and intimate. Never thought I would see them in such a setting. Perfect night

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  2. Fantastic night! Parking was a breeze, never saw (Led Zep) this concert made up for it. Sound could have been better if you were a sound engineer! I don't think people knew or cared as the excitement was trough the roof! Great venue for concerts or anything else for the mater, great restaurants (La Cayes) across the street was the icing at the end of the night!!! Brooklyn has come along way! A night to remember thank you BAM, looking forward to next time!

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  3. There was a tall asshole in the second row orchestra who stood up most of thjenight blocking the view of hundreds behind him.

    He wa dancing in the aisle.
    The tiny woman security guard chased everone out of the aisle but this nut, security seemed to be afraid of him.

    When eve he sat down, he proceeded to clap his long arms and to make things worse, he was wearing a puffy shirt, so you couldn't see the stage when he clapped.

    Great show, terrible security.

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  4. Fourth time I have seen Plant, all different tours and he just keeps getting better and better. Great musicianship and they did justice to the LZ. A nice mix of Zep and solo and a great place to see a show. I hope he never stops. I was in the 1st row second level so the guy in the puffy shirt was funny.

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  5. Can anyone tell me what time Plant went on?

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  6. I feel for the people unlucky to sit behind obnoxious concert-goers who think they are the center of attention. I have had the unfortunate experience of being behind these types and have asked secured to tell them to tone it down. Security just shrugs and says as long as they're in "their seats" they can do nothing. It was a fantastic show and I was so happy to see Robert Plant and his band!!

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  7. How was sound? Want to hear plant singing live! Anyone else have a sound comment? We are sitting in mezzanine tonight

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  8. I was so looking forward to seeing Robert Plant - an item on my bucket list. When I heard he was performing at BAM, I purchased tickets and made plans to fly from Milwaukee, WI, to Brooklyn, NY. I was so excited and giddy for weeks leading up to the concert. When we got to the airport on Friday, we were told all outgoing flights were cancelled due to someone starting a fire at the Chicago control tower. We searched out bus and train tickets, but they wouldn't get us there until after the concert. Driving 14 hours seemed our only alternative. We went back and forth - should we, shouldn't we. We decided it wasn't a good option. That meant I would miss seeing Robert Plant and lose out on the cost of the tickets. I was heartbroken. I know it was just a concert, but I had been looking forward to it for so long and was willing to go all the way to New York to see him. I am still upset and honestly devastated.

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    1. We had planned it for months because it has been my friend, Susan's dream to see Robert Plant live in concert. When we got to the airport and were told all flights were cancelled I just took one look at Susan's devastated face and thought she was going to hit the floor. She was truly heartbroken and we explored all options of getting to New York in time for the concert but it was impossible, given the fact that everyone was grounded and also looking for other options. Trains and buses were sold out, and driving was not the best option after all. We were very disappointed we missed the concert and hope we get to see him at another venue while he is touring.

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    2. Susan and Zoe, so sorry to hear this! NPR is live streaming tonight's show, so hopefully you can tune in. Not the same, we know, but it's something... http://www.npr.org/event/music/351494090/robert-plant-and-the-sensational-space-shifters-live-in-concert We really hope you get to see him soon, too, and, once again, are so sorry to hear about the travel fiasco.

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    3. That's a very disheartening story but I hope you can try to catch one of his remaining shows in either Toronto, Chicago or LA. I Just got home from BAM and it was probably one of the best concerts I've ever seen period. LZ was my favourite band growing up and I never saw them so this was the closest and an unbelievable experience. If you want I can send you the pictures I took, which were pretty good as I was a few rows from the stage.

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    4. I drove 14 hours round trip (Ottawa, Ontario) and it was definitely worth it.

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    5. Toni, I would love 3 or 4 pics from the concernt if you do not mind. I was there but my camera is poor, definitely time for a new one. If you are willing, my emnail address is mattew.cole@carleton.ca. Thanks !

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  9. Fantastic - Awesome!! Its the first time I see Plant perform - it is juts unbelievable how he delivers - he's a legend of ourtime !!

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  10. Best concert I've seen since...well, maybe the best ever. Great venue, great band, great sound and lights and the incomparable Robert Plant! Loved his new songs and still am thrilled to hear the Led Zep tunes!

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  11. Was akin to a religious experience for me, seriously probably the best concert I've ever seen, as LZ was/is my fav band and I never got to see them live. All the musicians were fantastic, the new songs were great and had echoes of Zep in some of them. Plant's voice sounded like it did on Zep II, he could hit the high ranges with ease. BAM is also a fantastic venue, crowd was totally enthusiastic, lighting was great, Plant was humble and chatted to the audience. I think everyone present realized they witnessed history tonight...

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  12. Something about this man and his band!

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  13. this is the 3rd time I've seen RP and all were singular events. The musicianship is always top rate. The new songs are so interesting, melding old influences with new sounds. BAM is the best. I accidentally took the receipt part instead of our tickets as we ran out the door---and the ticket folks reprinted them on the spot. Great save, BAM! We sat in the Mezz on the aisle--I'm tall and the seats there were comfy. The woman next to us seemed to have mixed alcohol and prescription meds and was freaking out for most of the show, over dancing and swaying drunkenly, yelling inappropriately and grew more agitated as the evening progressed. Others around her became really bothered and her own fella was physically restraining her at one point. Nothing can dampen a great experience faster than bad vibes---RP can still inspire people to insanity, I guess. Had the concert gone much longer, someone would have called security, for sure. Hey---if you must do drugs, please stay groovy!

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  14. Concert phenomenal, venue spectacular, unfortunately employees sucked. Rude, pushy, impolite. A hand stamp, a ticket, two forms of id and a blood sample to re-enter. Advise; stay is your seat. Except at the very end of the show, when you are forced to leave. And if you do decide to sit there and take in what a wonderful show you just saw or say goodbye to some friends, you are threatened with bodily removal !! I should have gotten her name, the bitch. Never again.

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    1. I totally agree with your comments regarding the employees. I arrived at the mezzanine level to enter the concert hall. All I did was ask the employee in this case - a man was totally rude. All I did was ask for a program and he was shooing me away as if this was some overwhelming crowd entering. There were like two or three people on line. BAM needs to train the ticket-taker employees in customer service/behavior.

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  15. Nice Concert, but the seats at the Balcony was terrible, with no space for your legs. Only midgets can sit on chairs like those. The concert should never had been a sit down concert - it should be in an open room - with lot of space to dance.
    Come on its Rock´n´Roll!

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    1. We sat under the balcony and had the same problem. And yes, at a rock concert we should be able to stand within reason. Especially during the high energy songs.
      The opening act was ridiculous. She sang the most depressing songs about murder and the Nazis. Seriously?

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  16. Robert Plant and the band were fantastic and such an amazing venue! First time seeing him and was not expecting Zeppelin music .. how pleasantly surprised I was with the set list - The new stuff was great too -- such a talented band

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  17. Great show. First time to BAM. What a beautiful theater. I sat in the mezzanine and the seats were excellent. I drove down from the Albany area because there was no way I was missing this show. The person I was supposed to go with bailed out five minutes before I was heading to pick him up. His wife was pissed cuz he was going to the show. I would've divorced her. I saw Zep when I was in high school almost 40 years ago. Still the best show I've ever seen. Plant still has a great voice though. It was cool to see and hear people that are too young to have seen Zeppelin going crazy. A testament to how well their musicholds up.

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  18. robert plant is still the best singer out there. Fantastic concert - and what a great venue!!

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  19. Robert Plant was fantastic as expected. This band might be my favorite that I've seen him perform with live (well I never had the opportunity to see him with Zeppelin). The venue is a bit of a different story. The seats in the balcony are the narrowest and most uncomfortable I've ever experienced. You don't even notice the lack of leg room because of the width issue, and I only weight 165 pounds! When someone goes into the pocket for the camera or phone (no flash photography - yeah we get the message!) you get an elbow to the head or thigh, depending on how they're squirming. On top of that, the armrests have 2 metal screws sticking up from them which dig into your skin if you can manage to squeeze in past your neighbor. The women behind me had it even worse as their seats had a pole for scaffolding right in the middle! I understand trying to maximize capacity, but you also need your customers to be able to sit somewhat comfortably for 2 1/2 hours so they can enjoy the show. I've gone to almost 500 concerts over the past 20 years and I can honestly say these were the most uncomfortable seats I ever sat in. It's a shame that the whole crowd only stood for "Whole Lotta Love" because I would've much preferred standing for the whole show.

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  20. I saw both the Saturday and Sunday concerts and thought the sound was great and that the BAM employees were fantastic as always ... I'm not sure why there are some negative comments here about the BAM folks unless those writing the comments were acting inappropriately and expected the BAM folks to be tolerant. I will say that I was happy that security in front of the stage was stepped up for the event. In the recent past, concerts at the BAM Opera House have gotten more out of control due to the audience. At the Phil Lesh concert there some months back, I witnessed people walking on the seats over aisles to move around, and also lots of pot smoking INSIDE the Opera House! I mean... I'm no prude, but there should be some civility and decorum. At any rate, I love BAM and I think the Nonesuch Records celebration is a success, and the BAM employees are great.

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    1. Pot at a Phil Lesh concert? And INSIDE the venue?! The horror. Never would've imagined that.

      For the record, despite the increased security, I smelled quite a bit of pot at the Plant show on Saturday night too. The world continues to turn though.

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  21. He was amazing<333 I was in the way top section, but the sound was amazing and his voice still sounds so young, and at times it felt it was only me and him and no one else. I will never get over how amazing this show was, Robert Plant I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUU

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  22. Amazing - Sensational - we were blown away by the man and his band!

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  23. The show was absolutely amazing, but I want to note here what a fantastic venue the Howard Gilman Opera House was for seeing a rock show. I was in the balcony, row J, in a "partial view" seat. First of all, the pillar that obstructs the view is very narrow and really not much of an obstruction. Second of all, even from all the way up there, I felt I could see extremely well. Finally, and most important to this concert-goer, the sound was perfect even all the way up in the balcony. Sound in the cheap seats can be a real problem with other local venues (that's right, Beacon Theater, I'm lookin' at you), but not here. I would recommend this venue without reservation as possibly the finest place in town to see an amplified music show!

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  24. Robert Plant and his band were amazing! I was just blown away. The staff was very nice as well. The seats were under the balcony and you missed large parts of the stage which was a bummer. I wish the people weren't such asses these days. Why the need to sing over the performer or worse talk through the whole concert. We do not need a running commentary.
    Not sure why we couldn't stand at a rock concert though. Plus the opening act was terrible. She sang well but the songs she chose except for the first Spanish one were boring and depressing. A lullaby about a guy murdering his girlfriend, really?

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  25. Yup - Sensational! What a thrill. I wasn't expecting to hear Led Zep songs but what a super surprise. The other songs were excellent also - that voice!

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  26. Opening act was dreadful. I was a little disappointed that more music from Robert Plant's latest album wasn't a big part of the set, as well as some of the songs he recorded for Raising Sand. It became more a Led Zeppelin concert than anything, which is absolutely fine, but why advertise the new album cover for the venue?

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  27. I have had the immense pleasure of attending all of Led Zeppelin and Robert Plant's concerts in the United States since the beginning - yep I am that old! Never disappointed - always enchanted by Robert's ability to be a changeling in both his voice range and deliverance! He is truly mesmerizing! Although I would love to see Page and Jones up there again, one can feel the energy and the connectivity of his new band and how it plays into his vision.
    As for the opening act, Robert has always enjoyed previewing new talent - it kind of reminded me of the coffee houses in the 60's and 70's. Nice voice - great choice of instruments!
    The BAM was a treat both for it's décor - sound and smaller venue. I loved it! The usher's were for the most part polite even when they hurried everyone out. I would like to note when someone is going into a new area, for example the opera auditorium to the lobby - normally one goes out through the door to the right - I made the mistake of going that way and got slapped in the face by one of the ushers as she was waving people in the out door. Please mark your doors with lights! All in all I would attend another concert there. It was a lovely night, the only bad part was that it ended. Thank you Robert for another magical memory!

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  28. I went to the website you suggested in order to see the concert again however it said it was not available. Please advise!

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  29. Robert Plant- Legend, Genius, Rock God.
    Planty sends chills up down my spine!!!!!! He knows his audience, and delivers a wonderful mix of old, with new. As for obstructed views, close your eyes, and listen. The depth of sound in his music is insane. Absolutely feel 15 again! In orchestra, the crowd was on their feet for most of the fabulous show. Sensational Space Shifters, a whole lotta fun!

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  30. What an amazing show! Plant was on point with his vocals and his bad was tight. I loved that he incorporated so much Led Zepplin into his set list. Like a dream come true. Rock On!
    As for BAM I didnt understand how strict and rigid they were about seating, pictures etc. This was a rock concert not a ballet or opera. The staff there are very rude and curt. Im sure they only take these type of shows because of the money. Would Robert Plant tell his audience you can not sit in between songs when coming from the restroom? Doubt it.

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  31. Robert Plant always gives an exceptional performance! BAM is a wonderful complex, even with great food offered in the cafe :) and all the workers were friendly and helpful :) I have to say though, we had seats in the second and 5th row and BOTH were blocked with limited view, the speakers/amps were in the way :( We both had seats all the way towards the wall and at our angle it was blocked the whole time. The video posted on NPR of the full show was only up till Monday, sadly, I was hoping to watch it this week and get the full feel of what I did experience and what I may have missed, can someone at BAM please get the full concert up and running again or suggest who we can contact about this at NPR, going to email NPR now as well :)

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    1. Hi Jackie, the entire set is up now on NPR.org and available through Oct 28: http://n.pr/1yKlODG

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  32. It was a fantastic concert on Sunday, and the venue was great. Thank you Robert Plant and your band for a wonderful and magical night for my wife and myself in New York.

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  33. Does anyone know if this will be released as a CD or DVD? It's fantastic. I saw him 16 years ago, and he still brings it!

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