No longer a fan of endless touring, Robert Plant is somewhat of a rarity in concert. But now with his new group, Band of Joy, the Zeppelin singer is extending his 2011 tour across the USA well into the spring. The second leg of the tour just kicked off this week with a pair of shows in Asheville and Pittsburgh, and now adds a third leg scheduled to begin in April.
New cities include Minneapolis, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Denver. Consisting of mostly theater gigs, the shows are an opportunity for fans to catch Plant busting out a mix of new and old tunes, with some Zeppelin mixed in.
Plant’s five-piece band consists of singer Patty Griffin, multi-instrumentalist Darrell Scott, bassist Byron House, drummer Marco Giovino, and guitarist Buddy Miller.
The response to the album, Band of Joy, has been glowing. Time called the new album “smoldering,” while Entertainment Weekly noted that Plant “sounds vocally re-energized.” Spin described the songs as “moonshine-soaked country blues with a gospel undercurrent,” and American Songwriter claimed that the record “reveals another side of Plant’s persona, and touches on all the places he’s been while simultaneously pointing to an appealing, restless future.”
The Washington Post hailed, “Plant has nuance and subtlety to match his power and range,” while the New York Times raved that the performances on Band of Joy are “consistently surprising.” At radio, the album’s single “Angel Dance” has been growing at Triple A steadily since its release. It’s been Top 10 since August, Top 5 since September, and #1 for the last two weeks and counting.
While the “Band of Joy” album has been his focus, Plant has also been performing Led Zeppelin tunes such as “Gallow’s Pole,” “Rock and Roll,” “Misty Mountain Hop” and “Houses of the Holy”, according to SoundSpike.
January 2011
18 – Asheville, NC – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Peterson Events Center (University of Pittsburgh)
21 – Ann Arbor, MI – Hill Auditorium
22, 23 – Toronto, Ontario – Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
25 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
26 – Upper Darby, PA – Tower Theatre
28 – Mashantucket, CT – MGM Grand at Foxwoods
29, 30 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
February 2011
1 – Washington, DC – DAR Constitution Hall
2 – Raleigh, NC – Memorial Auditorium
4 – North Charleston, SC – North Charleston Performing Arts Center
5 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
7 – Charlotte, NC – Ovens Auditorium
8, 9 – Nashville, TN – War Memorial Auditorium
April 2011
8 – Louisville, KY – Louisville Palace Theatre
9 – Chicago, IL – Auditorium Theatre
11 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theatre
12 – Minneapolis, MN – The State Theatre
15 – Hollywood, FL – Seminole Hard Rock Live
17 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
19 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
20 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
22 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre
23 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
25 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
27 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
