Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters
The O2 Apollo
Manchester, UK
29th October 2013

Robert's show in Wolverhampton earlier in the year was a real epiphany for me. Until then, I hadn't been convinced by The Space Shifters' project, but was
completely blown away by what I experienced at The Civic that night.
I figured it was unlikely that Manchester would live up to my own hype. In the main, my personal view is that my gut feeling was right. However, it was a very,
very good show, and had I not attended the Wolverhampton show then I probably would be saying what I said about that show in this rhetoric.
For our money, we got a very similar setlist (although few of the numbers are served the same way twice I'm finding). I liked the fact it wasn't exactly the same.
The musicianship was...mind-buggeringly good, and by that, I don't necessarily mean virtuosic, technical brilliance (although boy, can they play), I mean what
they do is "music", the art, the thing that transcends being mere notes and becomes...something else that reaches you emotionally and takes you to another
place...an almost narcotic hit to the senses.
That said, the crowd was (from my perspective) a little "quiet" at times, and took a while to get going (arguably not helped by a last minute shift to unreserved
seating downstairs instead of the original plan of all standing in the stalls). In turn, I felt Robert wasn't quite as enthused as he was by the very lively reception
he'd received at "home".
I'm nit-picking though. I can't imagine anyone went away feeling they'd had anything but first class entertainment, the likes of which you can't get anywhere else.
Like all the greats, it's unique, it's irreplaceable and you can't mimic it credibly (and on the subject of mimics, the support act, Bite the Bullet, were for me a
"White Stripes" wannabee, (brothers) who...just didn't quite cut it...).
Although the majority of the crowd were at times "a tad subdued", I was "fortunate" to have one "occasionally enthusiastic" follower two seats away from me.
Nice to see someone passionate about a concert, but when I'm recording I'd rather see them at a distance. The drumming on the balcony, out of tune
sing-alongs, out of time clapping...great...it's a rock and roll concert after all...it's just I'd prefer not to have a permanent record of it. BUT - what right do I have to
criticise...furtively recording away unofficially...The world doesn't revolve around me (I'm told). Not overly intrusive though.
I was a big fan of Robert's Band of Joy. This is on another level, crossing several genres, generations and cultures all of which interweave remarkably well.
There are a number of active Legendary Talents who can still give us a flavour of why they'll go down in the history books as being "Greats". I struggle to
think of any who continue to challenge and reinvent themselves on such a regular basis, who continue to innovate, inspire and amaze as Robert Plant.
And you're always left with the impression that he does this just for fun...


Traditional Theatre - 2,693 Capacity (fully seated)
1,707 seated downstairs,
986 seated in the balcony
Sold out show.

01 Intro
02 Babe, I�m Gonna Leave You
03 Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down
04 Bron Yr Aur Stomp
05 Spoonful
06 Black dog
07 Another Tribe
08 Going to California
09 If I Ever Get Lucky>Enchanter
10 Four Sticks
11 Friends
12 Fixin� To Die
13 What Is And What Should Never Be
14 Whole Lotta Love
15 Encore Break
16 Big Log
17 Rock And Roll

Recorded By Lesterferget
Front row of the balcony, left of centre
A Rockin� Regimental Recording
Another good night for TBLDC

Lineage :

SP-CMC-4U >
TASCAM DR-40 >
Sound Forge Pro 10 >
Trader's Little Helper (level 8) >
Torrent Site

Do what you will with it - except sell it :
You got it for nowt, you give it for nowt

I heard recently that this band were recording an album. I hope that's true, because if they do we should all support it in the
hope Robert stays a bit longer in this particular place as part of his life long, musical walkabout.