Bro, there are concerts, and then there are
concerts. I mean, think about it: one of the greatest bands in the history of rock and roll breaks up. The literal embodiment of that band's spirit (and it's legacy) - who vowed never to revisit the past, no matter how much the masses clamored for it - decides ten years later to throw caution, legacy, and pride to the wind (risking the possibility of being labeled a 'nostalgia act', in the process), and cover ancient (yet sacred) ground. Plant is an eclectic artist, to say the least. But, no one can besmirch his talent. To have caught him at a moment in time where his chameleon-like musical personality reached back into it's formative past (without the usual 'progressive' embellishments, ala 'No Quarter'), is like catching a chrysalis morphing into a butterfly, and catching it in amber. It's a moment in time that cannot be recreated, ever. The only other event I look forward to - if it would ever happen (and it's up to the Hammer Of The Gods to force a square peg in a round hole), is for David Lee Roth and the Van Halen brothers to quit farting around with their petty problems and personal animosities, and at least bury the hatchet long enough to give their fans an addendum to the legacy of '1984'. God knows they tried in '96 with 'Me Wise Magic'. That was a mainline fix for classic Van Halen junkies like me. But that was nine years ago. We're in withdrawal. And being a classic Van Halen addict is better than being clean and sober Van Hagar fan, on any day of the week.
