I’ve been waiting to comment about the “Raising Sand Revue” as Robert called it until I’d seen it for myself. You can listen to bootlegs and you can watch grainy YouTube vids but there’s no real commenting about it until you’ve actually seen it.

I’ve seen it and I was astonished. The Lexington show went without a hitch. It was a constant movement of people and instruments and songs that delighted the eye and the ear. I’ve reviewed the show I saw more fully here.

Over the course of the tour I’ve read a mountain of rave reviews about the Raising Sand tour. Raves from people who fall under the Robert column and raves from people who fall under the Alison column. There have been a few non-raves too. And I took a look at all these non-raves and tried to figure out their common denominator. First of all, they all were in the Robert column. Curious. Secondly, they seemed to have outlandish expectations of what they were going to see. Read on…

Good on ya, Robert! These days it’s so rare to see musical integrity win out over money. But then Robert Plant is, indeed, a rare individual.

Frances Bean Cobain on people wanting to know her because of her parents:

I get it, I really do, but at the same time it’s creepy. These people are fascinated by me, but I haven’t done anything… I understand why you would want to get to know me, but I’m not my parents.

Relevant to Robert how? You decide.

Trying to score tickets for the Robert/Alison tour has just reminded me how annoying the whole issue of ticket brokering is. One venue is sold out already. And yet, ticket brokers have tickets. Tickets with a face value of $65 are going for SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS. Yes, $600. Each. Read on…

What, 2007 is over already? Time to think about a year-end wrap up? Didn’t I just do this a few months ago? Over the past few years there has been such a whirlwind of Roberty activity that it’s difficult to keep up with the man. But it’s great trying to anyway. Read on…

Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat Gazette:

Sometimes we equate cruelty with truth. But don’t you hope it’s possible to do your most vital work later on, after you’ve seen and heard and absorbed? Music is large, and if you care for it, you probably don’t care so much what the fashion is or how the singers look in lizard jeans.

Relevant how? You decide.

Every time Robert gifts us with new music there’s always this moment of… well, almost panicked anticipation while I open it and get it played. It’s an odd reaction–but I lay it down to thinking about odds instead of Robert’s proven track record. Every time I think “can it be yet ANOTHER album that I enjoy through and through?” And thankfully Robert never lets me down. Read on…

When I get older, settling down
Would you come down to the sea

Robert wrote those words but I’m thinking it’s going to be a long time before he even thinks about coaxing people down to the sea in his dotage. Robert turns 59 this year and while I was pondering what to write on the occasion, I thought about all the things Robert had been doing since his last birthday. And then it occurred to me: with the exception of a few breaks here and there, Robert has been on the road since February of 2005. Two and a half years. Also in that time he’s recorded an album with Alison Krauss, worked on a tribute album for Fats Domino, done benefits, made speeches, traveled, and done the usual promo appearances. Read on…