What are the odds on two craggy fifty-somethings still retaining a shred of relevance in the teen-driven rock world of today? Most high, actually; Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, erstwhile leaders of Led Zeppelin, are still treading the boards - and stomping them into sawdust; they might be getting on a bit, but they've still got testosterone to burn.
The last time Page & Plant played Dublin - in 1994 - they brought a full orchestra and an Egyptian ensemble; before that, it was the Adelphi in 1970 or sometime thereabouts. A couple of weeks ago, the pair jammed at a friend's wedding in Kenmare, playing blues standards, but last night belonged to Zeppelin classics like Heartbreaker, Ramble On, No Quarter, Tangerine and Babe I'm Gonna Leave You. The capacity crowd, a mixture of young disciples and old Zepheads, lapped up Page's guitar licks and Plant's primal howls, clapping along frantically to Gallows Pole and cheering wildly when Page whipped out the violin bow for How Many More Times.
The old hands were backed by young guns Charlie Jones on bass and Michael Lee on drums; if the sound had been turned up to eleven, this combo could well have raised the roof.
Songs from the new album, Walking Into Clarksdale, slotted nicely into the Zep zeitgeist, especially the Eastern progressions of Most High, but it was the unreconstructed rock of Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog and Rock 'N' Roll which really proved that these guys are the granddaddies of all rock monsters.
