Set List: Win My Train Fare Home / 4 Sticks/ Down To The Sea / Morning Dew / Going To California / The Girl From The North Country / 7 + 7 Is / Ramble On / Funny In My Mind / A House Is Not A Motel / Tall Cool One / Babe I’m Gonna Leave You
Encores: Song To The Siren / Darkness Darkness / Whole Lotta Love

This from Jukka Viitasaari
Percy is a man of his word. He shouted – “See You next year!” as the last words of the SS gig at the Pori Jazz festival last year. This time the Finlandia House Hall in Helsinki was packed. The show was excellent, comparable to the P/P show in Stockholm back in 1995, when the dynamic duo were at the top of their game. The Strange Sensation performed a tight set. Although I was very impressed by the unorthodox guitarism of Porl Thompson I couldn´t help admiring the telepathic interplay between Skin and Justin. Awesome soundscapes!

Charlie Jones shined at the bowed double bass, it added nicely to the hypnotic tones of the gig as did John Baggot´s vintage keyboards. Clive Deamer played very smoothly, his tom-tom work is especially worth mentioning.

Robert was in a excellent voice. He hit the high notes effortlessly and his voice sounded warmer and richer in colours than in the previous gigs in Finland. As a vocal gymnast he took many risks and succeeded in performing an awesome mixture of Zeppelinism crowned with eastern influences. The effects used were minimal, no long delays or vast echoes. He seemed immensely proud of the the band: -This is us! was heard a couple of times. Of course we heard a number of Plantations and saw our hero flirting with Finnish and Estonian maidens (There were many mother/daughter combinations in the audience BTW). RP and the SS turned the Finladia House Hall (designed by the world famous Kuortane-born architect Alvar Aalto) into a vast club (1700 in attendance).

Good vibes and incense were present as we enjoyed the set. Personally, I was very pleased to hear Tall Cool One and Fixin´to Die. This time they got WLL right, mainly because the hazardous guitar solo section was dropped. Although I never cared too much about the Shaken and Storred era Plant, In the Mood was a good choice for the show. Makes me wonder what they could accomplish with an extra percussionist? Most High?