Set-List included: Ever get lucky (win my train fare home), 4 Sticks, Morning Dew, GTC, Darkness, Celebration Day, Fixin’ to die,A House is not a Motel, BIGLY—- Encore: Hey Joe, WLL

Another great night with a couple of changes to the running order. No Big Log, Down to the Sea, In the mood.
Darkness was in.
Good form and good sound and loud.
Thanks Roly

This from Jason Williams
Having been lucky enough to be at the VH1 Storytellers recording in June (Thanks Dave), I was interested to see how the band had developed. In short, they have become a really tight outfit and appear much more confident and at ease with each other. Plant was on top form with humorous references to Delia ( celebrity cook and owner of Norwich City FC——- a soccer club for our American readers) and “Ouse Blues” as the prelude to WLL.
The Dreamland stuff was well received but , naturally enough, the LZ covers were greeted with wild enthusiasm by the crowd which varied in age from 20 somethings to hippies in their 50’s and beyond.Only one cry of “Stairway” all night by some demented female . I didn’t catch Plant’s put-down but it raised a chuckle. Plant’s voice goes from strength to strength and appears to have improved the more he has used it over the last few months. He was relaxed and hit every note he went for , including the sustained “Loooooooooooooove” at the end of WLL—-although I did notice that to hit this particular note he had to go on tip toe, clenching buttocks and fists! Nothing new there then.
Astonishing power and tone for a man of 54, and easily on par with LZ ’77–80 with far more depth.

If there were to be a LZ reunion, ( and I don’t think for a minute there will be), Plant could hold his end of the bargain. As for Page……..

Now some anecdotal observations:
1. The venue – absolutely crap. There is a bear pit in front of the stage where you can cram in with the heaving masses—-not an option for me as I am a little disabled and cannot stand unsupported. The rest of the capacity audience occupies a horse shoe around the bear pit, catching what glimpses they can and trying to see around pillars. I would think that a third of the crowd struggled to see what was happening on stage. The sound was very good with an excellent PA.

2. The doormen—-instead of tearing your ticket and retaining the stub, these cro-magnons insisted on retaining the whole ticket ( telling you that you could pick one up on your way out). Thus I have no souvenir and was able to watch astonished as the intact tickets were then resold by the cro-magnons mates to those students who were milling around outside seeing if they could get in, despite the “SOLD OUT” notices across the front doors. I know that most student run venues are amateurish but the scholars of UEA are having their legs lifted – work it out. If said cavemen managed to flog even 50 tickets at £10 each (ie half price) then that is a lot of lager— as well as an overcrowded venue.

3. The liberating of the car park – UEA have initiated a system where you have to pay for using the main car park by having your ticket stamped at a pay station – yes, a single pay station , before you go back to your car.They fail to mention this when you enter the car park.
In no time at all, 500 or so thoroughly pissed off motorists are queuing to pay on a cold Autumn night. Cars are stacked up approaching the couple of narrow exits from all angles. Suddenly a cheer goes up as some enterprising anarchists ( presumably remembering the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970) decided to assist by wrenching back the barrier poles and letting everyone out for free. Top effort chaps, well done.Don’t worry, the doormen can pay for any damage.