Guten Tag Sweet Friends!

Last night we went to see Robert Plant & and Sensational Spaceshifters in Cologne. Actually, we went to see the opening act, The North Mississippi Allstars, a band from Hernando, Mississippi who play in Memphis quite a bit. We felt it would be bad karma if we didn’t go support the local boys from Mississippi who were playing on our door step. We both figured we’d leave about half way through the Robert Plant show but it was worth the ticket price to see the Dickinson boys play.

Well, we were wrong and wonderfully surprised! While the Allstars were great as always, Robert Plant KILLED it!! For those who don’t know, he’s the former lead singer for Led Zeppelin, but that was many years ago. Many years. The most recent “hit” he had was a grammy-nominated duet with Allison Kraus – Please Read The Letter. They did an entire album together that enjoyed pretty good success but the big hit was The Letter.  But, as lead singer for Zeppelin, he performed Stairway to Heaven, Been a Long Time, Rock and Roll, Whole Lotta Love, Dazed and Confused, and more! BUT, you never know what someone famous for so many classic rock songs will do on stage. Well, he has put together a sensational band that includes killer guitar players who also play mandolin, banjo, fiddle, percussion and sing. They performed several classic Zeppelin tunes but they added their own twists and turns – new intros, segues into other songs, acoustics and other elements that turned the old classics into new classics. It was an amazing show and we stayed for it all! It was standing room only in a music hall with a couple of bars on the side and in the back, so we were free to dance and jam. And dance I did!! I love live music and it’s been a long time since I’ve been to a concert like that. It was awesome!!

After the show, some radio or TV host was outside interviewing audience members. He put the mic in front of my face as I walked by and asked in German how I liked the show. I said, “it was awesome!”  He said, “oh you’re English?” and he moved the mic away from my mouth, but I continued to gush on about the show. He laughed and gave the mic back to me and asked me to keep going. I went on about how it was awesome, wunderbar, spectacular, amazing, etc. He asked what was the highlight of the show and I said, “Been a Long Time,” and gave it my best rock star imitation. He and everyone around us laughed. I have no idea where that will be used or if it will be used, but it sure was fun.

Today, we are heading for Nuremberg, Germany – home of the Nazi Party and the infamous Nuremberg Trials. Nuremberg was the rally grounds for the Nazi Party, and it was at Zeppelin Field where the party announced the new racial laws that would eventually condemn the Jews to death. Now, it is a museum about the Nazi Party and its reign of terror. Nuremberg accepts its role in history and now proclaims itself to be the capital for human rights with many museums dedicated to both its history and its future. It is also a beautiful city that is famous for its tiny sausages and Christmas markets. So, we are going from Led Zeppelin to Zeppelin Field!

I hope your day rocks my friends!! Dance like nobody’s watching you!!!