Fill 'Er Up With Led

No Quarter: Jimmy

Page and Robert

Plant Unledded

the North American concert tour

at the Boston Garden

April 9 & 10

Former Led Zeppelin superstars Jimmy Page and Robert Plant closed the first round of their long-awaited North American tour, "No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded," with a pair of stellar shows at Boston Garden April 9 and 10, treating fans to a nostalgic performance of their earlier hits while also adding a liberal dose of contemporary experiments.

The 38-city campaign, hailed by some as a "Led Zeppelin reunion," was the first tour for the two musicians since they disbanded Zeppelin following the sudden death of drummer John Bonham in 1980.

Page and Plant showed some signs of aging. But they played at a frenzied pace for exactly two hours, leaving the sell-out crowd with a sense of satisfaction at having seen the men who hundreds of other rock stars have subsequently pointed as their inspiration.

Page and Plant didn't play "Stairway to Heaven," but they charmed the audience with a string of classic Zeppelin hits, including "When the Levee Breaks," "Ramble On," and "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do," to which the audience sang along in maudlin harmony.

They also mixed the new with the old, adding several pieces from their esoteric 1994 "No Quarter" release, which fans greeted with thoughtful--if confused--applause.

Plant, 46, repeatedly joked with the audience, pointing the microphone towards the crowd and blowing kisses towards young women in the balcony. "This is our last stop before we take a couple weeks off," Plant told the crowd. "So we've got nothing to lose if we burn the place to the ground."

Three large television monitors hung from the ceiling, displaying psychedelic images and footage of previous concerts. There were also close-up shots of Plant, who danced across the stage sporting a pair of black leather pants and a brilliant green 1970s-style shirt.

The cameras also gave fans a firsthand view of Page, 51, who sweated through his dark purple satin shirt, alternately smirking and grimacing while his fingers flew across the guitar.

The group didn't improvise as extravagantly as in their heyday--when Page was prone to playing his guitar with a violin bow during 30-minute renditions of "Dazed and Confused." But there were several occasions when Page stole the spotlight, doing guitar takeoffs from the recorded score.

Surprising the audience, the duo also broke into a playful medley of the 1950s country hit "Hello, Mary Lou," Jim Morrison's "Break On Through to the Other Side" and a mellow version of "Dazed and Confused."

Page and Plant twice surrendered the stage to Nigel Sherman, an alternative British rock star accompanying them on the tour. While Sherman played the hurdey-gurdey, Page and Plant caught their breath and gulped down a couple bottles of Gatorade.

Giving a possible indication of their future plans, Page and Plant accentuated a fascination with Near Eastern music which first caught their attention during a 1975 visit to Morocco. With the help of a full symphony and the Egyptian Pharaohs--a percussion and string octet--Page and Plant ended the show with a rendition of "Kashmir," one of Zeppelin's most popular hits.

Noticeably absent was former Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. Filling in for Jones were Paul Thomas and Kevin Jones (no relation), who flawlessly executed parts in such difficult numbers as "Gallows Pole" and "The Song Remains the Same."

Aside from gaining a couple pounds and a few wrinkles, Plant lost about an octave off his upper range, avoiding the higher notes in " and "Since I've Been Loving You." Page, however, showed no musical wrinkles and attacked each guitar solo with reckless abandon.

The audience, which was split between the 50-something biker/hippie crowd and their flannel-covered college-age counterparts, showed marked enthusiasm throughout, thoroughly enjoying Page and Plant's first tour in 15 years; one that many feel may also be their last.

The crowd also shared a love for a certain five-leafed plant. We at FM politely refused several offers (having given it up for Lent), but benefitted from the effects of sitting downwind from a multi-generational trio who seemed bent on proving the old adage, "The family that smokes together, stays together."

The Jimmy Page/Robert Plant concert was a journey through Led Zeppelin's legendary history. For younger fans, it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to personally see the two musicians whom they had previously known only through recordings, documentaries and nostalgic stories.

Outside the Garden, scalpers were charging the latecoming faithful upwards of $300 per seat. Although this was eight times their face value, it was still low; for die-hard fans, all that glitters isn't gold.