POP MUSIC REVIEW : When Plant Lets the Led Out, Rock Power of ‘70s Kicks In

Ever imagine how long Romeo would have been remembered if he had never met Juliet--or what would have happened to the seven dwarfs if there had never been a Snow White?

Or in rock ‘n’ roll terms: Robert Plant without Led Zeppelin?

If someone ignorant of Plant’s involvement with that massively successful heavy-metal band of the ‘70s had shown up to see the British rock singer Monday night at the Pacific Amphitheatre, the fan would have probably thought he was at the wrong arena. Why were all these people--from teens to couples in their 40s--wearing Zeppelin T-shirts?

Then again, it’s quite likely that if the fan didn’t know about Plant’s past, he was in the wrong place Monday night. Without affection for the Zeppelin connection, there’s not much reason to seek out Plant these days.

The blond, curly-haired performer has released four solo albums (including the recent, million-selling “Now and Zen”) since Zeppelin broke up in 1980, shortly after the death of its drummer, John Bonham. But Plant hasn’t established anything close to a compelling or independent identity.

On stage, too, the man--who with Zeppelin largely defined the sexy, macho-accented stance of hard-rock and heavy-metal singers--came across Monday as surprisingly anonymous.

In music and manner, Plant, 39, exhibited strong blues and ‘50s instincts (blending them invitingly in “Tall Cool One,” a tune from the new album), but little of the radical or commanding presence of his old band.

The problem is that Plant’s songs are almost totally dependent on the atmosphere and texture of the arrangements for effect. The lyrics and themes are rarely involving and the melodies are routine.

These problems also existed much of the time with Zeppelin, which was also guilty of frequent bombast and pretentiousness. But the musicians--especially guitarist Jimmy Page and Bonham--brought such an intensity and assault to their music that it seemed, in its most electrifying moments, to border on some sort of genuine cosmic madness.

In the midst of that fury and pulse, Plant--with his sensual wails and stallion-like poses--came across as a striking frontman. During last month’s mini-Zeppelin reunion at Atlantic Records’ 40th anniversary celebration in New York, Plant showed he could still unleash that charisma. However, there was little sign of it on Monday.

Plant’s new band--headed by guitarist Doug Boyle--was serviceable, but the new music was mostly too characterless and polite. There was precious little boldness or tension.

Still, the audience responded warmly throughout most of the nearly two-hour performance. The crowd, however, seemed to e-x-p-l-o-d-e with enthusiasm in the few times when Plant ventured into Zeppelin territory. During “Misty Mountain Hop,” the fans carried on with the fervor of sun worshipers observing the first rays of light after years of darkness.

At such moments, one could see how easy it would have been for Plant to simply cling in his solo role to the trademarks of the Zeppelin sound by writing songs with the grinding assault of “Whole Lotta Love” or the spacy extravagance of “Stairway to Heaven.”

To his credit, Plant (who was also scheduled to appear, with opening act Georgia Satellites, at the Forum on Tuesday) has tried to move forward musically, piecing together, in songs like “Heaven Knows,” a slightly softer and more contemporary sound. Good intentions aside, the individual pieces simply don’t add up to much. This isn’t music you’d want to put into a time capsule.