I hate the word "amazing". It sounds so blonde and airheaded. I must have used that exact word about fifty times Wednesday night to describe the music I was hearing and the sheer professionalism of the musicians playing that music.

Robert walked on stage at the Sage in Gateshead with the rest of the band and right on cue. He sort of shook his head and looked slightly bemused at the uproarious reception he got when he first came into people's sight. I was fortunate enough to be sitting in the third row and had a great vantage point. I was sandwiched into between two men who were total strangers, but I had a running conversation going with the man on my right.... between songs. The man on my left was very quiet and reserved, but even he kept saying "wow".

The band started off with "Angel Dance" and then went into one of my favorites songs from Robert's solo career, "Tall Cool One". My opinion of Patty Griffin went up about a million notches during the show, and she's so tiny, a gust of wind could possibly blow her away. She has a very powerful voice which I didn't appreciate on the "Band of Joy" CD. You truly have to experience her "live" to get the full impact. Where Alison Krauss has a very dreamy and angelic voice, Patty has POWER and isn't afraid to show it. In short, she ROCKED! The "Please Read The Letter" rendition last night didn't appeal to me as much as the Plant/Krauss version which sends chills up my arms, but it was certainly well done. It's the differences in the female voices that changed the "feel "of this particular tune for me. "Rich Woman" was also performed admirably, but once again I prefer the Alison Krauss vocals from "Raising Sand".

Buddy Miller...what can I say? The man is a genius and has a great singing voice. At one point, he broke a guitar string, and I can't even remember which song it was. He immediately re-tuned his guitar to compensate, and never missed a beat. I've never seen anything like that in my life.

When Darrell Scott took his turn and stepped up to the front, I didn't know what to expect as I actually had never heard of him until he joined "Band of Joy". The man has an absolutely beautiful voice and the crowd was mesmerized by him.

I'm trying to find the set list from last night but so far, haven't even read a review online. I thought the show would be shorter than it turned out to be and was surprised they played so long. The talent that was together on that stage is something even the most jaded person had to appreciate.

I gave up trying to remember what songs were played during the show, but I know there were a few Led Zep covers, such as "Tangerine", "Gallows Pole", and "Rock and Roll". Of course the evening was made complete by the usual idiots yelling "Led Zeppelin" and shouting out Led Zeppelin songs they thought Robert should sing. Thank GOD, no one called out for "Stairway To Heaven". I was waiting for it...

The three song encore was performed with the entire crowd on it's feet...Robert came back out for the encore and said "why are you all standing up?"

I won't say "amazing" again because it annoys me when I say it. How about awesome, unforgettable and dare I say... magic?