POP MUSIC REVIEW : Robert Plant Measures Up to Past Glory

Competing with the ghost of yourself sounds like a scary proposition, but Robert Plant, who packed the Universal Amphitheatre on Monday, handles it quite nicely every time he stops on stage.

Audiences don’t go just to see Plant the solo singer. They’re mainly interested in Plant the former lead vocalist of the great ‘70s British rock band Led Zeppelin.

How does Plant measure up to his past? Quite well actually. At 45, he doesn’t shriek with the same abandon and he’s not quite the swivel-hipped dervish he used to be. But Plant can still belt a bombastic ballad in his achingly bluesy style and move with a certain frenzied grace.

Backed by a talented band, he vigorously re-created the aura of Zeppelin, with songs from his solo career bathing in that glow. Plant did enough Zeppelin tunes to satisfy the crowd’s nostalgia, finishing up the nearly two-hour show with the tension-packed “Whole Lotta Love”--arguably the best Zeppelin song.

The show opened with an enjoyable set by Colorado-based Big Head Todd & the Monsters, a trio that’s part of the Grateful Dead-descended jam-band scene. Led by singer-guitarist Todd Park Mohr, they didn’t have time to get into long jams, but skillfully cruised through tunes echoing the styles of Jimi Hendrix and bluesman Albert Collins.