After giving the SXSW keynote speech earlier in the day, legendary rocker Robert Plant [ tickets ] capped Thursday (3/17) with a headlining set at the Austin Music Hall. Surprisingly, the most electrifying music that he and his new band delivered was not the numerous Led Zeppelin numbers on the set list, but, rather, relatively unknown material from their forthcoming album, "Mighty Rearranger."

Unanimously viewed as a rock-and-roll god, Plant didn't have to do much to win over the crowd; his mere presence elicited awe and enthusiastic cheers when he first stepped into view.

The first half of the set was heavy on Zeppelin covers, most of which were radically revamped--almost to the point of being unrecognizable, were it not for their well-known lyrics and some sparingly used trademark guitar riffs. The singer made the songs even less familiar by sidestepping his trademark high notes in favor of a lower octave.

Things clicked mid-set, though, when the sextet--Plant, two guitarists, a bassist, drummer and keyboardist--broke out "Shine It All Around," the first single from "Mighty Rearranger," due out May 10. Ironically, the cut sounded more like Zeppelin than any of the covers the group had played to that point.

The intensity only increased when the band followed up with a second new cut, "Tin Pan Valley," which surely is one of the heaviest rock numbers in Plant's extensive catalog.

The crowd's raucous response to the new tunes seemed to reenergize the group for the rest of the performance, and everyone walked away happy when a smoking rendition of the Zep favorite "Whole Lotta Love" capped off the encore.