Former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant has reiterated that he has very little interest in performing with the band again.
In an interview with the LA Times (opens in new tab) to unveil his recent North American tour with Alison Krauss, Plant was asked how his singing voice had changed over time.
“I know the full, open-necked falsetto I was able to concoct in 1968 would see me through until I got sick of it,” says Plant. “Then that kind of over-the-top personality of the vocal performance morphed and went somewhere else.
“But actually I was playing in Reykjavík in Iceland about three years ago, just before COVID. It was midsummer night and there was a festival and I got my band and said, ‘Okay, let’s do an immigrant song.’ They had never done this before. We just hit it and boom – there it was. I was like, ‘Oh, I didn’t think I could do this anymore.'”
Recalling that fans would love for him to do the same with Led Zeppelin, Plant replied, “Going back to writing to get some kind of massive applause — it doesn’t really satisfy my need to be stimulated.”
Plant also revealed that he witnessed Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott’s warm-up routine and wasn’t entirely convinced.
“I just go out and sing,” he says. “I know a guy that Alison’s pretty good friends with in a famous band – he’s going to shower me with some sugar or something – who makes a complete mess backstage. I was there once and he was making such a damn noise. I said, ‘Why are you doing this?’ He said, ‘I’m warming up.’ I said, ‘Well, by the time you get there, you won’t have anything.'”
Alison Krauss sings on two tracks on Def Leppard’s latest album Diamond Star Halos, This Guitar and Lifeless.
Elsewhere in the LA Times interview, Plant and Krauss discuss the differences between British and American musicians, talk about their relationship outside of music, and reflect on the fact that rock pioneers are on the wane.
Plant and Krauss’ US tour continues, while Plant also has Scottish and Irish dates with Saving Grace, the band he fronts with Suzi Dian. Speaking to the BBC’s Zoe Ball last November, Plant was asked about the likelihood of Saving Grace – which plays covers of songs by the likes of Derek Trucks Band, Bob Dylan, Planxty, Moby Grape, Low, Donovan, Los Lobos and Richard and Linda Thompson – Recording an album.
“Saving Grace are a bunch of friends from the Welsh borders, Worcestershire,” Plant replied, “and we do shows, very discreet undercover shows. It’s a beautiful sound, a great sound, and it tiptoes along on delicate tiptoe to one day be yet another thing we don’t know or aren’t allowed to talk about… so yes.”
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss tour dates
August 20: Stateline Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena in Harveys, NV
August 21: Berkeley Greek Theater at UC Berkeley, CA
August 23: Napa Oxbow RiverStage, CA
August 25: Bend Hayden Homes Amphitheatre, OR
August 27: Troutdale McMenamin’s Edgefield, OR
August 28: Redmond Marymoor Park, WA
August 30: Salt Lake City Sandy Amphitheatre, UT
September 1st: Morrison Red Rocks Amphitheatre, CO
September 03: Grand Prairie Texas Trust CU Theater in Grand Prairie, TX
September 04: Austin Moody Amphitheater @ Waterloo Park, TX
September 06: Atlanta Cadence Bank Amphitheater in Chastain Park, GA
September 07: Franklin FirstBank Amphitheatre, TN
Sep 09: Boston Leader Bank Pavilion, MA
September 10: Mashantucket Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino, CT
September 12: New York Beacon Theatre, NY
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Robert Plant and Saving Grace feat. Suzi Dian
25 Oct: Belfast Ulster Hall, Northern Ireland
27 Oct: CorkEveryman Theatre, Ireland
28 Oct: Galway Town Hall Theatre, Ireland
30 Oct: Sligo Knocknarea Arena, Ireland
31 Oct: Dublin 3Olympia Theatre, Ireland
05 Nov: Edinburgh The Queens Hall, Scotland
11/06: Glasgow King’s Theatre, Scotland
11/08: Aberdeen Tivoli Theatre, Scotland
11/09: Perth Concert Hall, Scotland
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