Perhaps the time is right for a serious biography of Robert Plant. As a founding member of one of the most influential bands in the history of rock n roll, there certainly has been quite a lot written about the man already. Narrow your focus for a moment on the last ten years of his career and you’ll see an elder statesman of Rock who continues to make interesting music. Tapping into the world of contemporary roots music, with a core of musicians and collaborators including Alison Krauss and Buddy Miller among others, Plant has released a string of records that solidify his ongoing artistic relevance against some pretty strong odds.
Other than a tribute concert staged in honor of Ahmet Ertegun a few years ago, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin have resisted any kind of reunion since drummer John Bonham’s passing in 1980. Page and Plant made a couple records, with John Paul Jones joining them for a handful of projects along the way. But for the most part the band has never reunited in spite of the piles of cash they stand to make from it. After the Ertegun tribute, there were strong rumors of a reunion with many reports stating that Page, Jones, and Bonham’s son Jason were all on board for the project. It’s interesting to note that Plant is the youngest of the original band members, yet even as the baby brother in the band he is not keen on getting Zeppelin back together. Of course that ‘baby brother’ is now in his 60s.
Plant’s recent work with the Band Of Joy finds him in the midst of an ongoing journey to explore American roots music. It could said that this journey began when he was still a teenager, singing Willie Dixon songs in the early days of Zep’s career. Plant may be the lone hold-out on the prospect of a Zeppelin reunion, but his new album has a few tunes that bear more than a passing similarity to Led Zeppelin III. It makes me wonder what Jimmy Page thinks about that.
Any way you look at it, it’s pretty impressive for Plant to still be going strong and making some of the most engaging music of his post-Zep career. I am more impressed with Robert Plant today than I have ever been. It’s easy to think of him as the tall, blond geezer in the skin tight jeans with his shirt unbuttoned, squealing like a banshee center stage with the full bombast of Zep exploding all around him. But the truth of the matter is that he was in his twenties then and no doubt the early 70s were a different time for music and fashion. Put it this way: Would you want the general public’s image of you to be when you were 23 years old, proudly displaying the fashions of the time? Granted, Plant being saddled with this iconic image probably doesn’t bother him too much as the music he was making back then has surely made him a very rich man. But Plant’s recent work is powerful stuff and it’s gaining him a whole new audience. That is a much more impressive feat than ANYthing a reunited Zep could ever do. And it’s admirable that he would pass on the big bucks to pursue something he personally considers more valid and meaningful. Certainly more admirable than anything Mick Jagger has done in the last thirty years.
Plant’s recent performances have included a number of Zeppelin tunes, interspersed with more recent material from his solo records. As a founding member of Led Zeppelin who also continues to make great records, not to mention one of the most recognizable faces in all of Rock history, it is inexplicable that Plant is not receiving top billing at this year’s Bonnaroo Festival. When he and his band take the What Stage on Sunday at 6pm, they’ll dispel any and all doubts that he is one of the biggest stars not just on this year’s line-up but in the world.
I’ve never seen Plant before and I’m not even gonna bother trying to hide my excitement about seeing one of the founders of Led Zeppelin. My buddy Nate told me Plant’s been opening his shows with “Black Dog” and dropping in some Zep gems later in the set too including “Tangerine” and “That’s The Way”. Unlike many of his peers, Plant is aging gracefully and he continues to be a vital and relevant recording artist. There is a lot to be said of his recent solo records, in particular the fantastic album he made with Alison Krauss just a few years ago. That said, I’ll be patiently waiting throughout his set to see if it’s really true that he often closes the show with “Gallow’s Pole”.
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