Even as he approaches his eighth decade, Robert Plant remains the quintessential rock band frontman. Led Zeppelin flourished behind his gravelly vocals and flashy stage presence to become one of the best-selling acts of all time. And at 77 years old, Plant isn’t done. In September 2025, he released his first solo album in eight years, Saving Grace—named for the band Plant has toured with since 2019.
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To promote the album, Saving Grace played three weeks of sold-out shows in November. Now, they are preparing to hit the road again with singer Suzi Dian, wife of Saving Grace drummer Oli Jefferson. Their 2026 tour kicks off March 14 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, passing through Dallas, Memphis, Louisville and Nashville before wrapping up April 7 in New York City. However, if you buy tickets hoping to hear your favorite Led Zeppelin classics, you may leave sorely disappointed.
Why Robert Plant Avoids Performing Led Zeppelin Songs Live
Currently, Saving Grace’s setlist includes the 1971 hit “Black Dog” and “Gallows Pole,” off 1970’s Led Zeppelin III. However, the rest of the night will be dedicated to Saving Grace, as Robert Plant is leery of the “nostalgia act” label.
Robert Plant with his band 'Saving Grace' is back in 2026! Currently, Plant's new tour includes the classic tracks 'Black Dog' and ‘Gallows Pole' but he avoids playing Zeppelin hits to avoid becoming a "nostalgia act." pic.twitter.com/2TtUl0NWdW
— Rock Photography (@Photomusicrock) January 28, 2026
“[To] do it for the sake of it was never what Zeppelin was about,” the “Stairway to Heaven” singer told Mojo last August.
[RELATED: Robert Plant, Saving Grace Deliver Mystical “Gallows Pole” Performance on ‘NPR Tiny Desk’]
In other words, Plant is interested in charting new territory rather than reducing his livelihood to a perpetual “greatest hits” performance. “What were the hits? How can they be related to now, where do they fit? They fit as a sort of memoir…” he said.
Putting it more bluntly in an interview with Classic Rock last October, Plant said, “I can’t be anything but interested. I’m too long in the tooth to piss about in the shallow end.”
The Led Zeppelin Album He Didn’t Want to Release
From 1968 to 1980, Led Zeppelin—consisting of singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham—ruled rock music. Sadly, that all came to an end with Bonham’s tragic death in September 1980.
The surviving members of Led Zeppelin vowed never to put out new music. However, at the insistence of their label, Atlantic Records, the band released Coda, a compilation album of outtakes and unused tracks, in November 1982. It would mark their final project—and honestly, Plant could have done without it.
“If it was up to me, I wouldn’t have even put Coda out,” the vocalist said in 1988. “I didn’t have anything to do with it. Then again, I didn’t have anything to do with any Zeppelin stuff at all for a long time, really from when Bonzo died.”
Featured image by Gus Stewart/Redferns
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