Many of the biggest hard-rock artists in the history took part in Black Sabbath’s and the late Ozzy Osbourne’s massive farewell concert, “Back to the Beginning,” this past July in Birmingham, U.K. One major band that wasn’t represented at the historic show was Led Zeppelin, whose three surviving original members—Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones—last performed together at their famous 2007 reunion gig at the O2 arena in London.
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As it turns out, Plant was invited by Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi to perform at the “Back to the Beginning” concert, but he declined. Robert shared this tidbit during a new interview with respected U.K. music magazine Mojo.
“I said, ‘Tony, I’d love to come, but I can’t come. I just can’t,’” the 76-yar-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer said. “I’m not saying that I’d rather hang out with Peter Gabriel or Youssou N’Dour, but I don’t know anything about what’s going on in that world now, at all. I don’t decry it, I’ve got nothing against it. It’s just I found these other places that are so rich.”
Over the last few of decades, of course, Plant’s musical focus has shifted from harder rock to traditional folk and World Music influences, as well as more atmospheric rock sounds. Case in point, Plant’s current group Saving Grace, a collective of musicians that play mix of traditional tunes and songs by contemporary folk-inspired artists. They also perform reimagined acoustic versions of some Led Zeppelin songs.
Regarding Saving Grace’s musical focus, Plant said, “We’ve got to be very careful now that we make sure it stays closer to [acclaimed U.K. folk guitarist] Bert Jansch than Axl Rose.”
Plant Explains Why He Refuses to Do Another Led Zeppelin Reunion
Since 2007, Plant has refused to consider another reunion with Led Zeppelin. His reasons are pretty much the same as why he declined playing at the Black Sabbath/Ozzy farewell event.
“I suppose, to do it for the sake of it was never what Zeppelin was about,” Robert told Mojo.
As he suggested in the interview, Plant wants to continue to play music that he enjoys and feels enriched by. He also says he’s no longer interested in playing old Led Zeppelin music loudly and in front of massive crowds.
Plant explained to Mojo why he loves playing shows with Saving Grace.
“The gigs are small enough so that if nobody wants to go, it’s not the end of the world,” he noted. “And so, by having that laissez-faire, easy-going, whatever it’s called—suicidal! —attitude, instead of doing the football stadium with some old mates … we were free. We could mess about.”
More About Plant’s Upcoming Plans with Saving Grace
As previously reported, Plant and Saving Grace will release their self-titled debut album on September 26. A cover of the 2005 Low tune “Everybody’s Song” has been released as an advance single from the album.
To support the album, Plant and Saving Grace will launch their first North American tour this fall. The 14-date outing begins October 30 in Wheeling, West Virginia, and runs through a November 22 show in Los Angeles.
Saving Grace also recently announced a pair of intimate album-release shows scheduled for September 28 in London. The concerts will be held at the Circuit nightclub and will take place at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time. You can pre-order the Saving Grace album now.
(Photo by Tom Oldham)
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