For legacy acts, reunion tours are always a bit of a gamble. People who want to see them again will inevitably find them, but is it really reasonable for them to expect retired musicians to perform the boisterous hits from their heyday decades later? Robert Plant didn’t even try with Led Zeppelin because that doesn’t really seem fair. He’s more perplexed as to why anyone would want to hear him again in the first place.
First of all, it should go without saying that a modern Led Zeppelin reunion is impossible. You’d be a fool to think that the remaining members could find anyone else who could match John Bonham. He provided the group’s unwavering beat and was able to extract maximum energy from the drums that nobody else could.
Plant appeared to be quite happy experimenting with as many different genres as he could ever since Zeppelin disintegrated in the 1980s. At the very least, it was interesting to hear the rock legend acquire new trends on albums like Zen and Now. He was already well-known for experimenting with his releases.
Although Plant’s collaborations with Jimmy Page on a few projects in the 1990s gave fans a taste of Zeppelin, that was actually going to be the extent of it. With the exception of a few special appearances with Jason Bonham in the 2000s, Plant appeared far more at ease on albums like Raising Sand, blending his voice into a bluegrass setting with Alisson Krauss.
Plant said, “I feel for the guy,” even though he had received a call from his former guitarist asking him to play some shows. He felt that returning to the old material didn’t make sense. If he so chooses, he is aware that he has the headlines. I’m not sure what he’s trying to accomplish, though. I’m therefore a little let down and perplexed. I said, “Let me know if you have anything acoustic,” a few years ago. I will attempt it. He just walked away.
However, Plant agreeing to a reunion is not the same as Page getting back into the action with Zeppelin. Zeppelin was, after all, Page’s band from the start. After witnessing his musical baby abruptly disintegrate in the 1980s, he gradually reintegrated into society. He achieved this by working with bands like The Black Crowes and releasing solo albums and supergroups like The Firm.
Not that Plant doesn’t remember those times with nostalgia. He does include a few of Zeppelin’s slower songs in his repertoire, such as the acoustic ballad “Gallows Pole” from Led Zeppelin III and “The Battle of Evermore,” where Krauss provides the response vocals. This is evident in the material he has been performing with Krauss recently.
However, Plant’s reluctance to rejoin the group could simply be a matter of him being grounded. Many people can aim to reach the stars every time they take the stage. However, sometimes it’s better to know when to give up than to risk damaging their voice.
