Robert Plant Reveals He Declined an Invitation to Perform at Black Sabbath’s Farewell Show and Shares Why a Led Zeppelin Reunion Isn’t Happening
via Gnac17 / YouTube
Turning Down an Invitation from Tony Iommi
In July, Birmingham, U.K., hosted Black Sabbath’s and the late Ozzy Osbourne’s large-scale farewell concert, “Back to the Beginning.” Many of the most well-known hard rock artists performed that night. One legendary group that did not appear was Led Zeppelin. The band’s surviving members—Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones—last played together in 2007 at their famous reunion show at London’s O2 arena.
As it turns out, Robert Plant had been invited to the farewell concert by Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi but chose not to attend. Speaking with the U.K. music magazine Mojo, he revealed, “I said, ‘Tony, I’d love to come, but I can’t come. I just can’t.’” He went on, “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.”
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A Shift in Musical Direction
For decades, Plant’s music has moved away from hard rock toward folk and world music influences, along with more atmospheric sounds. His current band, Saving Grace, blends traditional songs with works from modern folk-inspired artists. They also perform reimagined acoustic versions of Led Zeppelin classics.
On the group’s direction, 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.”
Why Led Zeppelin Won’t Reunite
Since their 2007 performance, Plant has consistently declined any chance to reunite with Led Zeppelin. His reasoning is similar to why he passed on the Black Sabbath event. “I suppose, to do it for the sake of it was never what Zeppelin was about,” he told Mojo.
Plant explained that he prefers playing music that feels meaningful to him now rather than revisiting the band’s old material in loud, large-scale settings.
Choosing Small Stages Over Stadiums
Speaking about Saving Grace shows, he told Mojo, “The gigs are small enough so that if nobody wants to go, it’s not the end of the world. 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.”
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Upcoming Album and Tour Plans
Saving Grace’s self-titled debut album will be released on September 26. An advance single, a cover of the 2005 Low track “Everybody’s Song,” is already available.
To promote the album, the band will begin their first North American tour on October 30 in Wheeling, West Virginia, concluding on November 22 in Los Angeles. The 14-date run will bring their intimate style to a variety of venues.
Saving Grace will also perform two special album-release shows in London on September 28 at the Circuit nightclub, scheduled for 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time. The album is available for pre-order now.
