For a Tiny Desk Concert, it doesn’t get much bigger than legendary Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant. The rock icon and his current band Saving Grace took over the NPR office for an intimate performance of traditional tunes and cover songs.
Plant and his band, featuring co-vocalist Suzi Dian, kicked off the five-song set with the traditional “Gospel Plough,” followed by a cover of “Higher Rock” by singer-songwriter Martha Scanlan. Next up was a rendition of Low’s “Everybody’s Song.” and then an interpretation of Moby Grape’s “It’s a Beautiful Day Today.”
Wrapping up the set was a new arrangement of “Gallows Pole,” a song that is familiar to Zeppelin fans, as the iconic rock band famously covered the Lead Belly tune on their Led Zeppelin III album.
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In between songs, Plant shared the stories behind each tune, and offered a bit of banter, even mentioning Spinal Tap when a little girl in the audience dropped a plastic firefighter helmet on the floor.
Robert Plant and Saving Grace are currently playing the final dates of a US tour, finishing up with three shows in California this weekend (tickets available here). From there, they’ll embark on a UK tour in December, and then return to the States for the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee in March.
See Robert Plant and Saving Grace perform their NPR Tiny Desk Concert below, followed by the setlist.
Setlist:
Gospel Plough
Higher Rock
Everybody’s Song
It’s a Beautiful Day Today
Gallows Pole
