If you closed your eyes at the Brooklyn Paramount on a nippy November night, you might\u2019ve thought you\u2019d wandered into an English chapel perched on a green hill, mist curling at the edges of the stone walls, a troubadour strumming his way through history. But when you opened them, there stood Robert Plant, the golden god himself, smiling that mischievous smile that somehow still carries a trace of thunder. This wasn\u2019t Led Zeppelin\u2019s roar of Valhalla, but rather Saving Grace, Plant\u2019s earthy, mystical new band. Together, they turned the grand old Paramount into something between a folk s\u00e9ance and a rock-and-roll fireside chat.<\/p>\n
This run of shows marks the American debut of Plant\u2019s Roar in the Fall\u00a0tour, celebrating the release of Saving Grace, the first full-length album from this intimate collective of players who sound like they\u2019ve been together for centuries. The band\u2014comprised of Suzi Dian (vocals, accordion), Oli Jefferson (drums), Tony Kelsey (guitar), Matt Worley (banjo, strings), and Barney Morse-Brown (cello)\u2014plays with a gentle power that blurs the line between sacred and savage. The arrangements swing from Welsh folk laments to Southern blues exorcisms, all under the watchful eye of their frontman, who seems to relish his role these days as both bandleader and trickster sage.<\/p>\n
The show opened with \u201cThe Cuckoo\u201d, a traditional folk song that\u2019s been reimagined as something equal parts Appalachian and psychedelia. Plant and Dian traded verses like wind and thunder, her voice soft but resolute, his still capable of cutting through the mix like a falcon\u2019s cry. Then came \u201cHigher Rock\u201d, Plant pulling out his harmonica and summoning the ghost of Mississippi Fred McDowell with gritty delight.<\/p>\n
When the unmistakable shimmer of \u201cRamble On\u201d filled the room, a jolt of recognition ran through the crowd. It wasn\u2019t the full-on bombast of Zeppelin, but rather a reimagined version: dustier, wiser, carried along by cello and banjo rather than Marshall stacks. The audience swayed, mouths half-open in awe, as if watching some alchemist turn gold back into earth.<\/p>\n
From there, Plant leaned into the heart of the Saving Grace project. \u201cSoul of a Man\u201d pulsed with swampy blues, and \u201cLet the Four Winds Blow\u201d carried a gospel fervor that could\u2019ve blown the roof off a tent revival. Dian took the spotlight for \u201cToo Far From You\u201d, her voice gliding over Morse-Brown\u2019s cello before Plant joined in for a duet so intimate that it felt like eavesdropping on an old love letter.<\/p>\n
Then, midway through the set, came a moment that silenced even the most boisterous fans: \u201cThe Rain Song\u201d. Still majestic after all these years, the Zeppelin classic landed like a prayer. The crowd rose to its feet at the final chord, and Plant, ever the wry Brit, waved them down with a grin.<\/p>\n
Between songs, Plant slipped easily into storyteller mode. He spoke about J.R.R. Tolkien<\/a>, how the author\u2019s \u201csadness and ridiculousness\u201d shaped him, and how the early days of Zeppelin were carried along by a spirit of camaraderie that he still longs for. \u201cThe West Coast embraced us,\u201d he mused, \u201cand maybe one day we\u2019ll all be that unified again.\u201d<\/p>\n From there, the band wove through an extraordinary run of songs that spanned time and space. \u201cIt\u2019s a Beautiful Day Today\u201d\u2014a Moby Grape deep cut, played like a rustic lullaby\u2014gave way to \u201cAs I Roved Out\u201d, which turned the crowd into a makeshift percussion section as Plant and Dian led a three-part clap through its rollicking refrain. By \u201cEverybody\u2019s Song\u201d, the two were harmonizing so tightly you could barely tell where one voice ended and the other began.<\/p>\n A haunting take on Neil Young\u2019s \u201cFor the Turnstiles\u201d followed, with Plant shaking a pair of maracas while Suzi took the lead. She turned the sparse folk tune into something eerie and cinematic. Then came \u201cFriends\u201d, a deep Zeppelin cut that shimmered with desert mysticism and drew roars from the diehards in the building<\/p>\n After a brief walk offstage (and an eruption of applause that felt like it might never end), Plant and Saving Grace returned for an encore that left everyone beaming. Dian took up the accordion as the band launched into a taut, hypnotic \u201cFour Sticks\u201d, its shifting rhythms and odd-time pulses reminding everyone that, yes, even stripped to its bones, Zeppelin\u2019s music still sounds like it was written by druids on a mountaintop.<\/p>\n When the final note rang out, Plant bowed deeply to the crowd, then gestured to his band with evident affection.<\/p>\n After decades of chasing thunder, Robert Plant has found something, in Saving Grace, that is quieter but no less divine. It\u2019s a reminder that the same man who once sang \u201cImmigrant Song\u201d can still summon magic with a whisper. Saving Grace isn\u2019t about reliving Zeppelin\u2014it\u2019s about reclaiming the wonder that birthed it in the first place.<\/p>\n The Roar in the Fall tour continues with stops at Massey Hall (Toronto), The Vic Theatre\u00a0and Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago), Ellie Caulkins Opera House (Denver), The Moore Theatre (Seattle), Vogue Theatre (Vancouver), Fox Theater (Oakland), and two nights in Los Angeles. Find a full list of upcoming shows and ticketing details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Whether in a Welsh chapel or a Brooklyn palace, one truth remains: when Robert Plant sings, the rain still falls, the winds still blow, and rock and roll still sounds like salvation.<\/p>\n Saving Grace Featuring Robert Plant & Suzi Dian \u2013 \u201cFour Sticks\u201d (Led Zeppelin) \u2013 11\/5\/25 Saving Grace Featuring Robert Plant & Suzi Dian \u2013 \u201cFriends\u201d (Led Zeppelin) \u2013 11\/5\/25 Saving Grace Featuring Robert Plant & Suzi Dian \u2013 \u201cThe Rain Song\u201d (Led Zeppelin) \u2013 11\/5\/25
[Video: Rainbow Salad<\/a>]<\/p>\n
[Video: Rainbow Salad<\/a>]<\/p>\n
[Video: Mark Cafiero<\/a>]<\/p>\n