Robert Plant appeared onstage for his first post-pandemic show on Monday night in Worthington, England, performing with his band Saving Grace for the first time since 2019.
Originally scheduled to tour the U.S. in March 2020, Saving Grace’s plans fell through with the pandemic, and Plant and company are now finishing up the remainder of their United Kingdom shows that were postponed due to Covid.
Onstage, the former Led Zeppelin lead singer was joined by vocalist Suzy Dian, mandolinist and guitar player Tony Kelsey, banjo and guitar player Matt Worley, and percussionist Oli Jefferson for a set that included traditional folk songs and a mix of modern covers, including a rendition of Donovan’s “Season of the Witch.”
Saving Grace’s U.K. tour, which runs through early August, includes several stops in Plant’s home of West Midlands county.
“In the days when I first starting performing around the Black Country, it was very evident that each area was its’ own community/little town … and each community had its own venue: Dudley Town Hall, Stourbridge Town Hall, Regis Hall, Brierley Hill Civic, Old Hill Plaza, Tipton Baths, Queen Mary Ballroom,” Plant said in an interview with Dudley News earlier this month. “I played them all, mostly as a kid opening for the likes of the Hollies, Jean Vincent, Screaming Lord Such, the Fourmost … and others. So, with our band, Saving Grace, it’s for me a bit of a reminiscence to play the various communities from where we all hail.”