Review | Robert Plant and Saving Grace Are Climbing a Stairway to Stellar

The long blond locks may be on the gray side now, but at 78, Robert Plant still has more than enough charisma, swagger, and vocal power to keep the sold-out Arlington Theatre audience enthralled. Ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 best singers of all time and named as the top pick for the greatest lead singer in a 2011 readers’ poll, the former rock ‘n’ roll front man of Led Zeppelin has explored a plethora of musical styles and collaborations since the iconic group disbanded in 1980.

And while the song — most definitely — no longer remains the same, it’s morphed into something layered with depth and passion, and even the diehard Zeppelin fanboys — of which there are legions, this is one of the only shows I’ve been to where the men’s room line was longer than the women’s — left feeling satisfied. 

Plant’s current musical journey, with his new band Saving Grace, started as a COVID project in the Cotswolds, and is now taking a spin around the U.S. with a talented crew that includes Suzi Dian (vocals), Matt Worley (banjo and strings), Oli Jefferson (drums), Tony Kelsey (guitar), and Barney Morse-Brown (cello). Their October 1 Santa Barbara stop primarily showcased the pleasing vocal entwinements of Plant and Dian, whose duets drew from folk, blues, country, gospel, Celtic, flamenco, Indian and assorted West African music traditions, along with a few forays into new arrangements of the Led Zeppelin canon. 

Introducing the band, Plant described them as “a contemporary folk group with not much folk.” An apt description in many ways. One of the highlights for me was his harmonica playing and beautiful harmonies with Dian on “Higher Rock” — their voices play so well together, it’s hard to believe it’s a such a new-ish collaboration. 

While Plant is clearly the draw for most people, the entire band was terrific and they all lifted each other up. Worley took the lead on “There Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down,” an old American gospel song, and the strings were just stunning on “Down to the Sea,” while Dian sang primarily solo, and more than held her own, on “Orphan Girl.” 

“This band has been such a great experience for me,” said Plant at one point. “For the last five, six, seven years, I’ve been singing my ass off.” Indeed, that’s just what he did on Thursday, giving us a very special (if poorly air-conditioned) evening of music. The richness of the sound, the variety of songs, the connection between the entire band, it really was a night to remember.

Even the encore was spot on, as the legendary Englishman gave a cheeky nod to his surroundings, saying “When I was a kid, I loved to hit up a spliff and listen to the music of California,” by way of introducing the great Moby Grape song “It’s a Beautiful Day Today.” And it was indeed a beautiful day — and night — at the Arlington.