At the Cropredy Festival on August 9, music fans were in for a surprise when Robert Plant took the stage. He joined the Deborah Bonham Band and performed two classic Led Zeppelin songs, “Thank You” and “Ramble On,” without any prior notice. The 76-year-old singer shared the mic with Deborah Bonham, whose brother, John, was the drummer for Led Zeppelin until his passing.
Plant entertained the crowd with a joke, recalling a conversation he had earlier in the day. “A lady friend said to me in the car today, ‘How old were you when you wrote that with Jimmy [Page]?’ I said, ‘12?’”
This surprise appearance comes just as Plant is gearing up to release new music with his band, Saving Grace. Their debut album, named after the group, will be out on September 26. The first single, “Everybody’s Song,” is a cover of Low’s track.
Two members of Saving Grace joined Plant for the performance: Suzy Dian on vocals and Tony Kelsey on guitar. Dave Pegg from Fairport Convention, who hosts the Cropredy Festival, added mandolin to the mix.
Plant has been a regular at Cropredy since it began in 1976. The festival, located in a small village 75 miles from London, attracts big names every year. Plant last performed with the Deborah Bonham Band in Blackpool in February and has collaborated with Deborah Bonham frequently.
Looking ahead, Saving Grace will kick off their first U.S. tour on October 30 in Wheeling, West Virginia. They will play 14 shows, wrapping up in Los Angeles on November 22. After singing “Thank You,” Plant reminisced about his old friend Pegg from their Band of Joy days in 1967, saying, “He had hair [so long] he used to tuck it into his jeans.” His performance highlighted his lasting connection to music.
