Monday, March 3, 2008

Should Led Zeppelin Fans Support Plant/Krauss

With this weekends report that Robert Plant has said no to a Zeppelin tour, ostensibly so he can concentrate on his work with Alison Krauss, Zeppelin fans have to ask themselves: is it in their best interest to support Robert Plant and Alison Krauss?

While it's become quite clear, and has been for a long time, that money is not the issue with Robert Plant, other motivations seem less clear. When Plant's solo endeavours were faltering in the early 1990's, he joined forces with Jimmy Page for the Page and Plant records and tours. His more recent work with Strange Sensation also seems to be winding down, and possibly less successful than Plant was hoping for. It is in this environment that Plant agreed to the one off show with Led Zeppelin in London last December.

The success of Raising Sand, Plant's CD with Krauss was somewhat unexpected, both from the parties involved and the public. It is, in truth, a surprisingly good CD. But it makes a person wonder, would Plant be more inclined to tour with Led Zeppelin if it enjoyed more modest success? And with that thought in mind, if the summer tour is less successful than hoped for, if say, the Led Zeppelin fans stayed away, would Plant be more inclined to change his mind about a fall tour or even a 2009 tour? What begins to seem clear, is that Robert Plant is not doing Led Zeppelin as long as he is working with Alison Krauss. How long can he work with Krauss? As long as they're selling is the best guess. With each having other work they could be doing, likely not any longer than that.

All of which means, if you are a Zeppelin fan, who wants a Zeppelin tour, then you may want to consider whether you will support the Plant & Krauss work, and specifically if you want to spend money on a tour that is keeping Plant away from Led Zeppelin.

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