Why is the rock legend, rock god, who is Robert Plant playing small venues such as Middlesbrough Town Hall and not singing many Led Zeppelin songs? After all he could reform Led Zeppelin, as many promoters and ex-bandmate Jimmy Page would apparently like him to do and earn megabucks. Yet he chooses not to. And why do so many people turn out to see Robert Plant sing with a relatively unknown female vocalist, Suzi Dian (who has an exquisite voice by the way), and perform a set of mostly obscure songs which the majority of the audience would not be familiar with? Yet why did I come away from the concert feeling so fulfilled, elated, and exhilarated?
I have seen Saving Grace twice before. Looking back may help me answer the questions above. Some of my recollections of those two concerts are below: Robert Plant and Saving Grace Middlesbrough Town Hall 25 April 2022. Saving Grace is very much a band. Of course people had turned out to see the main man, Robert Plant. But Robert is simply a singer in the band along with Suzi. The rest of Saving Grace comprises two guitarists and a percussionist: all excellent musicians in their own right and also providing some backing vocals. The set comprised songs which Robert, unashamedly, has chosen because they have influenced him and touched him over the years.
So there were the traditional such as “The Cuckoo” and “Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down”, old blues songs and classic progressive/psychedelic tracks including “It’s a Beautiful Day Today” by Moby Grape and (one of my all-time favourite songs) “Season of the Witch” by Robert’s old friend Donovan. The stage setup was quite basic with a simple curtain backdrop naming the band and unobtrusive lighting. But the music was exquisite, challenging, soulful and beautiful. Robert shared the vocals with Suzi and, in many cases, took us through the story of the song and what it meant to him. “Season of the Witch “, led by Suzi, transformed into “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield at one point, another reference point to Robert’s roots. The final song was an old Richard and Linda Thompson track, again taking us back to the late 60s/early 70s.
Robert Plant and Saving Grace The Glasshouse Gateshead 20 November 2023. The rock legend, rock god, who is Robert Plant continues to follow his muse and play intimate venues such as The Glasshouse when he could be filling arenas or stadiums if he were to sing more Led Zeppelin songs. He has now established himself as part of the band Saving Grace and retains a strong faithful fan base. His fans continue to go to see Robert Plant sing with a relatively unknown female vocalist, Suzi Dian (who has an exquisite voice), and perform a set of quite obscure folk/world/country songs which the majority are not familiar with. I am glad that he does so.
The set comprised songs which Robert, unashamedly, has chosen because they have influenced him and touched him over the years. The set has changed since I last saw this band. There were several more unfamiliar songs, but some have been retained from last time I witnessed them in concert at Middlesbrough Town Hall including the traditional ballad “The Cuckoo” and classic progressive/psychedelic tracks which have influenced Robert including “It’s a Beautiful Day Today” by Moby Grape. This time some Led Zeppelin classics have crept back into the set including “Friends” and “The Rain Song”. And wonderful renditions they were. Lovely. For the encore we were treated to the Richard Thompson song “House of Cards”, a return to Led Zeppelin and a wonderful rendition of “Gallows Pole”. The final song was performed a cappella with the band all coming together at the front, arms entwined, singing the beautiful “And We Bid You Good Night”.
Saving Grace featuring Robert Plant & Suzi Dian Stockton Globe 6 November 2024
This year the tour was announced: “Robert Plant’s Saving Grace, the co-operative featuring Suzi Dian (vocals), Oli Jefferson (percussion), Tony Kelsey (mandolin, baritone, acoustic guitar), and Matt Worley (banjo, acoustic, baritone guitars, cuatro) have announced a full UK tour in November 2023, touring some of the UK’s most striking theatres.”
“Since forming in 2019, Saving Grace have received numerous acclaims for their live shows with Bob Harris describing it as ‘One of the best gigs I’ve seen in years’ and Toni Woodward, Americana UK providing a perfect summary: “…These five musicians have produced a supreme ninety minutes of music with considered interpretations of others’ compositions, ensuring they present an innovative exploration of the songs whilst maintaining their true essence. Furthermore, this odyssey has been undertaken in the spirit of appreciation, musicianship, and exultation: they truly are a band of joy!””
The set was similar to those which I have witnessed previously. They started with the beautiful “The Cuckoo “. There were many songs I did not recognise. One song in particular stuck in my mind: “She Cried”, originally by Jay and the Americans. Listen to the original if you can; it is absolutely beautiful and tearjerking. As for Led Zeppelin songs we were treated to lovely renditions of “Friends” and the closing song “Gallows Pole”.
Returning to my questions which I can now sort of answer. Why is Robert playing intimate venues with a set of semi-obscure songs? The answer lies in the man that is Robert Plant. He sings because he wants to, and he has to; singing lies deep within his soul. And he chooses to share with us some of the songs which are important to him, hoping in doing so that we will enjoy the concert experience and learn a little more about the man and his music. And why do we all turn out to see Robert Plant? Because somewhere over the years his music has touched each and every one of us in a different place, and a different time. For me it lies in important memories of seeing Led Zeppelin in 1971 at Newcastle City Hall and Sunderland Locarno; in Earls Court in 1975; Knebworth in 1979; more recently at the O2 Arena in 2007 and solo many other times. There is a magical quality about Robert Plant. Long may he invite us to share evenings of his songs and memories.
Led Zeppelin are about to release a movie Becoming Led Zeppelin, a film of some very early performances. I am waiting for the movie to come to the north-east. In the meantime I treated myself to a poster advertising the movie. (See image). I don’t know where I will put all of the posters I am buying. I just can’t resist. Thanks to Jackie for the photographs and to Chris for manipulating the site.
Setlist: The Cuckoo; Four Sticks; Higher Rock; The May Queen; Move Along Train; Orphan Girl; She Cried; Two Coats; Everybody’s Song; As I Roved Out; For the Turnstiles; Friends.
Encore: I Never Will Marry; Gallows Pole
The rock legend, rock god, who is Robert Plant continues to follow his muse and play intimate venues such as The Glasshouse when he could be filling arenas or stadiums if he were to sing more Led Zeppelin songs. He has now established himself as part of the band Saving Grace and retains a strong faithful fan base. His fans continue to go to see Robert Plant sing with a relatively unknown female vocalist, Suzi Dian (who has an exquisite voice), and perform a set of quite obscure folk/world/country songs which the majority are not familiar with. I am glad that he does so and I once again came away from the concert feeling so fulfilled, elated and exhilarated.
From The Glasshouse website: “Transcendent. Brooding. May cause swaggering. Robert Plant’s Saving Grace, the co-operative features Suzi Dian (vocals), Oli Jefferson (percussion), Tony Kelsey (mandolin, baritone, acoustic guitar), and Matt Worley (banjo, acoustic, baritone guitars, cuatro). Since forming in 2019, Saving Grace have received numerous acclaims for their live shows with Bob Harris describing it as ‘One of the best gigs I’ve seen in years’ .”
I was due to meet my old friend, John, at the concert. However, a road closure on the A1 resulted in a series of diversions which prevented him from making the journey from North Yorkshire. To my shame, I missed the support act and chose to have a pint of Caffrey’s in the bar prior to Robert Plant and Saving Grace taking the stage at 8:45 PM.
Saving Grace is very much a band. Of course, people had turned out to see the main man, Robert Plant. But Robert is simply a singer in the band along with Suzi. The set comprised songs which Robert, unashamedly, has chosen because they have influenced him and touched him over the years. The set has changed since I last saw this band. There were several more unfamiliar songs, but some have been retained from last time I witnessed them in concert at Middlesbrough Town Hall including the traditional ballad “The Cuckoo” and classic progressive/psychedelic tracks which have influenced Robert including “It’s a Beautiful Day Today” by Moby Grape. This time some Led Zeppelin classics have crept back into the set including “Friends” and “The Rain Song”. And wonderful renditions they were. Lovely.
The stage setup was quite basic with a simple curtain backdrop naming the band and unobtrusive lighting. But the music remains exquisite, challenging, soulful and beautiful. Robert shares the vocals with Suzi and, in many cases, took us through the story of the song and what it meant to him. He recalled old times in Newcastle at the legendary Club a Go Go and an encounter with Graham Bond. It was soon 10:15 PM and the lights went up to signify the end of the show. But the crowd weren’t ready to leave just yet. Everyone stood up and cheered until the band returned.
For the encore we were treated to the Richard Thompson song “House of Cards”, a return to Led Zeppelin and a wonderful rendition of “Gallows Pole”. The final song was performed a cappella with the band all coming together at the front, arms entwined, singing the beautiful “And We Bid You Good Night”. We wandered out into the cool dark Gateshead night, everyone chatting and looking at each other, each of us knowing we had just had the privilege of experiencing something very special and unique. The taxi ride flew over and I was soon safely back home.
During the set Robert made reference to some of his musical influences from the West Coast of the USA including the aforementioned Moby Grape, the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. I will use the latter reference to squeeze in a couple of images of items which I have recently acquired, courtesy of my aforementioned good friend John, who now lives in the USA. He was visiting a charity shop over there and came across a collection of items which had been donated by the estate of Marty Balin, original member of Jefferson Airplane.
John very kindly picked up a few items from the collection including, to my delight and fascination, a recent magazine/comic featuring Alice in Wonderland, on which of course the classic “White Rabbit” was based. A beautiful addition to my hoarders collection.
My head is still reeling with the music and sounds from last night. And the concert raised so many questions for me. Why is the rock legend, rock god, who is 
Saving Grace is very much a band. Of course people had turned out to see the main man, Robert Plant. But Robert is simply a singer in the band along with Suzi. The rest of Saving Grace comprises two guitarists and a percussionist; all excellent musicians in their own right and also providing some backing vocals. Lisa mentioned that the main hall may have been a church in earlier days (I must check this out). It certainly has stained glass windows on one side and a large church – like organ behind the stage. Tonight it certainly became “a church” in which we all enjoyed a spiritual and soulful journey led by a man who has explored spiritual themes throughout his career; “Stairway to Heaven” being one obvious example. The set comprised songs which Robert, unashamedly, has chosen because they have influenced him and touched him over the years. So there were the traditional such as “The Cuckoo” and “Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down”, old blues songs and classic progressive/psychedelic tracks including “It’s a Beautiful Day Today” by Moby Grape and (one of my all-time favourite songs) “Season of the Witch” by Robert’s old friend Donovan. The stage setup was quite basic with a simple curtain backdrop naming the band and unobtrusive lighting. But the music was exquisite, challenging, soulful and beautiful. Robert shared the vocals with Suzi and, in many cases, took us through the story of the song and what it meant to him. He even forgot which song he was introducing at one point and Suzi came over and whispered in his ear; tactfully correcting his mistake. There were references to performing at Redcar Jazz Club in 1966 with Long John Baldry. Many of the audience clapped, showing their age! “Season of the Witch “, led by Suzi, transformed into “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield at one point; another reference point to Robert’s roots. The final song was an old Richard and Linda Thompson track, again taking us back to the late 60s/early 70s. The lights went up to signify the end of the show. But the crowd weren’t ready to leave just yet. Everyone stood up and cheered until the band returned.
Oh, and I must not forget that they sang a couple of songs by new American band Low. Robert spoke highly of them; another thing to check out. I learned lots of things last night. The final song was performed a cappella with the band all coming together at the front, arms entwined, singing the beautiful “And We Bid You Good Night”. Robert playfully said “see you soon at Kirklevington country club”. For some moments I believed this to be serious. But then I don’t think the wonderful venue that was referred to as “the Kirk”, and was 10 miles or so south of Middlesbrough, exists any more. Of course, Robert played there with his band the Honeydrippers many years ago. We wandered out into the cool dark Middlesbrough night, everyone chatting and looking at each other, each of us knowing we had just had the privilege of experiencing something very special and unique. The 45 minute taxi ride flew over and I was soon safely back home.
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