Robert Plant has been to Milwaukee numerous times since Led Zeppelin made its Brew City debut at State Fair Park on July 25, 1969 at the Mid-West Rock Festival, but when he comes back this spring, he’ll play the most intimate venue he’s ever graced here.
Plant performs with his new cooperative band, Saving Grace, at Turner Hall Ballroom at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13. The date is part of the band's debut American tour.
The group – which also includes Suzi Dian (vocals), Oli Jefferson (percussion), Tony Kelsey (mandolin, baritone and acoustic guitars) and Matt Worley (banjo, acoustic and baritone guitars) – debuted last year, touring with English folk legends Fairport Convention, bringing Plant back to the roots of folk-infused records like Led Zeppelin’s "III" and "IV" (the latter featured Fairport’s the late Sandy Denny on vocals).
The new group’s performances were rooted, it said, in, "music inspired by the dreamscape of the Welsh Marches." Blending spirituals, acoustic blues, British and American folk, Saving Grace included covers by the likes of Carole King, Charlie Rich, Patty Griffin, Doc Watson, Donovan, Moby Grape and Low in its setlists.
Sorry, fans, I didn’t spy any Led Zeppelin tunes on the setlists I checked. While Saving Grace did play "In My Time of Dying" during at least a couple shows, it was the Blind Willie Johnson song, not the eponymous tune from "Physical Graffiti."
Still, this may be as close as you’ll ever get to one of the living legends of classic rock.
Tickets for the show go on sale Friday, March 6 at 10 a.m.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
