Photo Gallery: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss at Jay Pritzker Pavilion • Chicago

Brassneck | June 8, 2022

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Chicago, IL
June 7, 2022

Recap and photos by Curt Baran

Robert Plant has packed away his Golden God persona for more than a few decades now. This is fine because it’s difficult to imagine those Led Zeppelin songs being performed now without it somehow feeling like an epigone of that quartet’s former power. So when Plant chose to release the Raising Sand LP back in 2007, a collaboration with the highly acclaimed (and decorated) bluegrass artist Alison Krauss, the transition somehow felt seamless. It would take another decade and change for them to reconvene for their second collection, 2021’s Raise The Roof.

COVID-19 derailed touring plans at the time, but the tour finally landed at Chicago’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion, and the evening’s performances felt both contemporary and also not of any particular era. Yes, Zeppelin songs were performed (“Rock and Roll,” “When the Levee Breaks,” and “The Battle of Evermore”), but the need and desire for nostalgia were completely eviscerated, leaving only reinterpretations of Zeppelin classics that seemed appropriate for the vibe and context of the evening. Not to mention material that is age-appropriate for the performers.