Robert Plant: The Reason He’s Struggling to Write Music Today

Robert Plant opened up in a new interview about why he's struggling to write new music.

He shared with Rolling Stone that he plays around with a Tascam digital recorder when he attempts to write a song. However, Plant says, " ... I can't find words. This is a very difficult time to try and wax lyrical out there."

Despite his current struggles in writing music, Plant has no interest in saying farewell to touring and performing, unlike some of his peers. He tells Rolling Stone he values the  "camaraderie" of the road and that he "can't just sit back."

Speaking of the road, Plant and Alison Krauss recently announced their 2024 "Can't Let Go Tour" in North America. The tour kicks off on June 2 in Tulsa and wraps on September 1 in Vail, CO.

6/2 Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom
6/4 Camdenton, MO - Ozarks Amphitheater *
6/5 Lincoln, NE - Pinewood Bowl Theater *
6/7 Prior Lake, MN - Mystic Lake Amphitheater *
6/8 Madison, WI - Breese Stevens Field *
6/11 Des Moines, IA - Lauridsen Amphitheater at Waterworks Park *
6/12 Highland Park, IL - Ravinia Festival *
6/14 Toledo, OH - Toledo Zoo & Aquarium - Amphitheater *
6/15 Burgettstown, PA - The Pavilion at Star Lake *
6/18 Vienna, VA - Wolf Trap *
6/19 Vienna, VA - Wolf Trap *
8/8 Missoula, MT - KettleHouse Amphitheater *
8/9 Missoula, MT - KettleHouse Amphitheater *
8/11 Edmonton, Alberta - Edmonton Folk Music Festival
8/13 Vancouver, British Columbia - Queen Elizabeth Theatre *
8/14 Vancouver, British Columbia - Queen Elizabeth Theatre *
8/16 Seattle, WA - Venue TBD *
8/17 Seattle, WA - Venue TBD *
8/19 Eugene, OR - The Cuthbert Amphitheater *
8/21 Murphys, CA - Ironstone Amphitheatre *
8/22 Stanford, CA - Frost Amphitheater *
8/24 Paso Robles, CA - Vina Robles Amphitheatre *
8/25 Highland, CA - Yaamava’ Theater *
8/26 Flagstaff, AZ - Pepsi Amphitheater *
8/28 Santa Fe, NM - The Santa Fe Opera *
8/29 Santa Fe, NM - The Santa Fe Opera *
8/31 Colorado Springs, CO - Sunset Amphitheater *
9/1 Vail, CO - Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater *

* with JD McPherson

Robert Plant’s post-Led Zeppelin career has been a wild series of adventures down different artistic and stylistic paths. The man does not rely on his history and he certainly doesn’t want to reproduce it.

Indeed, Plant has spent the past four decades exploring new sounds… and sometimes, some very old ones, often combining the past and present in surprising ways. It doesn’t always work, but you never feel like his albums are done on “cruise control.” There’s intent and vision behind every Robert Plant release. And give the man credit: he doesn’t just follow the money (hey,  imagine how much he could have gotten for a Led Zeppelin reunion tour). 

As he’s releasing his long-awaited second album with bluegrass artist Alison Krauss, we decided to look back at his entire post-Zeppelin career, including his collaborations with Ms. Krauss, Jimmy Page, as well as a few others. You may not be familiar with every song on this list, so consider yourself lucky: now you can go on YouTube and find some gems that you hadn’t heard before from one of the greatest singers rock and roll has ever known.