Robert Plant “can’t find words” to write new music

Former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant has opened up about his struggles with writing new music.

Speaking to Rolling Stone recently to announce his upcoming tour with Alison Krauss, the pair shared about what they’ve been up to in recent times. While Krauss revealed that she has been back in the studio, Plant said he’s been “going through all that stuff that I never released and never quite got finished”.

When asked specifically if he’s been working on new music, Robert Plant said: “I’ve got a Tascam digital recorder, and I sing, and I put the vocals through a guitar pedal, and then I record them on that over there, and it sounds great. Why bother to go to the studio? But I can’t find words. This is a very difficult time to try and wax lyrical out there.”

Robert Plant performing live on stage
Robert Plant performs live. CREDIT: Erika Goldring/Getty

Plant then went on to share that he isn’t ready to think about retirement just yet. He said: “For me, the continuum must keep going. Today, I was pulling all my lyric books out and going, ‘Gotta get the groove back. I’ve got something to say.’ So yeah, I’m going to keep going — as long as they’ve got effects machines that make me sound good.”

Elsewhere in the interview with Rolling Stone, Plant and Krauss announced the details of an extensive new North American tour to take place this summer. The tour will be titled ‘Can’t Let Go’, and will kick off on June 2 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and run for 30 dates, wrapping up in Vail, Colorado on September 1, with more dates also expected to be added.

Tickets for the shows went on pre-sale yesterday (February 14), with the general sale taking place at 10am local time on Friday (February 16) here.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ ‘Can’t Let Go’ tour dates are: 

JUNE
02 – Tulsa, Oklahoma – Cain’s Ballroom 
04 – Camdenton, Missouri – Ozarks Amphitheater 
05 – Lincoln, Nebraska – Pinewood Bowl Theater 
07 – Prior Lake, Minnesota – Mystic Lake Amphitheater 
08 – Madison, Wisconsin – Breese Stevens Field 
11 – Des Moines, Iowa – Lauridsen Amphitheater at Waterworks Park 
12 – Highland Park, Illinois – Ravinia Festival 
14 – Toledo, Ohio – Toledo Zoo * Aquarium Amphitheater 
15 – Burgettstown, Pennsylvania – The Pavilion at Star Lake 
18 – Vienna, Virginia – Wolf Trap 
19 – Vienna, Virginia – Wolf Trap 

AUGUST
08 – Missoula, Montana – KettleHouse Amphitheater 
09 – Missoula, Montana – KettleHouse Amphitheater 
11 – Edmonton, Canada – Edmonton Folk Music Festival 
13 – Vancouver, Canada – Queen Elizabeth Theatre 
14 – Vancouver, Canada – Queen Elizabeth Theatre 
16 – Seattle, Washington, venue TBD 
17 – Seattle, Washington, venue TBD 
19 – Eugene, Oregon – The Cuthbert Amphitheatre 
21 – Murphy’s, California – Ironstone Amphitheatre 
22 – Stanford, California – Frost Amphitheater 
24 – Paso Robles, California – Vina Robles Amphitheatre 
25 – Highland, California – Yaamava Theater 
26 – Flagstaff, Arizona – Pepsi Amphitheater 
28 – Santa Fe, New Mexico – The Santa Fe Opera 
29 – Santa Fe, New Mexico – The Santa Fe Opera 
31 – Colorado Springs, Colorado – Sunset Amphitheater 

SEPTEMBER
01 – Vail, Colorado – Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater 

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