Robert Plant with Saving Grace | Burr Island
O2 Apollo, Manchester
15^th December 2025

The sold-out iconic venue, Manchester’s O2 Apollo, buzzes with anticipation for former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant to take to the stage with Saving Grace.

Duo, Burr Island, opens the show and completely mesmerises the crowd, delivering a gorgeous, harmony-rich folk set that instantly hushes the room. Their sound carries a clear Crosby, Stills & Nash feel and warmth, built on precise musicianship, engaging storytelling and breathtaking vocal blend. The rising UK indie-folk duo, comprised of best friends Tom England and Oskar Porter, performs with an effortless connection, their close harmonies wrapping around beautifully crafted acoustic songs. The set feels both nostalgic and fresh, transporting the audience with ease. Highlights include Our Home, Longest Shadows, Clarity and English Roses, alongside a new song, Dog, which lands with quiet confidence. Joined by Haydn Wyn (on cello) and Jack (on keys), Burr Island deliver a polished, emotionally rich performance that confirms their status as one of the UK’s most exciting emerging folk acts. They speak proudly of their honour to support Robert Plant on this tour.

The mighty man, Robert Plant himself, then takes to the stage with Saving Grace, to loud cheers. It’s an evening in the 2025 tour that feels less like a victory lap and more like a quiet, confident evolution. This is not a night built on extravagance or nostalgia. Instead, Plant leans fully into intimacy, folk tradition, blues textures and radical reinvention, guided by longtime collaborator and extraordinary vocalist Suzi Dian.

From the opening moments, it’s clear that Plant’s voice remains astonishingly strong. It cuts through the Apollo with warmth, control and character, drawing delighted reactions from the 3,500-strong crowd. There’s no strain, no reliance on memory or myth, just an iconic singer completely at ease with his instrument. His vocals glow rather than dominate, sitting perfectly within the band’s rich, acoustic-heavy sound.

Saving Grace is assembled from musicians local to Plant’s Shropshire home, and the chemistry is clearly evident. The musicianship is intricate and quietly jaw-dropping, with a variety of banjo, cello, mandolin, acoustic and electric guitars that interweave with subtle percussion to create a sound that’s both earthy and expansive. Any lingering bare-chested “rock god” posturing is left firmly in the past. What replaces it is humility, generosity and collective brilliance, as Plant and his bandmates conjure a goosebump-inducing atmosphere that feels deeply human.

The set unfolds like a carefully curated journey through tradition, taste and transformation. Traditional folk songs such as The Cuckoo and As I Roved Out sit effortlessly alongside covers that testify to Plant’s famously catholic musical appetite. Everybody’s Song, and It’s a Beautiful Day Today by 60s psych heroes Moby Grape, while each choice feels purposeful rather than indulgent. Scattered throughout the evening are Led Zeppelin songs, but not as we know them. These are radically rearranged, reimagined pieces that retain their power while shedding their weight. The amazing Ramble On and Four Sticks are transformed through Dian’s accordion and the deep resonance of bass cello, sounding fresh, surprising and strangely timeless. The reinventions feel alive rather than reverent.

Throughout the show, Plant frequently steps away from centre stage, standing back in the shadows and in visible awe of his fellow musicians. At times, he effectively becomes a backing singer, particularly for superb guitarist and banjo player Matt Worley and for Dian, whose exceptionally beautiful voice is a constant highlight. Plant and Dian are natural and charismatic together, their voices blending tightly and thrillingly, full of trust and shared purpose. Dian switches seamlessly between vocals and accordion, while her husband Oli Jefferson delivers superb, understated percussion. Tony Kelsey moves fluidly between acoustic and electric guitars, Barney Morse-Brown’s cello adds emotional depth and gravity, and Worley’s playing anchors the band with sensitivity and fire. Collectively, this feels like a masterclass in musicianship, nothing flashy, nothing wasted, everything serving the song.

Between songs, Plant, dressed in black jeans and a black shirt, is charming and witty, offering dry humour, affectionate nods to Zeppelin days and the occasional political jibe. He describes Saving Grace as coming “from the west side of common sense,” a phrase that perfectly captures the project’s grounded, thoughtful spirit. Impressively, given his stature, being 77 years old and having over 300 million albums sold with Led Zeppelin Plant avoids underlining his legacy by simply touring the hits. Instead, he chooses curiosity, risk and reinvention. He has a witty retort to an overzealous fan shouting some form of indecipherable request or praise, where Plant mutters, “I told you he’d come”, which receives a well-deserved roar of laughter. Audience participation becomes part of the texture of the night, with rhythmic clapping woven naturally into the arrangements. Plant also reminds everyone that he still plays a mean harmonica, adding grit and soul when least expected.

As the band attempt to leave the stage, the crowd refuses to let them slip away. Chants and applause summon Saving Grace back for a double encore that provides two of the evening’s most powerful moments. First comes a striking, stripped-back version of The Rain Song from Houses of the Holy, dreamy, lilting and emotionally resonant. It showcases Plant’s enduring voice and perfectly embodies the band’s inventive approach. The second half of the encore brings Everybody’s Song, which is just beautiful and builds with tension and euphoria. Plant trading vocals with an ecstatic audience who sing back every word. The songs may evolve, but the voice, powerful, unique, unmistakable, remains unchanged.

This is not a greatest hits show. It is something far richer. An artist still searching, still listening, still oozing with talent and capable of surprise. Saving Grace proves that reinvention, when done with honesty and humility, can be just as thrilling as reinvention ever was.

Setlist:  The Very Day I’m Gone / The Cuckoo (Traditional)/ Higher Rock/ Ramble On (Led Zeppelin)/ Soul of a Man/ The May Queen (Robert Plant)/ Orphan Girl/ Four Sticks (Led Zeppelin)/ It’s a Beautiful Day Today (Moby Grape)/ Down to the Sea/ As I Roved Out/ For the Turnstiles/ Friends. Encore: The Rain Song/ Everybody’s Song

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All words by Claire Glover. More writing by Claire on Louder Than War can be found at her author profile here. You can also find her on Bluesky and Twitter

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