Robert Plant_ Tiny Desk Concert

When Robert Plant first stepped behind the Tiny Desk on a blustery Halloween afternoon, he took stock of the relatively stripped-down setup. "This is just like Live Aid," he said with a smile. "I couldn't hear myself there either." He was referring to the fact we don't amplify voices or use monitors so artists can hear themselves.

But if ever there was someone up to the challenge, it's Robert Plant. With a voice that's only gotten better with age, Plant has deftly moved from the full-throated rock and swagger of Led Zeppelin to the more restrained and profoundly beautiful folk, blues and roots music found on more recent recordings. His latest solo album, Saving Grace, is a collection of covers that range from the traditional spiritual "Gospel Plough" to "It's A Beautiful Day Today" by Moby Grape, a psychedelic rock band that, Plant says, still makes him "weepy."

Plant and his band perform both songs for this set, along with a version of "Higher Rock" by the singer-songwriter Martha Scanlan and Low's "Everybody's Song." They close with a new arrangement of "Gallows Pole," another traditional Plant first reinterpreted for the Led Zeppelin III album in 1969.

SET LIST
"Gospel Plough"
"Higher Rock"
"Everybody's Song"
"It's a Beautiful Day Today"
"Gallows Pole"

MUSICIANS
Robert Plant: vocals, harmonica
Suzi Dian: vocals, accordion
Matt Worley: guitar, banjo, cuatro, background vocals
Tony Kelsey: guitar
Barney Morse-Brown: cello
Oli Jefferson: drums

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Robin Hilton
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistants: Dora Levite, Dhanika Pineda
Photographer: Catie Dull
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton