The year’s most anticipated bluegrass tour is finally here.
Led Zeppelin frontman turned sensitive singer-songwriter Robert Plant is teaming up once again with accomplished vocalist Alison Krauss for their second “Raising The Roof Tour” in as many years.
This time around, the duo, which released their critically-acclaimed album “Raise The Roof” in 2021, will hit 26 venues all over North America from April 25 through July 5 which includes a stop at Bethel, NY’s Bethel Woods Center For The Arts on July 1.
Along the way, they’ll also perform at three major festivals: the New Orleans Jazz Festival held April 28 through May 7, Live Oak, FL’s Echoland Music Festival from May 11-13 and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival set for June 15-18.
And while many count themselves as fans of Plant and Krauss’ ongoing collaboration, we’re going to go ahead and guess most readers are wondering whether or not Plant will reach back into Led Zeppelin’s storied catalog of classic rock favorites.
While past set lists confirm that Plant does indeed play a few Zep tracks live — “Rock And Roll,” “Battle of Evermore” and “When The Levee Breaks” were three we saw show up last year — the best way to find out is live.
Although inventory isn’t available on Ticketmaster until Friday, Feb. 3, fans who want to ensure they have tickets ahead of time can purchase on sites like Vivid Seats before seats are officially on sale.
Vivid Seats is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.
They have a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and will be delivered before the event.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss 2023 tour schedule
On April 25, Plant and Krauss will begin their nationwide “Raising The Roof Tour” at Shreveport, LA’s Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium.
Some of the biggest stops on the three-month run include gigs at Kansas City’s Starlight Theatre on May 5, Chattanooga’s Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium on May 13, Charlotte’s Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre on May 15, Tucson’s Centennial Hall on June 15 and Portland, ME’s Thompsons Point on July 3.
The run concludes at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage on July 5.
A complete calendar featuring all upcoming tour dates, venues, show start times and links to buy tickets can be found here.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss festival appearance information
As noted earlier, Plant and Krauss have plans to lend their talents to a number of huge festivals this spring and summer.
To determine whether or not each fest is worth the trip, we’ve compiled all the essential information for you below.
| Robert Plant and Alison Krauss 2023 festival appearances |
|---|
| New Orleans Jazz Festival April 28 through May 7 in New Orleans, LA Feat. Dead & Company, Santana, Kenny Loggins, Steve Miller Band, Herbie Hancock |
| Echoland Music Festival May 11-13 in Live Oak, FL Feat. Phil Lesh, Tenacious D, Nile Rodgers, The Flaming Lips, Nathaniel Rateliff |
| Telluride Bluegrass Festival June 15-18 in Telluride, CO String Cheese Incident, Emmylou Harris, Bela Fleck, Nickel Creek, Punch Brothers |
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss opening act
For most shows on the tour, Plant and Krauss will be joined by special guest JD McPherson.
McPherson, 45, has a sound you can’t quite pin down.
On some tracks, like “Lucky Penny,” he rocks hard evoking roots-y classic rockers like, well, Led Zeppelin.
Yet, on other songs like his “North Side Gal,” you’ll swear you’ve time-traveled to the 1950s with its near doo-wop swing.
If you want to hear McPherson’s sonically diverse tunes, you can poke through his diverse collection here.
Robert Plant set list
Although we can’t guarantee whether or not the 74-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Plant will play the same songs on the 2023 tour that he did with Krauss last year, we figured we’d give you a taste of what the two played on a sample show in summer 2022:
01.) “Rich Woman” (Li’l Millet and His Creoles cover)
02. ) “Quattro (World Drifts In)” (Calexico cover)
03. ) “Fortune Teller” (Benny Spellman cover)
04.) “The Price of Love” (The Everly Brothers cover)
05.) “Rock and Roll” (Led Zeppelin cover)
06.) “Please Read the Letter” (Jimmy Page & Robert Plant cover)
07.) “Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson” (Little Milton cover)
08.) “High and Lonesome”
09.) “Last Kind Words Blues” (Geeshie Wiley cover)
10.) “You Led Me to the Wrong” (Ola Belle Reed cover)
11.) “Trouble With My Lover” (Allen Toussaint and Leo Nocentelli cover)
12.) “Go Your Way” (Bert Jansch cover)
13.) “It Don’t Bother Me” (Bert Jansch cover)
14.) “Leave My Woman Alone” (Ray Charles cover)
15.) “The Battle of Evermore” (Led Zeppelin cover)
16.) “When the Levee Breaks” (Memphis Minnie & Kansas Joe McCoy cover) (with elements of “Friends”)
17.) “Gone Gone Gone” (The Everly Brothers cover)
Encore:
18.) “Stick With Me Baby” (The Everly Brothers cover)
19.) “Can’t Let Go” (Randy Weeks cover)
20.) “Somebody Was Watching Over Me” (Maria Muldaur cover)
Want to do more research to see what they played where? Check out Plant and Krauss’ comprehensive SetList FM page here.
Classic rockers on tour in 2023
Some of the biggest legends that defined the sound of the ’60s and ’70s will be doing it all over again when they embark on huge tours this year.
Here are just five of our can’t-miss classic rockers who may be heading to a town near you soon.
• Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
• Dead and Company featuring John Mayer
• Billy Joel with Stevie Nicks
Looking for more? Check out our list of the 22 biggest classic rock tours in 2023 here.