Highlights

• Robert Plant braved a rocky past with "Stairway to Heaven" and impressed fans with his recent performance adjustments.
• Plant called the experience "cathartic" and received praise for handling the song graciously, despite initial hiccups.
• The icon isn't ready to retire anytime soon, still embracing the stage and looking forward to future collaborations.

Stairway to Heaven is an absolute classic that fans are still enjoying. However, it came with some hardships. Robert Plant sat in silence in court after the song almost cost the band $55 million. After the fact, Plant cried listening to a live cover of the song.

The moment finally happened, and Plant played the song for the first time in years. It was a different version, especially given the circumstances. We'll take a look back at Plant's version of the song, and why he received so much praise from the fans. We'll also reveal his thoughts in playing Stairway to Heaven, and if he's open to replaying it again in front of fans down the road.

Let's take a closer look.

Fans Praised Robert Plant For The Way He Handled Stairway To Heaven, Despite The Band Not Being On Key

It was a moment fans thought they'd never see, as Robert Plant sang Stairway to Heaven back in October 2023. The song caused Plant and Led Zeppelin a lot of pain, especially given the copyright court battles over the years. Nonetheless, fans were ecstatic that Plant decided to play it, even if the setting and circumstances weren't ideal.

Fans in particular noticed that the band wasn't playing in the right key at the start. Plant didn't panic or show any kind of stress. Instead, being the pro that he is, Plant went with and adjusted on the fly.

A fan praised the legend for showing grace and composure during such a moment.

"Robert is singing in an even higher key than in 2007, and his accompanists are not following him...he is trying to set the rhythm...at the beginning, they even got the chord wrong and he realised it, but like the great professional and singer that he is, he brought everything back on track...at 75 years of age, singing this song is exceptional and he did not back down.

The fan continues, "It's a song that moves him so much and if you look closely, he has shining eyes, the classic voice of someone who has easy tears and in fact twice with his hand he touches his eyes...but he wanted to be on the song because the occasion was very important...in interviews I considered this song as a song of hope and for a friend and for a just cause Robert was there...and he did an incredible version!"

It made for a fantastic moment, and it was a deep experience for Robert Plant as well after all those years of pain.

Robert Plant Called Signing Stairway To Heaven After All These Years, "Cathartic"

During an interview with Rolling Stone, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss discussed their 2024 tour, and how Plant felt about playing Stairway to Heaven. Plant admitted that it wasn't planned, and he just really went with it.

"It was cathartic. People go, “Oh, that’s good. He never was going to do that.” But I didn’t really do it! I just blurted it out. ‘Cause it’s such an important song to me for where I was at the time and where I was with Jimmy and with John and Bonzo. So on that night, it was what it was. It was a trial by fire, but I felt better at the end than at the beginning."

In addition, Plant didn't close the door on replaying the song once again down the road.

"Yeah, I think you’re probably right. I haven’t got around to doing the ice-skating rinks in Finland yet with a small orchestra [laughs]. So I don’t think I’ll be doing that, but I don’t know. Who knows? Something could change somewhere. Spirit and heart could come back in the soul. It’s a long song. Who can remember all those words?"

Robert Plant Isn't Looking To Retire Just Yet

In 2024, is Robert Plant thinking about retirement? No, he is not. Given his words with Rolling Stone, the legend is still looking forward to more collaborations.

"The camaraderie, the things that you share up there, and the frailties that you know you’re carrying with you quietly, the exposure of yourself to yourself, is something that I would hate to say goodbye to. I can’t just sit back. Out there in the real world, people say to me, “What about the book?” And I say, “Are you kidding? What? This is spectacular. Why think about it twice?” This is today."

He continues, "So yeah, I’m going to keep going — as long as they’ve got effects machines that make me sound good [laughs]. Well, it worked for Elvis! Listen to the compression on his voice on some of those big ballads in ’57."

Clearly, Plant is showing no signs of slowing down and fans are more than okay with that.