Robert Plant Will Headline The Harvest Jazz And Blues Festival
FREDERICTON– Organizers of the Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival announced Wednesday that rock ‘n’ roll legend, the golden god, Robert Plant, will be headlining the festival Friday, Sept. 13.
It’s a big score for the 29-year-old festival. “The biggest,” said festival musical organizer Brent Staeben.
The former Led Zeppelin frontman and lyricist will be performing with his band, The Sensational Space Shifters.
Staeben told Huddle that he’s had Plant in his sights since he first met his agent seven or eight years ago. He’s used his booking agency many times since to land other acts for the Fredericton festival but Plant has remained at the top of his wish list.
“When we first met I joked about [booking] Robert Plant,” said Staeben in an interview with Huddle. “For me as a music fan that’s a huge musical influence and been in love with his Zepp work obviously but his solo work too since then.”
The opportunity he’d been waiting for presented itself in late December when he was contacted by the singer’s agent. Plant had a major show confirmed for late September in Lousiville, Kentucky, the week after Harvest. The agent was looking to build a tour around that essential date.
“I got an e-mail late on a Saturday night on the Christmas break and it stopped me in my tracks, as you can imagine,” said Staeben.
The agent asked him to put together an offer and send it along. ” ‘If I didn’t think this had a good chance of happening I wouldn’t ask you,’ ” Staeben says the agent told him.
“I knew right then that it was up to us to put the best offer forward. That includes potentially for Robert to rehearse here because it’s the start of the tour.”
Staeben confirmed the details of the show a few weeks ago but the festival saved the announcement for the week they were beginning pass and ticket sales. He says they have another great lineup this year but Plant should give them an additional boost.
“It’s fantastic because it’ll bring greater attention to the entire festival lineup and hopefully we’ll see a jump in sales overall,” said Staeben.
Many people associate Plant with his Zeppelin days, but Staeben says Plant’s had a prolific and accomplished career since the band broke up in 1980.
Though there are bound to be some Led Zeppelin tunes throughout the set, Plant released his eleventh solo studio album, Carry Fire, back in 2017, so the audience should expect to hear a lot of his catalog since Led Zeppelin officially called it quits in 1980.
“Over the last 12 years, going back to the Alison Krauss album, he’s produced some absolutely brilliant music,” said Staeben. “I know we all go to Zeppelin. I heard him on q with Tom Power not long ago. He didn’t punch back but he kind of gently said, ‘I’ve literally been gone from Zeppelin for twice as long as I was in the band.’
“So he’s as active and proud of the art and music he’s creating today as he ever was of his Zeppelin catalog. He’s got a wicked band behind him. A guy like this attracts the absolute best talent, and he’s doing what excites him which is putting on great shows.”
Other Friday Night headliners include The White Buffalo, David Wilcox, Harry Manx & Steve Marriner, Moon Hooch, Five Alarm Funk, Ben Racine Band, The Easley Quartet, Downtown Blues Band, with more to come.
Nightly & Ultimate Passes for the festival go on sale Thursday, April 18, at 11 a.m. Individual show tickets will go on sale Friday, April 26, at 11 a.m.
With musical knowledge and enthusiasm from Cherise Letson.