Robert Plant doesn’t need a stadium to fill a room. The Led Zeppelin legend brought his band Saving Grace to The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Wednesday night, delivering a roots-driven take on “Higher Rock” from their self-titled 2025 album before staying for a bonus performance of the 1969 Zeppelin classic “Ramble On.” The Tolkien-inspired track was a perfect fit for Colbert, a devoted Tolkien devotee who’s currently developing a script for an upcoming Lord of the Rings film.
There’s also a Record Store Day angle worth noting. Saving Grace: All That Glitters… drops April 18, a four-track EP featuring new studio recordings including covers of Bert Jansch’s “Poison” and Gillian Welch’s “Orphan Girl.” Plant and Saving Grace have a summer and fall tour of Europe and the United States coming as well. The Colbert appearance is a timely reminder that Plant’s creative instincts remain sharp and completely his own.