Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor sat down with Mail Online to discuss his challenges with cancer. During the discussion, he recalled raising funds for the Cancer Awareness Trust, which included an exclusive event of Robert Plant singing the Led Zeppelin classic, ‘Stairway To Heaven.’ Apparently, it was the last time Plant would ever sing it. Reminiscing about the day, Taylor explained:
“Robert told us he was never going to perform it again before our event and I understand why, when you write something when you are younger, you don’t necessarily believe in it now. But because of the charitable nature of what we were doing he said ‘let’s give it a go’. It was amazing and I didn’t know that he hadn’t played it for so long. All I was concerned with was trying to play it with him as my fingers were screwed after I had a fall. But it was very generous of his spirit to do that.”
Fans Loved The Performance
Plant performed the hit at the Cancer Awareness Trust Concert, held at Soho Farmhouse in the Cotswolds. Fans responded positively to the performance, marking a significant moment as it had been a considerable amount of time since Plant had sung the song. The charity concert, organized by Andy Taylor of Duran Duran, had the dual purpose of raising funds and awareness for prostate cancer, a cause that holds personal significance for Taylor. Having been diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer in 2018, Taylor has been actively emphasizing the importance of early detection in addressing the disease.
Despite not hearing the song live for many years, the fans loved it, with one fan stating on Facebook:
“Robert Plant is a man who never ever has to give up his day job. No lip-syncing or auto tuner here.”
How Singing Without Jimmy Page Felt
Over the years, the singer has expressed that he has had a complicated relationship with the song. Holding a deep meaning for him, the song, in his words, reminds him of the times he had with the rest of his bandmates. Moreover, singing it without Jimmy Page and the others felt like a ‘trial by fire.’ He said during an earlier interview:
“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.”
You can watch the performance below.
