Robert Plant—voice of thunder, icon of British rock, and one of the most respected artists in modern music—has made a rare foray into political commentary. And he hasn’t tiptoed in quietly. No, this was unmistakably Plant: sharp, respectful, and loaded with meaning.
While performing with his current project, Saving Grace, in the Finnish city of Tampere, Plant took a moment to draw attention to Bruce Springsteen's increasingly direct condemnation of U.S. President Donald Trump. “Right now in England, which is where we come from – not quite the land of the ice and snow – Bruce Springsteen is touring right now in the UK,” Plant told the crowd, his voice calm but resolute. “And he’s putting out some really serious stuff. So tune in to him. And let’s all hope that we can be…”
That trailing sentence—cut off as the band segued into a haunting rendition of Zeppelin's Friends—said everything and nothing at once. It was a deft Plant-ism: not quite a sermon, but a clear call to listen, to feel, to think.
Springsteen, for his part, is not just performing; he is campaigning. His speech in Manchester was a pointed and unflinching critique of the current American political landscape. “The US is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration,” he declared to 23,500 people. That statement alone would have made headlines, but The Boss has doubled down, officially releasing the speech as part of a new six-track EP, Land of Hope and Dreams.
Donald Trump, in typical fashion, has fired back through Truth Social. His reply? A childish string of insults, branding Springsteen a “dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker” and “a pushy, obnoxious JERK.” He even posted a doctored video of himself hitting Springsteen with a golf ball. The kind of response that only serves to validate Springsteen’s concerns.
Neil Young, Pearl Jam, and the American Federation of Musicians have all rallied behind Springsteen. This is no longer just about music—it’s a cultural showdown, and Plant has, quietly but meaningfully, picked a side.
In less incendiary news, Plant continues to explore more collaborative musical terrain. He will appear on Paul Weller’s upcoming covers album Find El Dorado, lending his unmistakable voice and harmonica to a version of Clive’s Song, originally penned by Clive Palmer and recorded by Hamish Imlach in 1969. The album drops July 25.
A legend speaks. A movement grows. And the message is clear: listen to what matters, before the noise drowns it out.
