Robert Plant on performing “Stairway To Heaven” after 16 years: “It was cathartic”

In October, Robert Plant performed the Led Zeppelin classic “Stairway to Heaven” for the first time in 16 years at a charity event in Oxfordshire, England, and it sounds like it was quite an experience for the rocker.

“It was cathartic,” Plant tells Rolling Stone of the performance. “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.”

Explaining that the song was an important one for him during the time in his life with his Led Zeppelin bandmates Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham, Plant adds, “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.”

Unfortunately, fans may never see him perform the tune again. When asked if he thinks it will be his last performance of the song, Plant replied, “Yeah, I think you’re probably right.”

“Who knows? Something could change somewhere,” he says. “Spirit and heart could come back in the soul.” But he notes, “It’s a long song. Who can remember all those words?”