Why Robert Plant Regretted Touring So Much With Led Zeppelin, ‘Was it Worth it?’

Led Zeppelin skyrocketed to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their newfound fame led to the band doing multiple long tours throughout Europe and North America. For many artists, it’s a dream come true to perform for sold-out audiences worldwide. While lead singer Robert Plant enjoyed performing with Led Zeppelin, he regrets spending so much time on the road. 

Robert Plant’s daughter didn’t recognize him after touring so often

Robert Plant joined Led Zeppelin in 1968, and it didn’t take long for the band to start turning heads. Their debut album in 1969 received critical acclaim, and audiences were excited by the hardcore rock sound that Led Zeppelin shared with the world. The British band started going on international tours that kept them away from their families for months. 

Plant had his first daughter Carmen in 1968. In an interview shared by People, the “Stairway to Heaven” singer shared that his daughter wouldn’t recognize him when he came home and thought he was a robber. 

“What I recall for the first two years is my daughter not really knowing who I was,” Plant explained. “And getting rather agitated when I came back off tour, as she thought I’d come to rob the house.”

Robert Plant regretted touring with Led Zeppelin after his son’s death

Having a distant relationship with his daughter was already frustrating for Plant. His regret strengthened in 1977 after his son, Karac, died after a short stomach illness. Plant and Led Zeppelin were on an American tour when the lead singer received a call from his wife saying he was sick Plant was informed of his son’s death shortly after. In an interview with Louder Sound, Plant said this tragedy made him question if all this touring was worth it. 

“In 1977, we lost our son, Karac. He was only five years old. I’d spent so much time trying to be a decent dad, but at the same time, I was really attracted to what I was doing in Zeppelin,” Plant shared. “So when he bowed out, I just thought: ‘What’s it all worth? What’s that all about? Would it have been any different if I was there, if I’d been around?’ So I was thinking about the merit of my life at that time, and whether or not I needed to put a lot more into the reality of the people that I loved and cared for – my daughter and my family generally.”

Plant wrote ‘All My Love’ as a tribute to his son

Led Zeppelin’s 1977 American tour was interrupted, and Led Zeppelin was left in a disastrous place. Robert Plant had just lost his son, Jimmy Page was addicted to heroin, and drummer John Bonham was dealing with alcoholism. Bassist John Paul Jones stepped up as a leader, bringing Plant out of a dark spot. The two wrote “All My Love” together as a tribute to Karac, and the song debuted on the band’s final album In Through the Out Door. 

Shortly after this album debuted, Bonham suddenly died, and Led Zeppelin decided to disband out of respect for their fellow bandmate. The band never reunited, but there have been times when the bandmates have collaborated on certain projects or performed live together.