The highly anticipated Robert Plant and Alison Krauss concert that was scheduled for October 14, 2023 at Madison Square Garden in New York City has been cancelled. This news comes as a major disappointment for fans who were looking forward to seeing the Grammy Award winning duo perform live. Plant and Krauss were set to tour across North America this fall in support of their latest album “Raise the Roof” which was released in November 2021. However, the cancellation leaves fans wondering exactly why the show will no longer go on. There are a few potential factors that could explain the last minute concert cancellation.
Robert Plant’s Vocal Issues
One possible reason is that Robert Plant has been having some vocal issues lately which could be preventing him from being able to perform up to his usual standards. Plant is renowned for his iconic vocals as the former lead singer of Led Zeppelin, but at 75 years old, his singing voice is understandably not as strong and flexible as it once was at the peak of his career. He may be struggling to hit some of the high notes and raspy vocal inflections that defined his legendary sound. If Plant is having vocal troubles, he may have opted to cancel the show rather than deliver a lackluster performance that could disappoint fans. Plant has not issued a statement on his condition, but vocal issues seem a plausible explanation.
Alison Krauss’ Health Problems
Alison Krauss has also had some health problems lately which potentially factored into the cancellation. Earlier this year in April, Krauss revealed that she had undergone spinal surgery to treat injuries she sustained from her rigorous touring and performance schedule over the years. The surgery and recovery caused her to postpone some of her tour dates at that time. It’s possible her health issues have flared up again or that she requires more rest to fully recuperate before returning to the demands of live shows. At 51 years old, Krauss may need additional time off to heal especially for energy-intensive concerts like these. If her injuries are still posing challenges, canceling the tour would allow her to focus on her health.
Scheduling Conflicts
Sometimes concert cancellations boil down to simple logistical scheduling issues between the artists or the tour promoters. Plant and Krauss may have had unavoidable scheduling conflicts come up that prevented them from being able to make the New York City show as planned. This could include other career obligations either musician suddenly had to attend to or personal matters that required them to be elsewhere. Rescheduling or coordinating complex tours can be tricky, so date changes are not uncommon in music. It’s plausible logistical scheduling challenges made it impossible for them to perform on October 14 even though they’d love to.
Poor Ticket Sales
Insufficient ticket sales is another factor that occasionally leads to shows being cancelled. If ticket sales for the Plant/Krauss concert were sluggish, the promoters may have made a financial decision to cut losses and cancel the performance. Madison Square Garden has very high overhead costs, so if attendance was projected to be low, the profits may not have justified going forward with the event. Neither Plant nor Krauss have the same widespread name recognition with younger audiences as contemporary artists. So marketing their tour could have struggled to gain traction leading to low turnout. While disappointing for fans, cancellation due to weak ticket sales does happen.
Production Issues
Sometimes last minute concert cancellations come down to problems or inadequate preparation with the live production of the show itself. Issues like technical difficulties with the sound equipment, problems coordinating the stage lighting, safety issues with the pyrotechnics or other special effects, or even problems assembling the stage itself can all lead to eleventh hour cancellations. Plant and Krauss may have encountered insurmountable setbacks in putting together the elaborate production planned for the Madison Square Garden show within the necessary timeline. Rather than forging ahead with a subpar concert experience, they opted to cancel.
Health and Safety Precautions
Given there are still COVID-19 health concerns and with flu season approaching, artists are being extra cautious. If any of the duo’s team members tested positive for illness, they may have decided to err on the side of caution and proactively cancel the show to protect everyone’s health. Similarly if there were concerns about the event adhering to all public health protocols, they may have deemed it unsafe to proceed. Taking a careful approach allows them to regroup and reschedule once risks diminish.
Venue Issues
Problems with the Madison Square Garden venue itself could also be at the root of the cancellation. Issues like a sudden schedule conflict at the venue double-booking that date, unexpected building repairs needed at MSG, or other venue challenges could have left the concert without a viable location. The venue may have even imposed COVID-19 related capacity restrictions or other regulations that forced the show to be cancelled. The artists would have no choice but to cancel if MSG became unavailable to host for reasons beyond their control.
Key Factors
To summarize the key potential factors:
- Robert Plant’s vocal issues
- Alison Krauss’ ongoing health problems
- Scheduling conflicts
- Disappointing ticket sales
- Live production challenges
- Health and safety precautions
- Problems with the venue itself
Any combination of these issues could have compelled the duo to make the difficult decision to cancel, much to their fans’ dismay. Unfortunately last minute cancellations are an inevitable reality in the live music industry.
Looking Ahead
While the October 14 concert is cancelled, fans should keep their hopes up for rescheduled dates in the future. Both Plant and Krauss clearly want to continue performing live together. Once any issues are resolved, they will likely look to announce new tour dates when feasible. Madison Square Garden and other venues also have a strong motivation to reschedule such a hot ticket show.
Further ahead, there is always the possibility Plant and Krauss will reunite in the studio for a follow up to Raising Sand. Their collaborative chemistry produced such magic the first time around. Once concerts stabilize, the duo has indicated they are open to recording another album. So fans should keep eyes peeled for release of new songs as well.
In the meantime, fans can still enjoy Plant and Krauss’ stellar recorded performances anytime. Below is a table highlighting their collaborative works as well as essential solo albums to revisit while awaiting their next live show.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Discography
Album | Year |
---|---|
Raising Sand | 2007 |
Raise the Roof | 2021 |
Robert Plant Solo Albums
Album | Year |
---|---|
Pictures at Eleven | 1982 |
The Principle of Moments | 1983 |
Shaken ‘N’ Stirred | 1985 |
Alison Krauss Solo Albums
Album | Year |
---|---|
Too Late to Cry | 1987 |
Now That I’ve Found You | 1995 |
Forget About It | 1999 |
Conclusion
It is truly unfortunate Robert Plant and Alison Krauss had to cancel their Madison Square Garden show, but the health and safety of the artists must come first. Hopefully the issues that led to the cancellation are temporary, and fans will be able to catch these two legends perform together again very soon. Their musical chemistry is too outstanding not to be witnessed live when the time is right. In the meantime, fans can tide themselves over revisiting their catalogues and anticipating more great music ahead from Plant and Krauss.