Robert Plant Plays Small Event in Whales

On a day off from touring with the Band of Joy, Robert Plant turned up in Wales to play for 200 fans paying £3 each. The show was a fundraiser in Monmouth was held in honour of Plant's former producer, Pat Moran who died in January.

From the Online Metro:

‘It was amazing – he’s a rock god and he was playing in a village hall,’ said lifelong fan Darren Martin, 45.

‘It was a real honour to be there and he chatted with the audience afterwards.’ The 63-year-old singer performed a mixture of Led Zeppelin numbers and some from his solo career, including the hit Big Log.

The fundraising gig was held in honour of Pat Moran, 63, producer of Led Zeppelin’s first three albums, who died in January.

Mr Moran’s brother, Brian, said: ‘It was very kind of Mr Plant to join in – Pat would have been very proud.

Plant also signed a t-shirt which will be auctioned on eBay.

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Updated: July 25th. From the comments at The Sun (Neville Farmer):

To clarify, Robert Plant kindly offered to play at a tribute gig in Monmouth for his late producer, Pat Moran, who died of Picks Disease. He didn't play any Zeppelin numbers but one of his own, Big Log, and some rock and roll classics. The audience were largely invited locals who paid nothing to enter (not £3) and were asked to donate towards the charity that looks after Picks Disease sufferers. The rest of the line-up was as follows: Robbie Blunt (long time Planty collaborator on guiltar), Ray Martinez (Showaddywaddy guitarist), Paul Martinez (bassist to Robert, Phil Collins, Stretch etc), Pick Withers (Dire Straits drummer), Dave Charles (Dave Edmunds drummer), Verden Allen (Mott the Hoople's keyboardist), me on lead vocals and special last minute guests, Dave Edmunds and Martin Chambers (drummer from the Pretenders). Support was by Hobo, whose first album was produced by Pat Moran, Amanda Ward from Rockfield Studios and Steve McInerney

Pat Moran Dies

The man who twiddled the knobs of Robert Plant's first two solo albums has died. Pat Moran Engineered Plant's first post-Zeppelin work, Pictures at Eleven, and is listed as a mixing credit along with Plant.

On Plant's second album, The Principle of Moments, Moran again engineered, as well as co-produced and co-mixed with Plant and former Zeppelin tour manager Benji Lefevre.

Moran, who also worked on Lou Gramm's Ready or Not, Big Country's No Place Like Home, Iggy Pop's Soldier and others, had been suffering a ten year illness.

No word on when, where or exact cost of death for Pat Moran, one of the key cogs in Robert Plant's transition from Led Zeppelin.

RIP