Rock God Robert Plant Featured On Austin City Limits After 14-Year Absence

AUSTIN, TX -- Robert Plant fans, rejoice. The rock legend's return to Austin City Limits for the first time in 14 years to headline the Oct. 15 episode of the seminal music series.

The hour-long episode features an eight-song set filmed from Austin's Moody Theater along with his Sensational Space Shifters. The show showcased Plant's new interpretations of Led Zeppelin classics along with newer cuts from his 2014 LP "Lullaby and...the Ceaseless Roar."

No less an authority than Rolling Stone raved about the show,calling the rendition of Led Zeppelin IV's "Black Dog" as "cosmic, bluesy." Other highlights include Sensational Space Shifters-aided takes of "The Lemon Song," "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You and a rendition of "Whole Lotta Love" that integrates the Willie Dixon-written blues classic "I Just Want to Make Love to You," Rolling Stone noted.

The performance also features a major shout-out to the city of Austin. In a filmed chat with ACL executive producer Terry Lickona, Plant has some nice things to say about the city even amid while he expressed how he's not crazy about the rest of the Lone Star State.

"Texas doesn't normally carry a particularly good reputation a hundred miles further on outside the state, but I've been playing around Austin on and off over the years, and when I started working with Patty Griffin, I found far more depth to this area around Austin," Plant said. "I really enjoyed my time here."

Not necessarily a life-affirming compliment, but we'll take it!

If you missed the ACL episode, don't fret. It's on the website for the local PBS affiliate KLRU. To see it in its entirety, click here.