Robert Plant Joins Concerts for Refugees Tour
Robert Plant has joined the lineup for the Lampedusa tour, an 11-date benefit show for refugees. Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller, the Milk Carton Kids and others are also part of the run.
But Plant won't be on board for all 11 shows. He'll perform at more than half of them -- seven to be exact -- in cities like Chicago, Boston and New York. You can see all of the dates with Plant below.
Money raised by the concerts will support educational programs for refugees around the world. "This is a humanitarian issue - it is not a political issue," Griffin said in a press release announcing the tour. "These are real people with real needs and it's not going to go away, and we have to deal with these issues in a realistic way, and realism has to do with compassion."
Plant, who dated Griffin at the top of the decade, added: "When I watch the news and see people from these places being displaced by hatred and ignorance, I know that these people are just like you and me. All they want is to live in peace and have their children grow up loved, fed and educated."
He explained that many refugees are living in camps, "in conditions that are far below sustenance levels. When I heard that some of my friends were rallying to do a series of concerts to help raise funds and awareness, to help address the basic needs of food, shelter and medical care, I wanted to help, in whatever way I could."
Plant stressed that he's not making any sort of political statement by participating in the shows, in which he'll perform "two or three songs a night and no more. ... I hope that my voice, along with my friends, helps bend the arc of the universe a little more toward the loving and helps with the work of getting the basic essentials of life to those who are without."
He also noted that he's currently working on a new record with his band, the Sensational Space Shifters. Their last album, lullaby and … The Ceaseless Roar, came out in 2014.
Lampedusa Tour Dates With Robert Plant
October 12, 2016 - Pabst Theater - Milwaukee
October 13, 2016 - Vic Theater - Chicago
October 14, 2016 - Massey Hall - Toronto
October 16, 2016 - Berklee Performance Center - Boston
October 18, 2016 - Town Hall - New York City
October 19, 2016 - Merriam Theater - Philadelphia
October 21, 2016 - Lisner Auditorium - Washington, DC
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