Robert Plant almost beaten up by Duane Allman

Tied to the Whipping Post? Almost
Tied to the Whipping Post? Almost

Robert Plant almost got his ass handed to him the first time Led Zeppelin played in the US - by none other than Duane Allman, late guitarist with the Allman Brothers Band.

This revelation comes from Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks, who recalls the time the Brothers shared a bill with Led Zeppelin during the latter's maiden American tour. Seems Duane had a big problem with the English upstarts, and that problem centered mainly around Plant's flamboyant clothing and his "ballet-like" stage routine.

"Robert Plant starts running all over the stage with his velvet pants on, and we were all looking at each other, like 'What the fuck is this?'" Trucks recently told Relix magazine.

"I'm either going to go up there and kick the fuck out of that guy or we're leaving" Duane Allman, after watching Robert Plant on stage during the band's first tour

According to Trucks, "Duane got up and said, 'I'm either going to go up there and kick the fuck out of that guy or we're leaving.' And we all got up and left. It just infuriated Duane. He was so let down by one of his gods."

Disappointed as he was, at least Duane Allman didn't have to endure Spandau Ballet.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.