Robert Plant shoots music video in Chicago with Los Lobos

Preparations for Robert Plant's upcoming tour and album release are under way, with a video already in the can for a single.

The singer spent some of the past several days in New York and Chicago for some last-minute activities just ahead of rehearsals for his 12-city road trip through the Southern United States.

Among Plant's reported activities over the past several days:

• Thursday, June 24: After selected reporters gathered at the Back Room, a nondescript bar on New York's Lower East Side, to feast their ears on Plant's new album, Band of Joy, the singer himself made a surprise cameo appearance to discuss what it was like making the music with his new group, the Band of Joy. Reporters in attendance hailed from such media organizations as Rolling Stone magazine, CMT (Country Music Television), Goldmine magazine and Spinner.
• Monday, June 28: Robert Plant unexpectedly broke out in song in the lobby of the James Hotel in Chicago, while he was there for dinner at David Burke's Primehouse. Reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times online.
• Tuesday, June 29 (afternoon): Robert Plant filmed a video for his upcoming single, "Angel Dance." The song is the first track on his upcoming album, and it was originally written by Los Lobos. Naturally, the band joined him at the video shoot, which took place in the Little Village neighborhood of South Chicago. The Neighborhood is the title of the Los Lobos album on which their "Angel Dance" first appeared. More details about the video shoot, and some photographs taken, were sent for fan consumption by a member of the film crew; these are available in the For Badgeholders Only archives.
• Tuesday, June 29 (evening): Robert Plant made a second surprise appearance in Chicago, this time in Grant Park for the Taste of Chicago event. He sat in with Los Lobos for a version of Roy Head's "Treat Her Right," with Plant throwing in some lyrics from the Led Zeppelin tunes "When the Levee Breaks" ("I'm going to Chicago/ Sorry, baby, but I can't take you") and "D'yer Mak'er." Plant strained to hit some notes that are normally well within his range, but his onstage mannerisms were those of an expert. Additional reporting from the Chicago Tribune online. See also amateur footage on YouTube below.
  
  

Lemon Squeezings will be in attendance as Robert Plant's tour kicks off July 13 at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis.

The album release is set for Sept. 13 in the United Kingdom and Sept. 14 in the United States.