For those of us who didn’t have thousands of pounds to spare for a Led Zeppelin ticket this week, this video taken on some kind souls mobile phone may be as close as we come to seeing the rock legends, Led Zeppelin perform.
I wondered a lot in the run up to their reunion gig, whether the band could live up to the hype that preceeded the show. Read more & comment »
Just as the Led Zeppelin concert was looming closer, Jimmy Page has only gone and broken his finger pushing the gig back by roughly a month.In frustratingly vague news, we don’t know how Page managed to break the finger or indeed which finger he broke, but at £125.00 per ticket, you’d think the public deserved to know!
Sensibly, Jimmy’s taking the time to allow the fracture to heal properly instead of blasting ahead. The recovery should take a few weeks, and he’s expected to resume rehearsals on 23 November.
Living Legend
In other news, Jimmy Page is to receive Classic Rock magazine’s living legend award (Alice Cooper took the award last year, fact fans!). The ceremony is being held in London on Monday. Page is expected to be bringing his broken finger along with him. Maybe then we’ll get an indication of what finger is broken!
Drew McConnell – the bassist from Babyshambles – asks whether the upcoming Led Zeppelin reunion is valid given that the original line-up will never be complete without John Bonham.In an interview with NME, McConnell says:
If they want to do it then why not? I’m a bit worried about them doing it without Bonham,” he said. “But I’m a big fan – particularly ‘Houses Of The Holy’ (1973 album). A lot of their records border on that supergroup pomposity, but I love this one as it’s (recorded) live and you can tell how much Moroccan squidgy they’ve been smoking and it sounds fucking great.
2007 is definitely a watershed moment in post-Led Zeppelin history. Not only do we have a one-off gig by the remaining members of the band, but there’s a new ‘Best Of’ compilation, Mothership coming up for release. The biggest news of all is that the band have finally succumbed to releasing their music via digital downloads.
This is a big deal for Led Zeppelin. Remember, this is a band who refused to release singles in the UK and who thought that their albums should be experienced as a complete package.
Now, people will be able to buy selected tracks individually. I hesitate to say ‘fans’, because any self-respecting fan will have the entire back catalogue anyway! Imagine buying The Rain Song without having Over The Hills And Far Away. Or Stairway To Heavennot being preceded by The Battle Of Evermore.
Bow your heads in sadness my friends, because Robert Plant himself has said that Led Zeppelin will not be doing a full tour in the wake of the Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert in November.
We reported back in June that Led Zeppelinwere reuniting for a one-off show. Today, we’ve learned that the venue and the date for the reunion gig have been confirmed.
As we expected, the show will be a tribute to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun who died last December.
Other artists known to be on the bill are Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman, Foreigner and Paolo Nutini, the last act Ertegun worked with.
OK. Sit down. Breathe. According to the rumours, Led Zeppelin have agreed to reform, possibly for a tour. This year.
According to the Mojo blog, they “have spent the last few weeks in dialogue about reforming the band and have rehearsed with drummer Jason Bonham“. Jason is the de facto stand-in for his father John, the original Led Zeppelin rhythm machine.