So as we know, hell truly froze over in a huge way. No, the Eagles didn’t FINALLY die. Rock and Roll Gods Led Zeppelin played their first FULL concert in 30 years at London’s O2 Arena on December 10th. The remaining members, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were joined by Jason Bonham on drums (the son of long since gone drummer John Bonham). This is the reunion that the rock world has been waiting many years for and it was finally here.
The show was actually a tribute show for Ahmet Ertegun, the found of Atlantic Records. Ertegun is credited for believing in Zeppelin and helped make them to be one of the words greatest and biggest Rock & Roll Bands ever. It was a night that was long awaited. But I ask this: Was it a night that came way too late in the game?
So I was keeping up w/ all the news and tidbits leading up to this show. First off, it was rumored for a bit that Jason Bonham wasn’t interested in participating in this show. Then once that rumor was put to rest there were reports that the rehearsals weren’t going well. Plant is no longer able to hit the notes that he was able to as a younger man so they were going to downtune. Then there was a report that instead of downtuning, they were just going to play all the songs in a lower key in order for Plant to be able to deliver the goods. Well, this is what ended up happening and I have to say, I thought it had it’s ups and downs.
Based on the footage I’ve seen on YouTube from the show, I have to say, the band looked incredible. They looked fit and healthy. Old, but fit and healthy. They were obviously having a great time and that was a good sign. As for the songs, they were definintely played differently. I have to say, it’s common that these cats are having to “tune down” because of their pipes. Alice Cooper plays slightly lower in key while Ozzy Osbourne’s band is so downtuned that they will have to INVENT a lower key to allow Ozzy to “sing” properly.
Zeppelin didn’t sound THAT bad but this did keep a lot of the songs from having the “oomph” and “punch” that they once had. Some of the more rockin’ songs like “Black Dog”, “Good Times, Bad Times” and “Ramble On” suffered remarkably from this move. They just seemed to be drab and lifeless in this new key. On the other hand, the lighter side with songs like “Stairway To Heaven” and “Kashmir” seemed to work surprisingly well in their new homes on the fretboard. “Trampled Underfoot” really came off suprisingly well and while “Dazed & Confused” was a great treat, it only clocked in at 12 minutes, a twinkle of the 20 minute version the band had been known to pull off in their prime.
The setlist was pretty spectacular. Not a whole lot of surprises but they did in fact perform “For Your Life” off of the 1976 album “Presence” which, before this show, had never been performed live. Kudos to them for pulling something like this off. Again, while the setlist wasn’t all that suprising, a move like this was a real nod at the fans. Then again, when you’re seeing Led Zeppelin for the first time in 30 years or in people of my generations case, for the FIRST TIME EVER, you kinda expect to hear the Zep standards and really, are gonna bitch about it?
So in closing my thoughts are this. Zeppelin is back and as we all know, money talks so these guys WILL do a reunion tour, I can almost guarantee it. The punch and ooomph might not be there but the magic is. The band doesn’t look like they’re going through the motions. They look like the truly enjoy sharing a stage together once again and that right there is the spark! I may drop some cash to see this from the nosebleed section of my local arena if anything, just to put some closure on it. To say that I FINALLY got to see Led Zeppelin in my lifetime would be a pretty cool thing to say… even if the Hammer doesn’t swing has hard as it once did…
Led Zeppelin – 12/10/2007 – London’s O2 Arena
‘Good Times Bad Times’
‘Ramble On’
‘Black Dog’
‘In My Time Of Dying’
‘For Your Life’
‘Trampled Under Foot’
‘Nobody’s Fault But Mine’
‘No Quarter’
‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’
‘Dazed And Confused’
‘Stairway To Heaven’
‘The Song Remains The Same’
‘Misty Mountain Hop’
‘Kashmir’
‘Whole Lotta Love’
‘Rock And Roll’
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