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Rock Art Rock
The Decemberists
September 19, 2009
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Florence and the Machine
October 28, 2009
Bowery Ballroom, New York City, NY
By Amanda Hatfield "Florence Welsh and her backing band delighted and mesmerized a sold-out crowd at Bowery in her first official NY headlining show..."
Dirty Projectors
July 19, 2009
Williamsburg Waterfront (Brooklyn, NY)
By Amanda Hatfield "I was skeptical about how well Dirty Projectors' gorgeous, complex vocal harmonies would carry over outdoors, standing under hot sunshine..."
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Led Zeppelin: What Is and What Should Never Be
On December 10th, 2007 the Mothership finally landed inside London’s O2 arena and 20,000 of us got on it for the reunion ride of a lifetime. The long-awaited “official” reunion of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones (the surviving members of Led Zeppelin) finally took place. Performing with them was Jason Bonham, son of the late John Bonham, the band’s original drummer.
At 8:59 pm, the lights dimmed and the Mighty Zeppelin took to the stage for what was an unforgettable two-hour performance that featured 16 songs from seven of the band’s nine studio albums.
With the exception of the never achieved reunion of the Beatles, an official reunion of Led Zeppelin has been the most sought after regrouping in all of rock history, and the demand for tickets to this “one-off” charity show staged to benefit the late Ahmet Ertegun’s Education Fund was astonishing, to say the least.
Billed as a “Tribute to Ahmet Ertegun” (he died in 2006, at age 83, after losing consciousness when he fell backstage at a Rolling Stones concert in New York City), the all-star event brought together a myriad of stars, all of whom had been signed by Ertegun and seen their greatest artistic and commercial success while on his Atlantic Records roster. Over 20 million fans applied for the 02’s 19,500 available seats via an intricate lottery system designed to thwart scalpers. In the end, the scalpers prevailed to some degree, with one eager (and wealthy) fan paying a reported $160,000 for two tickets in the front row.
The concert was so highly anticipated that the venue actually sold out of all related merchandise before the show began. It is estimated to have grossed over $12,000,000, which, after expenses, will be used to provide music scholarships for students in the US, England, and Ertegun’s native Turkey.
“It’s kind of strange,” said Robert Plant, pausing near the last third of the performance. “I’ve been told there are people here from 50 different countries. I see a man in the audience holding up his young son with a sign that says ‘Hammer of the Gods.’ I can’t imagine people from 50 countries would like to see that,” he adds, laughing. “Especially so late in life.”
But come they did, in all shapes, sizes, genders, and denominations. There were a remarkable number of Americans at the show (estimated to be nearly 40% of the audience), and for celebrity watchers it was a who’s who of music (and TV) royalty.
Inside the arena, backstage, and at the concert’s VIP after-show party held at the venue’s trendy Indigo Club, scads of music celebs were visible among us: Sir Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Noel and Liam Gallagher from Oasis, Dave Grohl, Genesis member Mike Rutherford, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Marilyn Manson, and many others.
The road back for Led Zeppelin was a long and arduous one that began 28 years ago (almost to the day), when they officially broke up on December 4, 1980—after John Bonham’s death. Since then, there has been an almost constant effort to reform the band and get back on the road.
Led Zeppelin formed in the late summer of 1968, after guitarist Jimmy Page’s British Invasion pop band, the Yardbirds, disbanded. Page connected with bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, a successful session player and arranger, also looking for a new project. Page had asked popular Brit singer, Terry Reid, to join as vocalist but he declined, recommending instead his friend, Robert Plant. Plant, in turn, suggested Bonham, who had been in one of his teen bands.
“I would see (Jimmy) around,” said Jones, describing how the band formed in an interview I conducted with him in 1999. “There was an article in Disc magazine, a music paper that said that Jimmy Page of the Yardbirds was forming a new band. That’s all it said.
“And my wife knew I was going crazy doing sessions. She said to me, ‘Go, call him up.’ And I said, ‘You must be joking; I’ve got all this work!’ and she said, ‘Just call him up!’ So, I did. I asked him if he needed a bass player for his new band, and he said, ‘Yeah, fine.’ And then he told me he was going up to Birmingham to see this singer, who also knows a drummer. He said, ‘I’ll tell you what they’re like when I get back.’ And he came back raving about them. And that was it.
23 Comments
As much as I love Led Zeppelin, I don’t think they need to do a full reunion tour. Not unless they can do it for charity.
They were my band . I saw them in 77 and basically they wrote the soundtrack of my youth. It seems they’ve finally set the fans and critics alike on a really positive note. I agree. Let’s let ‘em go on into the sunset and our memories on a such a wonderful smiling, warm note. They deserve it.
I hope they tour.
I saw the twice,both times in Toronto. The first time in 1969(?) prior to the release of their first album. It was at the Rockpile which later became the Fillmore North. Saw them the second time just after the release of LZ II. Long time ago and as much as this comeback was great, I cannot imagine anything would be like the first time.Summer, over 100 degrees, indoors with a mass of sweating bodies.
If only one could roll back the clock
I also saw them in ‘77 in Chicago. Excellent! I’m kind of torn as to whether they should tour, of course if I can get tickets I guess I would have to go!!! To me they are/were the bomb!
As a young person who has never had the chance to see Led Zepplin live, I’d love them to tour. Not only that, but, as they were incredible innovators in rock, I’d love to see what kind of new material they would make.
Zeppelin over Brazil!!! We never had the chance.
As much as I love Jimmy Page and the band? I adore Jimmy taking chances in music, it was the decision to be a WORK OF ART… now it is just a collection of songs.
I will raise the Star of Silver and have fond rememberences of the Maestro’s “field trips” to the far ends of the galaxy. I hope he still knows his majik, because I would hate for him to have to do anything but dream a new dream and find a band to share it with all.
I love you Jimmy, as much as ever. And we can fix this.
Just call me. You know the number.
I saw Zeppelin for the first, at the age of 14, in August of 1970. A VERY – VERY GOOD 1ST IMPRESSION ! ! The Concert of a Lifetime !!
Pure Led Zeppelin !!!!
Tour Zep, tour!!!!
Jimmy Page toured with the Black Crowes a couple of summers ago, they did the summer sheds,a few arenas and a couple of large club gigs then halfway thru the summer, they cancelled the tour because of recurring drug problems with the Crowes band, and Jimmy’s back pain and meds were giving him trouble again. This band w s able to play the Zep catalogue the way it was intended to be heard, with layers of guitars abd keyboards, just as Zep recorded many of their tunes with multiple overdubs. A lot of people seemed to have missed these shows, and that’s a real same, because Page and the Crowes sounded great together. A thrill not to be missed.
I saw them at the forum when they did IV for the first time. Lost my hearing for two days
Keith Moon’s “Lead Zeppelin” comment came when he and Who bassist extraordinaire John Entwistle were contemplating leaving The Who and forming a hard rock band with Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. Page thought it was a great name for a band. Thankfully, Moon and Entwistle stayed in The Who, because as far as I’m concerned, they’re the greatest rock band ever. I still love the Zeps, though.
This article wrongly reports that IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR was released in 1980 — this is incorrect!
The correct release date was: August 20, 1979.
Don’t these supposed rock journalists ever do any simple research?!
Sheesh!
we do simple research all day long, but apparently one or two slip through the crack every so often. we’ll change the article.
thanks for the catch
Who will Led Zeppelin have as an opening act on their 2008 US tour???
The rumors have finally been silenced: Plant has personally tapped his illegitimate son’s band–MEAN VENUS–to open all 2008 shows.
MEAN VENUS’ lead singer, J, when recently interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine, spoke of his utter disbelief at the prospect:
“I only found out he [Plant] was my dad a few years ago.
My mum hid it from me for the majority of my life. So to actually be going on the road with my Dad is bloody outrageous!”.
Early Zep memory – Posters appeared for “New Yardbirds” to appear at the Richmond Athletics Ground (The Crawdaddy Club where original Yardbirds in Clapton days were resident) but it never happened – gig was cancelled and Zep 1 album took off. I had to wait a couple more week s to see them at the Lyceum Ballroom in the Strand, London … queue for an hour, amazing performance, all old brit blues fans agreed “thought that Cream had taken blues as far as poss, Zep gone even further” Remember night bus back to west London, everyone singing album tracks along to a portable tape recorder someone had smuggled along …..
I saw Led Zeppelin on July 17th, 1977 at the now-gone Kingdome in Seattle, WA. Anyone else here go to that show? LOUD it was!! Then I got to see the Page/Plant tour in Sept. 1998 when they came to Portland,OR.
LED ZEPPELIN LIVE IN CHICAGO STOP PLAYING!!!!!!ROAD TRIP!!!
This Mean Venus guy has supposedly landed the Velvet Revolver gig now. i guess it is all who you know in the music business. he better be fricking good that’s all i know. plant’s son or not, scott weiland has some pretty big shoes to fill. good luck there “J”. hope this dont interfere with the reunion tour ;)
estelle
WHO THE HELL IS PRETENDING TO BE ME AND DESTROYING SOMETHING THEY COULD NOT BEGIN TO FATHOM. Yes, even now the touch of the ground is all that these who talk KNOW FOR SURE. That “concept” the one where love is larger than reality? Well that is LED ZEPPELIN. JIMMY, I am so sorry this happened. Look to those brutal forums for the depth of their bile…..perhaps even the delight of their conquest with music their ears could never hear. The majik of love.
later all….
I HOPE THE “IMPOSTER” KNOWS THE DAMAGE THEY DO….
but the universe is self corrrecting. That, and not someone lying about jimmy and myself, is the cataclysm that bring to reality.
That dude from mean venus aint opening for nobody. He died 6 months ago from a heroin overdose. Supposedly he was working with Axl at the 11th hour writing material for inclusion on Chinese Democracy. Guess he couldn’t handle playing with the big boys.
This is also supposedly one of the reasons that Plant isn’t doing the tour too. After this Krauss b.s. he is done. Really ashame the Zep guys can’t honor Plant’s decision and understand that losing your son to heroin is something that most people never emotionally come back from.
RIP J
MEAN VENUS ruled!!!
I was fortunate to see many Zep shows in L.A. from ‘69-’75. I was, also fortunate enough to see all tours, and many shows elswhere due to very cool parents who have worked in the concert production for their lifetimes. Shared alot of great shows with my Dad, Led Zep some of the very best!