Post by pledm on Dec 9, 2007 7:58:22 GMT -5
All will be revealed
The Police? Every little thing they did wasn't magic. Genesis? Few seemed to care they turned it on again. And the Spice Girls? Just a bunch of wannabe's. But Led Zeppelin? Now there's a 2007 reunion to get jacked about.
If you don't own at least one Led Zeppelin album or CD, most of the people you know do. For instance, the mighty Brit rockers have sold more albums in America -- 109.5 million -- than U2 and Metallica combined. Only The Beatles, Garth Brooks and Elvis Presley have sold more.
That's a whole lotta love for one rock band.
And tomorrow, 27 years to the week after disbanding, Led Zeppelin reunites for the first time as headliners at a public concert. The three surviving band members -- guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones -- will perform with the son of their late drummer, John Bonham, at a benefit show at the 02 Arena in London, England.
Zeppelin is expected to play for 90 minutes starting at about 9 p.m. London time. Opening acts include Pete Townshend, Foreigner and Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings. The original date for the show was Nov. 26, but Page needed time for his broken left pinky to heal.
Each of the 18,000 fans who'll be in attendance literally has won the lottery. Some 25 to 30 million people tried to log on to the event's ticket-lottery website on Sept. 12 -- and crashed it. In all, the site has received half a billion page views -- yes, billion -- and one million people eventually registered for the ticket lottery.
Those who didn't win any of the $250 tickets have been making scalpers rich. At a charity auction in England, someone paid $170,000 for a pair.
"The response is staggering. It's quite overwhelming," Jones said. "Sorry they can't all be there."
So, what can we expect from the band that redefined hard rock in the '70s? Here are answers to the 10 burning questions surrounding the reunion:
1. When did they decide to play this concert?
On June 10, according to Rolling Stone. That was the day the three surviving Zep members and Jason Bonham gathered with instruments in a rehearsal space for the first time in 19 years.
"We had a very, very secret tryout in June -- just to see if a) it was possible, and b) if anybody wanted to do it, to see if the will was there," Jones told Sun Media. "And it was pretty exciting, I have to tell you. We made all the musical cues, and we were pretty hot. From that, we're just taking it to a gig.
"We didn't want to announce anything until we were sure ... Also we knew that everyone would start speculating wildly about whatever may or may not happen."
Bottom line: "We didn't have to shake hands and say, well, at least we sort of know that it might not be a good idea," Page told Sun Media. "It was quite the opposite. It was really exhilarating; it was really thrilling to be playing together again."
2. Can Jason Bonham adequately fill in for Bonzo?
First off, John (Bonzo) Bonham is irreplaceable. Few now dispute he was rock's greatest drummer. His drumming was so integral to the Zeppelin sound that the others instinctively knew the band could not continue without him.
His son, Jason, will fill in, just as he did at Zeppelin's one-off reunion in 1988 for the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary bash, and again at Zeppelin's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1995.
"(Our) music is in Jason's veins. There's no one else you'd really want to be on stage if Jason is around to do it," Page said. "He has been playing Led Zeppelin songs in a live situation since he was very young."
Says Jones, "It has been fantastic playing with Jason, the few times that we've done it so far. He's just absolutely amazing. He's a really fine musician with a lot of similarities with his dad. But he's his own man, and he hits hard -- and really knows his stuff."
Bottom line: As Jones said, "He grew up with Zeppelin music in more ways than one, and he was taught drums by his dad. What could be better?"
3. Has Jimmy Page recovered from his broken finger?
Presumably. Still, there are concerns.
Anyone who has tried to play guitar coming off a broken finger can tell you how difficult and painful it can be to play. That must especially be so if you're attempting Jimmy Page's Led Zeppelin solos.
What's more, the Riff King is 63 and hasn't played an important live gig in eight years (when he toured with the Black Crowes); he played poorly at the previously Zep reunion gigs; and the U.K. Sun two weeks ago reported that he "is a bit rusty."
Yet it's hard to imagine Page would risk undermining his or Zeppelin's legacy with an embarrassing performance. The whole point of this show, according to Plant, is to make up for the substandard reunion one-off performances of the past. And, grey hair and all, Page looks healthier now with a Les Paul slung over his shoulder than he has since 1975.
Bottom line: Expect Page to be on his game.
4. Can Robert Plant still hit the high notes?
Not all of them. Enough of them? We'll see. This is as crucial to the Zeppelin sound as anything.
Any devout Zep fan who has heard bootleg recordings of Zep concerts through the '70s can tell you that it was after the 1972 tour that Plant stopped singing most high-range songs from the first few albums. Plant once said he had throat surgery in 1973. Seems his vocal ceiling was forever lowered.
For what it's worth, two weeks ago the U.K. Sun reported that "Robert has been struggling with the high notes. To avoid any embarrassing vocal wobbles with the world watching, they decided it would be best to transpose the songs in a lower key," the report said.
Bottom line: They won't be playing Communication Breakdown.
5. What songs will they play?
They're not saying. Well, not really.
"We're trying to make it a surprise," Jones said. "We don't want to give it all away. We played kind of the normal songs at the rehearsal, but we don't want to say too much about that."
Will there be some acoustic, or atypical songs attempted from the back corners of the Zeppelin catalogue?
"More than likely," Page told Sun Media in October. "We've got a blueprint (of a setlist). Now it's time to start constructing."
Bottom line: Fans will instantly recognize most, if not all, of the songs Zep plays.
6. Will there be backing musicians?
"No, you've got to be joking," Jones said. "We've never needed to do that."
Ah, but Plant felt he needed to do that for his musical reunion with Page in the 1990s. Apparently, the only way he could stomach singing Zep songs again with Page for their Unledded and Walking into Clarksdale tours in the '90s was if they dragged those songs to the precipice of unrecognizability, with the aid of literally dozens of eclectic musicians -- one of whose names could not be John Paul Jones. Thus, no one could accuse Plant of reforming Led Zeppelin, or reliving the past, or rehashing old musical ground.
"The whole process of that Unledded thing was just, you know, involving other sorts of (musical) colours, if you like," Page told Sun Media. "The hurdy gurdy player ... the Egyptian musicians. (It) was a kaleidoscope. But this is getting right down to the nitty gritty. I never felt comfortable with people filling in."
Oh, and whatever songs they do play, don't expect any half-hour-long improv "stretch-outs" because, as Jones said, "we want to get in as many songs as we can."
Bottom line: There will be three members of Led Zeppelin along with the fourth member's son playing Zeppelin songs that "are going to be extremely recognizable," Jones said.
7. Have they mended their fences?
Page, Plant and Jones have had their run-ins and tiffs over the years.
Time, though, is the great leveller.
"Everything's cleared up, and we're just concentrating on the music now," Jones said in October. "There are lots of personalities in this band. We've been together for an awfully long time. Everything's settled."
Bottom line: It's about time.
8. Will the concert be shown live on TV of the Internet?
No. And there are no plans in the works even to make a DVD of the event, Jones told Sun Media.
Speculation is, if the band has an off night, they won't want the world to ever see it.
But, like life at Jurassic Park, Zep fans find a way. Any number of tech-savvy fans in the crowd likely will be holding up cell phones and streaming their video live to the web.
Bottom line: Best of luck trolling the Net tomorrow at about 4 p.m. EST, 3 p.m. CST or 2 p.m. MST.
9. Is this show a prelude to a new album, or a 2008 tour?
Who knows. There's plenty of smoke on that front but no fire yet.
Regarding new material, Page told Sun Media he'd be surprised if they don't come up "with all manner of things" at rehearsals. "I mean, that's what it's all about. But as far as it going any further, I don't know."
Regarding a tour, it was at a club show in Cincinnati last month that the frontman for The Cult, Ian Astbury, told fans his band would be back next year, opening for Zep.
And just this week, an Internet report claimed Zep will play its first U.S. show since 1977 at the eclectic Bonnaroo summer festival in Manchester, Tenn.
Officially, the band's management says "no decision has been made" on a 2008 tour.
Bottom line: "Basically, we are concentrating on this show," Jones told Sun Media. "That's where all the energy is going. I mean, who knows, but one step at a time."
10. Are they as arrogant as ever?
You betcha. Supreme confidence is what drove that band, as much as anything.
It was in 1975 that Plant famously crowed: "It's not just that we think we are the best group in the world. We think we are so much better than whoever is number two."
Fast-forward to last month, and Plant's opinion hasn't changed a drop. "We weren't in competition with anybody," he told Uncut. "We were Led Zeppelin. We were, at that time, the biggest band in the world. There wasn't anyone else. There was no one near us. We were out there on our own."
Bottom line: He's right.
The Police? Every little thing they did wasn't magic. Genesis? Few seemed to care they turned it on again. And the Spice Girls? Just a bunch of wannabe's. But Led Zeppelin? Now there's a 2007 reunion to get jacked about.
If you don't own at least one Led Zeppelin album or CD, most of the people you know do. For instance, the mighty Brit rockers have sold more albums in America -- 109.5 million -- than U2 and Metallica combined. Only The Beatles, Garth Brooks and Elvis Presley have sold more.
That's a whole lotta love for one rock band.
And tomorrow, 27 years to the week after disbanding, Led Zeppelin reunites for the first time as headliners at a public concert. The three surviving band members -- guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones -- will perform with the son of their late drummer, John Bonham, at a benefit show at the 02 Arena in London, England.
Zeppelin is expected to play for 90 minutes starting at about 9 p.m. London time. Opening acts include Pete Townshend, Foreigner and Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings. The original date for the show was Nov. 26, but Page needed time for his broken left pinky to heal.
Each of the 18,000 fans who'll be in attendance literally has won the lottery. Some 25 to 30 million people tried to log on to the event's ticket-lottery website on Sept. 12 -- and crashed it. In all, the site has received half a billion page views -- yes, billion -- and one million people eventually registered for the ticket lottery.
Those who didn't win any of the $250 tickets have been making scalpers rich. At a charity auction in England, someone paid $170,000 for a pair.
"The response is staggering. It's quite overwhelming," Jones said. "Sorry they can't all be there."
So, what can we expect from the band that redefined hard rock in the '70s? Here are answers to the 10 burning questions surrounding the reunion:
1. When did they decide to play this concert?
On June 10, according to Rolling Stone. That was the day the three surviving Zep members and Jason Bonham gathered with instruments in a rehearsal space for the first time in 19 years.
"We had a very, very secret tryout in June -- just to see if a) it was possible, and b) if anybody wanted to do it, to see if the will was there," Jones told Sun Media. "And it was pretty exciting, I have to tell you. We made all the musical cues, and we were pretty hot. From that, we're just taking it to a gig.
"We didn't want to announce anything until we were sure ... Also we knew that everyone would start speculating wildly about whatever may or may not happen."
Bottom line: "We didn't have to shake hands and say, well, at least we sort of know that it might not be a good idea," Page told Sun Media. "It was quite the opposite. It was really exhilarating; it was really thrilling to be playing together again."
2. Can Jason Bonham adequately fill in for Bonzo?
First off, John (Bonzo) Bonham is irreplaceable. Few now dispute he was rock's greatest drummer. His drumming was so integral to the Zeppelin sound that the others instinctively knew the band could not continue without him.
His son, Jason, will fill in, just as he did at Zeppelin's one-off reunion in 1988 for the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary bash, and again at Zeppelin's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1995.
"(Our) music is in Jason's veins. There's no one else you'd really want to be on stage if Jason is around to do it," Page said. "He has been playing Led Zeppelin songs in a live situation since he was very young."
Says Jones, "It has been fantastic playing with Jason, the few times that we've done it so far. He's just absolutely amazing. He's a really fine musician with a lot of similarities with his dad. But he's his own man, and he hits hard -- and really knows his stuff."
Bottom line: As Jones said, "He grew up with Zeppelin music in more ways than one, and he was taught drums by his dad. What could be better?"
3. Has Jimmy Page recovered from his broken finger?
Presumably. Still, there are concerns.
Anyone who has tried to play guitar coming off a broken finger can tell you how difficult and painful it can be to play. That must especially be so if you're attempting Jimmy Page's Led Zeppelin solos.
What's more, the Riff King is 63 and hasn't played an important live gig in eight years (when he toured with the Black Crowes); he played poorly at the previously Zep reunion gigs; and the U.K. Sun two weeks ago reported that he "is a bit rusty."
Yet it's hard to imagine Page would risk undermining his or Zeppelin's legacy with an embarrassing performance. The whole point of this show, according to Plant, is to make up for the substandard reunion one-off performances of the past. And, grey hair and all, Page looks healthier now with a Les Paul slung over his shoulder than he has since 1975.
Bottom line: Expect Page to be on his game.
4. Can Robert Plant still hit the high notes?
Not all of them. Enough of them? We'll see. This is as crucial to the Zeppelin sound as anything.
Any devout Zep fan who has heard bootleg recordings of Zep concerts through the '70s can tell you that it was after the 1972 tour that Plant stopped singing most high-range songs from the first few albums. Plant once said he had throat surgery in 1973. Seems his vocal ceiling was forever lowered.
For what it's worth, two weeks ago the U.K. Sun reported that "Robert has been struggling with the high notes. To avoid any embarrassing vocal wobbles with the world watching, they decided it would be best to transpose the songs in a lower key," the report said.
Bottom line: They won't be playing Communication Breakdown.
5. What songs will they play?
They're not saying. Well, not really.
"We're trying to make it a surprise," Jones said. "We don't want to give it all away. We played kind of the normal songs at the rehearsal, but we don't want to say too much about that."
Will there be some acoustic, or atypical songs attempted from the back corners of the Zeppelin catalogue?
"More than likely," Page told Sun Media in October. "We've got a blueprint (of a setlist). Now it's time to start constructing."
Bottom line: Fans will instantly recognize most, if not all, of the songs Zep plays.
6. Will there be backing musicians?
"No, you've got to be joking," Jones said. "We've never needed to do that."
Ah, but Plant felt he needed to do that for his musical reunion with Page in the 1990s. Apparently, the only way he could stomach singing Zep songs again with Page for their Unledded and Walking into Clarksdale tours in the '90s was if they dragged those songs to the precipice of unrecognizability, with the aid of literally dozens of eclectic musicians -- one of whose names could not be John Paul Jones. Thus, no one could accuse Plant of reforming Led Zeppelin, or reliving the past, or rehashing old musical ground.
"The whole process of that Unledded thing was just, you know, involving other sorts of (musical) colours, if you like," Page told Sun Media. "The hurdy gurdy player ... the Egyptian musicians. (It) was a kaleidoscope. But this is getting right down to the nitty gritty. I never felt comfortable with people filling in."
Oh, and whatever songs they do play, don't expect any half-hour-long improv "stretch-outs" because, as Jones said, "we want to get in as many songs as we can."
Bottom line: There will be three members of Led Zeppelin along with the fourth member's son playing Zeppelin songs that "are going to be extremely recognizable," Jones said.
7. Have they mended their fences?
Page, Plant and Jones have had their run-ins and tiffs over the years.
Time, though, is the great leveller.
"Everything's cleared up, and we're just concentrating on the music now," Jones said in October. "There are lots of personalities in this band. We've been together for an awfully long time. Everything's settled."
Bottom line: It's about time.
8. Will the concert be shown live on TV of the Internet?
No. And there are no plans in the works even to make a DVD of the event, Jones told Sun Media.
Speculation is, if the band has an off night, they won't want the world to ever see it.
But, like life at Jurassic Park, Zep fans find a way. Any number of tech-savvy fans in the crowd likely will be holding up cell phones and streaming their video live to the web.
Bottom line: Best of luck trolling the Net tomorrow at about 4 p.m. EST, 3 p.m. CST or 2 p.m. MST.
9. Is this show a prelude to a new album, or a 2008 tour?
Who knows. There's plenty of smoke on that front but no fire yet.
Regarding new material, Page told Sun Media he'd be surprised if they don't come up "with all manner of things" at rehearsals. "I mean, that's what it's all about. But as far as it going any further, I don't know."
Regarding a tour, it was at a club show in Cincinnati last month that the frontman for The Cult, Ian Astbury, told fans his band would be back next year, opening for Zep.
And just this week, an Internet report claimed Zep will play its first U.S. show since 1977 at the eclectic Bonnaroo summer festival in Manchester, Tenn.
Officially, the band's management says "no decision has been made" on a 2008 tour.
Bottom line: "Basically, we are concentrating on this show," Jones told Sun Media. "That's where all the energy is going. I mean, who knows, but one step at a time."
10. Are they as arrogant as ever?
You betcha. Supreme confidence is what drove that band, as much as anything.
It was in 1975 that Plant famously crowed: "It's not just that we think we are the best group in the world. We think we are so much better than whoever is number two."
Fast-forward to last month, and Plant's opinion hasn't changed a drop. "We weren't in competition with anybody," he told Uncut. "We were Led Zeppelin. We were, at that time, the biggest band in the world. There wasn't anyone else. There was no one near us. We were out there on our own."
Bottom line: He's right.