Led Zeppelin rocks London during reunion show
Legendary rockers Led Zeppelin took the stage at London's O2 arena last night (12/10) to deliver their first full-length concert in almost three decades, and reviews of the show--as well as amateur video posted online--have fans clamoring for the group to mount a tour.
According to reports, Zeppelin co-founders Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, along with Jason Bonham, son of late Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, delivered a two-hour show that was marked by well-executed performances of 16 classics that began with "Good Times, Bad Times," ended with "Rock and Roll," and included "Ramble On," "Black Dog," "Kashmir," "Dazed and Confused," "Whole Lotta Love," "The Song Remains the Same" and "Stairway to Heaven."
Amateur video posted on YouTube of the group performing "Kashmir" backs up reports from critics who have written that the 59-year-old Plant capably hit the high notes he originally recorded a lifetime ago, the 61-year-old Page nimbly tore through his plethora of bedrock guitar licks, and the junior Bonham locked in with Jones to lay down a thunderous foundation that was on par with the work of his father, whose 1980 death prompted the group to disband.
The reunion show was part of a tribute to late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who died at the age of 83 almost exactly one year ago. Ertegun was instrumental in the careers of countless music legends, Zeppelin among them.
Though last night's performance was, technically, the group's third since John Bonham's death, it is widely regarded as the band's first proper reunion, as was noted by Rolling Stone's David Fricke, who wrote in his review that the group who took the stage last night "was not the one that misfired at Live Aid in 1985 or again in New York in 1988. This one was rehearsed, ready and out to kill. This band was Led Zeppelin in every way."
By apparently living up to the high expectations that preceded their performance, Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham have only further fanned the flames of hopeful speculation that last night's show--originally billed as a one-time-only affair--might serve as the launching pad for a reunion tour. In interviews leading up to last night's London performance, the members avoided making any definitive statements one way or the other, and reportedly gave no hint of their future plans during the show.
Following the mid-September announcement that Zeppelin would headline last night's Ertegun tribute, some 20 million fans reportedly registered online for a chance to purchase tickets.
While Zeppelin has garnered the lion's share of attention, last night's show also included performances from Paul Rodgers, Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, Foreigner and Paolo Nutini, among others.
A "Who's Who" list of musicians reportedly were on hand to watch the show, including Mick Jagger, Bob Geldof, Liam Gallagher, Dave Grohl, Gene Simmons and Marilyn Manson.
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