Playing their first full set in 27 years before a sold-out crowd at last night’s Ahmet Ertegun Tribute concert at London’s O2 Arena, Led Zeppelin not only resurrected their glorious past, but reinvented it for many fans and critics who were but toddlers when the rock gods last laid down their thunder. Led Zeppelin’s triumphant 130-minute show was as dramatic as it was emotional for the band that defined rock music during the late ’60s, and on through the ’70s.
After a brief news clip about the band’s record-setting 1975 Tampa, Florida concert, Zeppelin kicked off the night appropriately with a raucous version of “Good Times Bad Times,” the first song on their 1969 debut album. They continued with a bluesy rendition of “Ramble On” before roaring their way through “Black Dog,” and on through a career-spanning set list that displayed the band’s renewed fervor at every turn.
Assuming the drum throne of his late father, 42-year-old Jason Bonham not only capably channeled Bonzo’s thumping sound, but impressed many observers by tweaking Zep’s colossal groove with a funk-driven sensibility all his own. With the black-shirt-and-jeans-clad Robert Plant now playing Norse elder to Jimmy Page’s silver-haired country squire, and John Paul Jones’ clean-cut, business-like form, the surviving members played with a youthful vigor that seemed channeled straight from the Summer of ’71. Plant even kicked the mike stand high over his head during “Ramble On” as Page beamed in admiration on the big screens that filled the O2 Arena.
Page’s guitar solos soared with an emotional lyricism reminiscent of past times. And the showman in him would not be denied as he resurrected most of his iconic ax moves, including the ghostly howl of “Dazed and Confused”’s bowed Les Paul strings and the chiming intro to “Stairway to Heaven” on his familiar double-necked SG.
Perhaps most telling was the band’s posture and demeanor, as the surviving members spent much of the set huddled around Bonham’s drum kit as if in rehearsal, and frequently flashed each other smiles that showed just how much they were all enjoying the moment, as well as their renewed partnership. Plant even punctuated “In My Time of Dying” by blurting out, “I just want to have fun!”
Given the reunion’s good vibes, their looming 40th anniversary, and a wealth of speculation and rumor, it’s hard to imagine we’ve seen the last of Led Zeppelin. Pete Paphides of the Times of London perhaps summed it up best: “With a synergy like this going on, it would be an act of cosmic perversity to stop now."
Further fueling speculation that the band’s reunion will be more than a one-time event, British music industry insiders have floated rumors that Led Zeppelin is already on “hold” for two nights at Wembley Stadium next summer.
In an interview with Britain’s Sun newspaper, Plant said that Jason Bonham was the key to the current reunion, however long it lasts. "I've know the Bonham family since I was 15 and I know Pat, John's widow. I've know Jason since he was born. I've spent so much time talking to Jason over the years. He's such a good guy and I've got very close. Jason's such a great drummer and he's now in his reformation character.”
While Plant and Page have recently given mixed signals about the future of Led Zeppelin—Page has dropped several tantalizing hints while Plant has mostly demurred, likely due to his own pending tour plans with Alison Krauss in support of their recent Raising Sand duet album, the singer did tell London’s Sunday Times that “it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to play together from time to time.”
Though later in the same interview, Plant playfully deflated the ongoing reunion speculation balloon: “Somebody else inside me was saying that. Not the bloke from Wolverhampton, the bloke from the land of the ice and snow, the bloke with his shirt unbuttoned down to his waist—and he can shut up. We’re not having any more of that. It was great, but I’ve got to go down the highway now.”
A full DVD document of the show will be available next year, but several clips from the show have already surfaced on the web via British TV and fan-shot videos:
• “Whole Lotta Love”
• “Stairway to Heaven”
• “Black Dog”
Here’s Zeppelin’s complete set list from last night:
“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”