As the days count down to Led Zeppelin’s reunion at the December 10 Ahmet Ertegun Tribute concert in London, new details surrounding the event continue to emerge, along with evidence of how truly fevered fan interest in the show has become. Some tantalizing reports even suggest the reunion will be ongoing, not merely a one-off like previous Zep appearances at Live Aid and the subsequent Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary tribute of 1988.
- The BBC reports that the band held secret rehearsals prior to announcing the reunion gig. “We wanted to see how well we’d be playing together, and once we played, it was without doubt we wanted to do it,” Jimmy Page said. “The hardest thing of having anything to do with Led Zeppelin is getting together and rehearsing without anybody finding out about it.” In another interview, Page confirmed his reunited band had jammed together as early as June.
- A Glasgow BBC 2 listener paid £83,000 ($170,000) for a pair of tickets to see the reunited Zep perform. The tickets were auctioned to raise funds for the BBC’s Children in Need charity, which benefits disadvantaged youth in the U.K. Face value of the tickets was £250 ($510).
- Just as dairy farmer-turned-Glastonbury Festival promoter Michael Eavis received a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire honor from Queen Elizabeth II for helming the successful and long-running music event—700+ acts have played Glastonbury over the last 37 years—reports surfaced that Eavis had been in secret talks with Led Zeppelin to headline the 2008 concerts.
- Canada’s Winnipeg Sun newspaper also quotes Jimmy Page as saying he’d be “really surprised” if the current reunion didn’t lead to new studio recordings by the band, but he was more coy about a potential tour. “We’re musicians—as we’re playing we’ll probably be coming up with all manner of things,” Page told the paper. “That will be fun. Let’s do the [upcoming] show, shall we? And then we’ll speak to you afterwards.”
- Further revving fan’s hopes is an interview Reuters recently conducted with Page, wherein he announced that Led Zeppelin will debut a song they’ve never before played live. “There’s one number that we rehearsed, I assume that it will make it to the Dome, that we never played at any point in time,” Page said. “It dates from when the band was together between 1968 and 1980. It’s a really intense number.”