A Look At The O2 Gig

I have also always been ambivalent about a possible Led Zeppelin reunion. Huge offers of 9 figure guarantees for a tour have been extended to the band for years. They have not taken the bait; which means a reunion tour would have to be more about money. A few attempts to become a working unit again have been derailed a couple of times since their break-up in 1980. One senses that Jimmy Page has wanted a full-scale reunion for years and that Jones would ultimately come aboard without much hesitation. Robert Plant has always been the odd man out. He is the guy that made it difficult for Page to release archival material for years because of his veto power in the band. Will he embrace this new found inspiration with Led Zeppelin and agree to additional shows?

Plant seems to be an artist that likes to be inspired and pushed into new areas of exploration. He ultimately embraced his past with Zeppelin and reconnected with Page in the mid-90's during the Unledded and Walking Into Clarksdale projects, but when it started to feel like the collaboration was turning into Led Zeppelin, he bailed. Can anyone familiar with the inner workings of the band and Plant as an artist confidently say that he would be content to take on a massive tour under the Led Zeppelin banner? Maybe a few isolated gigs or festivals, but a full-scale world tour? It would not end on a positive note.

The recordings are starting to circulate from the triumphant O2 gig. It is easy to understand how being in the audience would have been an amazing concert experience. LED ZEPPELIN was actually on stage playing a full ROCK set! The energy from within the arena must have been phenomenal and inspiring. That is why all the reports from those that attended are glowing. How often do real, authentic music events take place in 2007? The concert experience has been lacking substance in many cases for a long time. The anticipation of Led Zeppelin playing together built this show up to something greater than a typical rock concert.

But was it really THAT good? How many times have you been to a show and thought it was incredible? Then shortly after you were presented with a recording of the gig and realized that it sounded a LOT better when you were experiencing it live? I'm not saying the O2 gig was mediocre or even a failure, it was far from it. I can only base my opinion from audience tapes. Actually, the concert was better than I thought it would be. The set-list was very strong and some of the renditions such as “No Quarter” and Kashmir” were phenomenal. Still, a closer look at what is circulating at the moment shows a strong show, but not the earth-shattering event some are boasting of.

Plant was incredible - which isn't too much of a shock considering he has been singing extremely well during his Strange Sensation tours over the past few years. Jones being the highly gifted musician that he is was awesome as expected. Page on the other hand was forgettable. He didn't bomb, but any seasoned session guitarist could have pulled it off as well as he did. But was he really playing any better in 1977? He peaked in 1973. Jason Bonham was the sentimental and appropriate choice on drums. He held it together, but he didn't add any magic to the music either. He almost sounded tentative and pedestrian at times.

So, this show kicked ass from all accounts. But would it on a nightly basis? Just ask Clapton. He regretted playing the Madison Sqaure Garden shows with Cream after the Royal Albert Hall reunion gigs. Zeppelin should release a DVD of this concert and walk off into the sunset with their heads held up high. The only thing that has really tarnished their legacy since breaking up in 1980 is the flood of hits compilations/boxsets released during the past 17 years. Somehow, one has to assume that a mammoth tour won't add any credibility to the cause. If they go out next year, the shows will become less and less of a revelation as the tour unfolds.

Still, most fans that can get their hands on a ticket will pay the $250+ admission fee to see it without any hesitation. Personally, I would be more elated if Page issued an Earl’s Court CD/DVD combo boxset of the famous 1975 gigs.