Arguably one of the greatest bands of rock and roll’s last and greatest era has the world abuzz for the second time this year.
Last December, Led Zeppelin reunited in a rare concert event at the O2 theatre in London, a concert that was presumed to be the only one of its kind. Recently, however, in an interview while in Tokyo, guitarist Jimmy Page revealed his desire to tour the world with the legendary band. The global response to the reunion show suggests that the fans are ready for a Led Zeppelin world tour.
Zeppelin formed back in 1968, forging a new era in rock music by using a unique blend of heavy guitar and blues and folk music. They became leaders of a second “British Invasion” of America; a theme utilized in a recent re-release of older recordings entitled “How the West Was Won.” However, their popularity was not limited to the United States, and performed world tours in places such as Japan and the Middle East.
Despite initially poor reviews for their albums, most notoriously by Rolling Stone Magazine, Zeppelin managed to become one of the most popular bands at the time. They were one of the few groups wealthy enough to tour by private passenger jet, a distinction shared by only The Who and The Rolling Stones at the time. They also broke records previously held by the Beatles for the highest attendance at an indoor concert. Zeppelin holds records in album sales and their song “Stairway To Heaven” is considered one of the greatest rock songs ever written, and the most requested song on FM radio.
In 1980, however, tragedy struck. Drummer John Bonham died, by asphyxiation on his own vomit after a night of heavy drinking. Remaining members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Johns decided to retire the band, at the time some consider their recording peak.
The remaining members went on to pursue solo projects, perhaps remaining in the scene by virtue of the success of Led Zeppelin. As such, reuniting Led Zeppelin was never the goal of the remaining three members, wishing to find success on their own.
However, the continued success of the band, even after almost three decades since their demise, has perhaps made the time right for a comeback tour.
The most recent London concert was held in memory of Atlantic Record executive Ahmet Ertegun, who worked closely with the band during their early recording years. The proceeds for the event went to funding university tuition for students in the U.S., U.K., and Turkey.
Tickets, which were available to reserve online, were given to the lucky 20,000 people chosen by a random lottery out of a reported 1 million who registered, subsequently crashing the servers of the site. The line-up of the show included the three surviving members and Jason Bonham, son of the original drummer, and featured other musicians from the 1970s rock and roll era.
The set was filmed for a possible DVD release and was critically acclaimed, with many citing that the aging band still delivered the same energy, over the course of the two-hour show that they had during the 70s.
Judging by the overwhelming demand for tickets for the previous show, a world tour by Led Zeppelin would almost certainly be well-received.
Vocalist Robert Plant, however, has shown more reluctance of going on a world tour than Jimmy Page. “The whole idea of being on a cavalcade of merciless repetition is not what it’s all about” Plant said, though he has not ruled out the possibility of more shows.
If a world tour is going to happen, the official word wouldn’t come until September, when Robert Plant finishes his current tour. Until then fans can quietly speculate and purchase a new “best of” album entitled “Mothership,” older albums which have recently been licensed to iTunes and Verizon Wireless, and can listen to six never-before-released tracks which can be streamed from the U.K.’s Daily Mirror website, www.mirror.co.uk/ledzeppelin.
