Led Zeppelin re-union > a review

*** Update below - Nov 2012

To clarify, I wasn't at the Zeppelin show in London. But, neither were you. Also, I have never been to a Zeppelin show. So, what qualifies me to be the licensed audiologist on the re-union show? Precisely those statements above. I am not swain by emotion or spectacle. I am here to discuss the show the only way I have ever understood or experienced live Zeppelin music... through the power of illegal audience recordings.

Zeppelin bootlegs were nearly all i listened to in High School, so I have a solid frame of reference. I can't yet tell you where I got the tape, but I can tell you the sound is approximate of a first generation audience bootleg. It's digital, as they all are now, so generations are moot. Back in my day, the bootlegs were recordings of recordings of recordings being passed around on cassette. Mostly, what you heard was hiss.

After downloading the concert from a zip file online, I transferred it to my iPod... just like in the olden days of bootleggin'. In the first set, I jumped to "Nobody's Fault but Mine", because I am crazy for that song. Also, it being so late in their career, it isn't well known live. Reference the '77 Cleveland Destroyer show for a top notch version of just about everything.

It started out as just ok. Plant seemed to be kind of phoning in his guitar accompanying scat at first. However, the whole band kicks in, it hit me. Zeppelin is back! What do I mean by that? Well, somehow when live, Zeppelin was so much more than the sum of it's parts. You see four guys, but you hear six. It is a juggernaut. The live sound is that of a freight train coming. I have never heard four people make so much great noise.
The only analogy would be Rush, who are the only trio who actually performs as a trio and still sounds amazing and full. The key to this must be bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones. It is he who fills the sound and makes it a theater. That would also explain why the feeling never really hit me with the Page & Plant shows I saw years ago. It wasn't the same without that rhythm section.

Robert Plant was unusually loquacious this evening. Normally, you don't get much more than a 'good evening' for the first hour of a show. On this night, he was telling stories about where the songs came from, that was pretty great. There were stories in the fall that the songs had to be re-worked in different keys because Plant couldn't hit the high notes. I disagree. I think the songs were played the same way they always were, and Plant did a fine job of handling vocals. Dude just turned 60, and knocked it out of the park.

John Paul Jones? Truly, the glue that holds the band together. According to Stephen Davis' book Hammer of the Gods, the first song Zeppelin ever rehearsed together was "Train Kept a Rollin". It is appropriate, as that is the live sound of Led Zeppelin... a train. They were wise to include him this time, and he looked physically the best of all of them. That must have been because he didn't sign that deal with the devil. Also, mercifully, they kept 'No Quarter' under ten minutes. Thank you. When I hear those 30 minute 'No Quarters' from the 70's shows, it always made me cringe thinking of all the other songs I could be hearing. It was hubris. Ever sat through the Grateful Dead playing 'Space' and not been high? It is pretty sucky, and they played it every single show always. 'No Quarter' and 'Space' are bathroom breaks, if you ask me.

Let's talk drums. You know that Zeppelin drummer John Bonham's son was on the kit. You also know that Bonham is one of the most revered figures in the annals of all rock for his unique and powerful style. Is that hereditary? Probably not, but Jason Bonham killed that night. He was amazing. I swear to you; if I was listening without knowing it wasn't Bonzo... I would not believe otherwise. The kid filled the night with exactly Bonzo's style. Not just the type of fills, but that shear brute force. Using Jason Bonham was a no brainer.

Jimmy Page? No opinion yet. The first set is too tight for a good feel. I'll have to hear the Stairway solo for a better assessment. My best description of his solo style is 'technical, but loose in a gently sloppy way'. Think Slash here. Both very loose players, and both known to indulge on and off the stage. So far, it's great. I can't proclaim it being 'classic Page' without more input, though.

I believe that 'Ramble On' probably is a huge highlight of the set. Problem is, on my recording, it is barely audible. I don't know if that is a condition of my recording, or the sound in the venue that night. Since the audience sound is consistent throughout, I would assume the sound on that song was just not good in the arena. Perhaps they were tyring too hard for a hushed moment. This is tough to do when 16 million folks tried to get tix to that show, according to the webmaster.



I wish I could like to the youtube stuff, but it has all been pulled by their record company. Remember, Peter Grant would personally beat up bootleggers. It was a matter of principle to him. I would really like to get this to you. I don't know how common the recording is out there. I also don't know if they are planning on releasing it commercially. That being said, dig around my other sites listed below and drop me a line. I will see if I can get you the link.


In closing, is the mighty Zeppelin back at full power? They sure were last Monday night. As for tour rumors and all that, this isn't the place for that. This piece is just about the music. I'll probably have something written up on the second set in a couple of days. I should also note that I don't think the show was broken into 'sets', that is just how the music is always cataloged by bootleggers as tapes could only hold 44 minutes, and CDs are about 80. So, anything over that always became 'second set'.

Two more songs that we must address: Stairway to Heaven, & Kashmir. Stairway was unusually subdued. As I remember it live, it was a song of celebration. Or, as Plant calls is 'a song of hope'. On this night, it was somber and bare bones. Plant did not even chat up the lyrics, as he used to 'Does anybody remember laughter?'. Also, the solo felt almost phoned in, but Bonham's passionate playing saves the song.

Next, Plant makes a Jim Morrison reference (well, it was to me, anyway) and mentions there are people at that concert from 50 countries, and all to see the Hammer of the Gods. He explains he isn't sure if that is worth it, but he wants to take us to the 51st country... and kicks it into Kashmir. This is the most impressive live performance of Kashmir I have ever heard. It is triumphant. To me, the whole concert led up to this single event. For the first time tonight, Plant really wails. WAILS. In all the right ways, he carries this performance crazy over the top. It sounds to me that Page is playing that Danelectro he always used for this song. Jones covers the entire musical soundscape so well, that I finally see Kashmir is not a song. It is an event, and a place in the mind. I have heard it a thousand times, but this fresh take now makes me re-think the whole thing. I was listening on my iPod and just went crazy. I can't wait to get home and put it on the home theater so I can feel young Bonham's hammer.


In closing, is the mighty Zeppelin back at full power? They sure were last Monday night. As for tour rumors and all that, this isn't the place for that. This piece is just about the music. I'll probably have something written up on the second set in a couple of days. I should also note that I don't think the show was broken into 'sets', that is just how the music is always cataloged by bootleggers as tapes could only hold 44 minutes, and CDs are about 80. So, anything over that always became 'second set'.


guess what, you can have the show here. You are welcome. Download and enjoy, and you didn't hear it from me.

*** update Nov 2012 - this show has been formally and properly released.  It's awesome.  It's called 'Celebration Day' and you can get it here.