When Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones agreed in 2007 to reform for a one-off gig to pay tribute to former Atlantic Records boss Ahmut Ertegun, Led Zeppelin fans across the globe went into apoplectic fits – could this be the long awaited Led Zeppelin reunion tour? Not long after, Robert Plant poured cold water on such speculation when he announced he’d be concentrating on his collaboration with Alyson Krauss. The collective sense of disappointment reverberated across the world like a plagiarised blues chord blasting out of a Marshall stack.
But that hasn’t stopped every effort being made to exploit the excitement of the night when Plant, Page, Jones and John Bonham’s son Jason came together. In some ways Celebration Day is only going to be a disappointment – Plant is crusty and tired, Page looks like a disenfranchised suburban goth in his long coat and white hair, while Jones’ efforts to channel the excitement of 1976 are the stuff of comic relief – yet almost by definition, any Led Zeppelin performance must be cherished.
There are the standard classic Zeppelin moments: the lumbering stoner blues fest Dazed And Confused, the clichéd hippie-folk metal of Stairway To Heaven and the tight denim ball-hugging beauty of Rock’N’Roll, Black Dog and Whole Lotta Love. But there’s also plenty of rare Zeppelin excursions into the band’s back catalogue, including In My Time of Dying, Nobody’s Fault But Mine and Misty Mountain Hop.
Whereas the Zeppelin of 1976 was immersed in the absolute hedonism of the rock’n’roll lifestyle, the Zeppelin of the 21st century is mature to the point of staid. Plant can still shriek like a man under torture in a Cambodian gaol, and what Jimmy Page can’t do with a twin-necked guitar isn’t worth bothering with, but it’s a pale imitation of the past. Maybe that’s why Robert Plant realised Celebration Day should remain a one-off celebration.
BY PATRICK EMERY
Best Track: Dazed And Confused
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In A Word: Zeppelin
