The gig of a lifetime?

Led Zeppelin Reunion



The gig of a lifetime, rock heroes carry all before them, and I was there! But did the Ahmet Ertegun benefit gig live up to the hype?

The truth is there was good and bad. The lead up with support acts ranging from Albert Lee (still going, still brilliant) to Paolo Nutini did more than get the crowd in the mood, despite the disappointment of no Pete Townsend. Bill Wyman held a powerful band together as heroes of today and yesterday reminded us why they achieved that status. Paul Rodgers belted out ‘It’s all right now’ and it certainly was.

And then. Led Zeppelin. Rocking like they’d never been away. The younger Bonham no longer in his fathers shadow. Jimmy page caressing the licks out of his guitar. Plant strutting around the stage. John Paul Jones holding it together, or leading from the keyboard. The full panoply of trademarks – the twin necked guitar, the violin bow, the audience participation on Black Dog. As one, we loved it, and them.

So what were the negatives? A set focussed on the earlier albums and missing some of my personal favourites – Gallows Pole for example. An acoustic which sometimes lost Robert Plants voice in the maelstrom. A suspicion that age had robbed us of some of the high notes.

But these are quibbles. Led Zep were tight, accomplished and energetic and from the opening chords to the climax, from Dazed and Confused toWhole Lotta Love, Good Times Bad Times to Kashmir, they rocked.

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