Achilles Last Stand News

[2008.04.23] Robert Plant Scheduled for 46664

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Robert Plant is scheduled to appear on June 27, 2008 at London's Hyde Park for a concert celebrating Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday.

What is interesting about this article is that "Robert Plant and special guests" will perform. Of course, this is mere speculation as to whom these special guests might be.

Also scheduled to perform in London are Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart, Bono and The Edge, Bryan Adams, Eminem, Eric Clapton, John Mayer and Buddy Guy, Jay-Z and Beyonce, Jools Holland, Joss Stone, Keane, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Lenny Henry , Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, Queen with George Michael, Paul Rodgers with Robbie Williams, Razorlight, Roger Waters, Sheryl Crow, Spice Girls, Sting, Tina Turner, Vusi Mahlasela and Will Smith.

http://www.queenzone.com/queenzone/news_view.aspx?news_id=4677

[2008.04.21] Plant-Krauss Tour Kicks Off

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0500

As their impeccable band swung into "Rich Woman" with an easy flourish, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss took the stage Saturday night at the Louisville Palace to the first of several standing ovations.

Plant, still the god king of rock 'n' roll, strolled out with a quietly confident swagger, his hair in that tangle of curls so familiar to Led Zeppelin fans. Krauss looked like she was headed to a prom in her pink dress, maybe one with "Stairway to Heaven" as its theme.

And when they began singing, it was clear they still felt the chemistry so evident on their "Raising Sand" album, his well-traveled yowl blending perfectly with her pristine voice. There were a few goose bumps, and not the last.

This was the first night of the "Raising Sand" tour, but both the singers and the band sounded fully warmed up. Krauss didn't hit a bad note all night, almost flaunting her perfect pitch, and the band, led by T Bone Burnett, was nearly flawless. Plant was Plant, and that was plenty.

Krauss and Plant performed nearly all of "Raising Sand," a handful of Led Zeppelin classics and a couple of songs associated with Krauss' solo career. They also threw in a George Jones cover just because they could.

As expected, the Zeppelin songs drew a huge response -- one guy screamed "Led Zeppelin rules!" barely five minutes into the show -- but they weren't the highlights (although "Black Dog," with the world's spookiest banjo, was pretty amazing).

"Fortune Teller" was better, with drummer Jay Bellerose exploding the song from the inside out, and Krauss broke every heart in the place with "Through the Morning, Through the Night." "Killing the Blues" and "Trampled Rose" were also contenders.

But the most unexpected song might have also been the night's finest. Krauss, backed by Plant, Buddy Miller and Stuart Duncan, soared through an a capella version of "Down to the River to Pray," from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" that was so beautiful it sucked the air out of the room.

Everyone who went back for yesterday's second sold-out show should be so lucky.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080421/NEWS01/804210430/1008/NEWS01

[2008.04.16] Led Zeppelin to Re-Release Immigrant Song

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:37:27 -0500

That's according to the rumour mill, with Immigrant Song being groomed for a summer release.

Led Zeppelin have been in contact with Pendulum to remix their classic track Immigrant Song, to be released at some point over the summer.

However, what's not clear is just how the Pendulum remix will be used. Led Zeppelin have so far not commented on the news, whilst the PR for Pendulum revealed: "We just know they wanted someone cool to do a remix for some stuff they've got coming up."

So far three rumours have surfaced as to the reason behind the Immigrant Song overhaul.

Firstly, it's believed the song could be used in the build-up to announcing yet more live performances.

Secondly, the remix could be used to promote the DVD release of last December's O2 concert in London.

And finally, and by far the strongest rumour, is that the Pendulum remix will form part of the package that sees Immigrant Song released as the band's first single. The remix has already been previewed on BBC Radio 1, were Pendulum appeared as guest DJs.

http://www.twistedear.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1754&Itemid=33

[2008.04.15] Plant/Krauss To Rock Austin City Limits

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Foo Fighters, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Beck, Manu Chao, John Fogerty, David Byrne, the Raconteurs and the Mars Volta are among the top acts booked for this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival, set for the city's Zilker Park from Sept. 26-28.

Three-day passes are available for $170, including fees and a print-at-home option, at ACLfestival.com until sellout or show time. Sponsors are AT&T, AMD, Dell, Austin Ventures, WaMu, BMI, H-E-B, Heineken, Blackstone Winery and Sweet Leaf Tea.

The ACL festival was the fourth-ranked festival in the world in 2007, based on its gross of $11.3 million and attendance of 225,000 from three sold-out days, according to Billboard Boxscore.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003789438

[2008.04.14] Rocker Robert Plant wins CMT award

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0500

British rocker Robert Plant and U.S. singer Alison Krauss won a prize for their video "Gone Gone Gone" at the CMT Awards ceremony in Nashville Monday night.

The pair's song earned the wide open country video award, which honors a song and video that push the boundaries of country music.

"I'd like to say how peculiar it is to be here," Plant, former lead singer for Led Zeppelin, told the crowd. "But it's a great honor."

"It's a great honor to have made a record in Nashville that sounds so good. I'd like to thank Don and Phil Everly for getting me through my teenage years, and I'd like to thank Alison for helping me get through my late 50s."

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Entertainment/2008/04/14/rocker_robert_plant_wins_cmt_award/5736/

[2008.04.12] Page, Jones and Bonham Together Again?

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0500

A post yesterday on the For Badgeholders Only mailing list said that Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham were in a rehearsal studio last week in London. No word yet if any vocalist joined them or would be joining them. Stay tuned on this gem!

[2008.04.08] $1829 for Coaster Seats

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Forget $50 for a day pass or $150 for an annual pass. One Horry County woman is paying $654 - more than $4 per second - to ride the signature roller coaster at Hard Rock Park. Cindy Ennis, 45, said she is the top bidder in a charity eBay auction for seats on Led Zeppelin - The Ride's first public run. The park this week auctioned off 15 seats, and Ennis said she snagged four - two in the front row, two in the second row - for a total of $1,829. "I'm not a roller coaster enthusiast," she said. "But it was just the idea of being so close [to the front of the ride], and being the first of something - that's really what did it." Plus, she said, the money would go to charity. The first public ride will be held April 15, when the $400 million, 55-acre park off of U.S. 501 will open to a paying audience for the first time. All told, the auction appears to have raised $5,002.48 for the Sara Goodwin Memorial Foundation, and park CEO Steven Goodwin has said he will match the top bid. Park spokeswoman Megan Winnett said she could not confirm the winners until later this week. Ennis said she has already paid her tab, and the name of her real estate and property management business - Ennis Properties - was the name of the winning bidder on eBay. Though Ennis doesn't consider herself an experienced eBay user, she had a strategy: Watch the tickets closely, and bid right before the auction closes. "I [bid] probably 10 seconds before it was actually going to expire," she said. "Luckily, it held." Ennis had already bought annual passes and taken a behind-the-scenes tour. She plans to give the other tickets to her children, Robert Ennis, 19, and Kelly Rosenthal, 29, and her son-in-law, David Rosenthal. The one tough decision left to make: Who will sit where? http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/business/story/410307.html

[2008.04.08] JPJ Bergenfest Norway with Robyn Hitchcock

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 21:41:59 -0500

John Paul Jones will be the guest of Robyn Hitchcock at this year's Bergenfest in Bergen, Norway. They are scheduled to perform at the Hotel Norge Bankettsalen at 21:00 on April 30, 2008.

Tickets may be purchased at the Bergenfest website.

Thanks to suzepchick

http://www.bergenfest.no/?location=concert&id=67&day=20080430

[2008.04.05] Page's William Morris Tapestry Fails To Sell

Sat, 5 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0500

A tapestry made in William Morris's workshop and owned by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page went under the hammer at Sotheby's.

The Pre-Raphelite work, by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, which was expected to sell for £1 million was auctioned but did not reach its reserve price.

For now the 24ft-long tapestry, called The Attainment: The Vision of the Holy Grail to Sir Galahad, Sir Bors and Sir Perceval, will stay as part of rock star Mr Page's collection.

It was woven for Stanmore Hall in Middlesex in 1893 and Mr Page is only its third owner - he bought it himself at auction in 1978.

The 24m-wide weave is considered to be a seminal work of the Arts and Crafts movement. It was the star item in a sale of more than 130 lots in a showcase stretching from the Gothic revival of the 1840s through to post-war design of the 1960s.

A spokeswoman at the famous Bond Street auction house said she could not say if it would go on sale again.

http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/topstories/display.var.2146345.0.walthamstow_william_morris_tapestry_fails_to_sell_at_auction.php

[2008.04.04] Auction For First Roller Coaster Ride Seats

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 09:56:56 -0500

Auctionwire, in conjunction with Rock My World Children's Village and Hard Rock Park announced today the launch of an experience aimed at roller coaster enthusiasts, fans of classic rock's biggest band and anyone who just wants to make history.

Beginning on March 31 at 9:00 p.m. ET and ending on April 7 at 9:00p.m. ET, Hard Rock Park will be auctioning off 15 individual tickets for the inaugural ride of the Led Zeppelin - The Ride roller coaster. Visit the Charity Auction here.

A joint creative connection between Hard Rock Park and legendary guitarist Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin - The Ride was conceived to give Led Zeppelin fans the ultimate amusement park experience.

The highest winning bidder from Row 1, Seat 1 will have the opportunity to sit next to Steven Goodwin, Hard Rock Park CEO who will also make a personal contribution to add to the final bid price to support the charity.

Each prize pack to be bid on in this one-of-a-kind charity auction will include a seat on the coaster's very first official ride, a signed Led Zeppelin poster and commemorative certificate declaring the rider's place in history. The rider will also have his or her ride forever commemorated with a photo taken of the event. The media will be on hand for this landmark event, providing a potential interview opportunity to chronicle the rider's breathless adventure.

Only fifteen individual seats will be available for auction in this highly anticipated maiden voyage of the bands flagship roller coaster. The auction, which will take place on eBay, is being held exclusively by Auctionwire. Bidders may visit www.auctionwire.com/hardrockpark to bid. The auction begins March 31, 2008 and ends on April 7,2008.

Read the complete press release at http://www.prweb.com/releases/hardrockpark/ledzeppelin/prweb820344.htm.

[2008.04.01] New Plant and Krauss Music Video

Tue, 1 Apr 2008 17:27:57 -0500

Rounder Records has posted the video for the Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' release of Please Read The Letter on their website.

To view it, go to the Rounder Records website.

[2008.03.31] Led Zeppelin - The Ride Set To Open June 2

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:26:35 -0500

Led Zeppelin: The Ride is set to open June 2, 2008.

The park's website says to "Get ready for Hard Rock Park's signature roller coaster that sends you 15 stories high, 65 miles per hour and loops six times, all set to Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love'."

"It begins at a huge silver airship, as if you are stepping onto the cover of Led Zeppelin's debut album. Once inside, Led Zeppelin music and videos play throughout the queue, leading to a studio area where rockers are treated to a moving, multimedia show before climbing aboard the coaster."

http://www.hardrockpark.com/_html/ledzepplinride.php

[2008.03.31] Slash Says Led Zeppelin Reunion "Unlikely To Occur"

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:21:55 -0500

Slash, who is good friends with Jimmy Page, has revealed that a Led Zeppelin tour is unlikely to occur in the near future.

Speaking to the Daily Star's Playlist, the Velvet Revolver guitarist explained that rumours that his own band might be supporting the rock legends on a forthcoming tour had been exaggerated.

"I'm good friends with Jimmy Page so I can tell you once and for all the tour doesn't look like happening any time soon. But who knows, one day?" he said.

"There were rumours Velvet Revolver had been asked to support Zep on a reunion tour," he added. "But those reports were taken out of context."

Speaking of the reunion show Led Zeppelin played last December at London's O2 Arena, Slash said: "I heard like literally everybody was there except me. We were in Australia so I missed the gig. I was pretty upset."

http://www.nme.com/news/led-zeppelin/35529

[2008.03.28] Led Zeppelin may release new album

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:00:00 -0500

Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones has hinted that his band may record a new studio album, following their reunion show on December 10 last year at London's O2 Arena.

Speaking in the May 2008 issue of our sister title Uncut, the bassist said he was uncertain about the future of the band but refused to rule out heading into the studio to work on a new album with his bandmates.

"I'd have to think about that," he said, when asked if he'd like to make another Led Zeppelin album. "We spoke afterwards [after the O2 Arena show] and we thought the same - it felt like the first night of a tour. You think, 'oh, I could do that a bit better, or change something in that song'. And we didn't get a chance to do any more."

When asked if the reunion began and ended at the O2 Arena, Jones said: "It's possible. It's possible."

Asked specifically about the possibility of a new album, he said, "I'm not sure. I'm not too certain about anything right at the moment. I've got no idea what's going to happen. But I'd certainly like to play with Jimmy [Page] again."

http://www.nme.com/news/led-zeppelin/35482

[2008.03.28] Led Zeppelin Won't Release Comeback Concert DVD

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Led Zeppelin are to disappoint fans by not releasing a DVD or CD of their one-off comeback concert.

Thousands of music lovers who could not get tickets for their O2 gig in December had been hoping they could watch or listen at home.

But guitarist Jimmy Page said: "It was recorded - but we didn't go in with the express purpose of making a DVD to come out at Christmas, or whatever." Page said a future release "at some distant point" was remotely possible.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/latest/2008/03/28/led-zeppelin-won-t-release-comeback-concert-dvd-89520-20365270/

[2008.03.27] Robert Plant Confirms "Led Zeppelin Could Play Again"

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant has said that there is a chance of more one-off live perfomances from the band, if the reasoning was right.

Speaking in the new (May 2008) edition of UNCUT magazine, the Zep singer, commenting on the huge success of their December reunion show at London's O2 Arena, said: "Hopefully, one day, we could do it again. Our profit is - it's metaphysical."

The group's bassist John Paul Jones added: "We (Jones and Page) spoke afterwards, and we both thought the same - it felt like the first night of a tour. You think, 'Oh, I could do that a bit better, or change something in that song.' And we didn't get a chance to do any more."

Plant also says the Ahmet Ertegun reunion gig was very different to previous gigs in their heyday. He says he: "sang his nuts off" and says it was weird that the "personality of the audience has changed from those days when everybody was in the same condition as the band. Now it was more like the 68th wonder of the world rather than a gig. So I felt a bit embarrassed." See the latest issue (May 2008) of Uncut for Plant, Page and Paul Jones' first in-depth interviews since their reunion for the Ahmet Ertegun reunion at London's O2 Arena last December.

The issue will also come with a brilliant 15-track CD of the music that shaped the band, featuring Elvis Presley, Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker and Otis Rush amongst the selections.

http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/led_zeppelin/news/11294

[2008.03.27] Slash Refutes Claims To Open For Zep Reunion

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Sky News entertainment correspondent Matt Smith talked to Saul Hudson, a.k.a. Slash, Guns N' Roses rock legend and member of Velvet Revolver, in an exclusive TV broadcast interview to be aired from 0600 on Friday, March 28 on UK's Sky News. An extended version of the interview will be carried on www.sky.com/news.

Slash speaks about his life of sobriety, his new range of guitars — and about the odds of Guns N' Roses getting back together.

In the same interview, Slash also refuted comments made by bassist Duff McKagan that Velvet Revolver would open for Led Zeppelin on a rumored world tour. Slash said, "There's been a huge rumor going around about us opening for them and I think that was something that was taken out of context. I think as far as Zeppelin doing a tour, that remains to be seen."

Led Zeppelin has made no plans to tour yet despite an acclaimed and hugely successful reunion show in London last December.

http://www.sky.com/news

[2008.03.24] Hangin Backstage With Mr. Robert Plant

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Hey friends,
After the last couple of days, and all the craziness Had a really cool surprise, Robert Plant came into our dressing room and we had a nice sit down with him for a least an hour. Its so weird, even though here I am playing in bands for all these years and meeting so many famous musicians and people. This was really a highlight. What a great guy. Have met him before when I was with the Cult. He came to a show at Manchester Apollo. As well as last time with VR there. Tonight was just cool and more intimate I guess We just shot the shit. A few road stories and he told me he wrote Black Country Woman about a girl that was from the area we were playing in called Wolverhampton. Wow, trivia from the man himself. His son was in the opening band and Dad was playing roadie for the night. The band is called Aura and they were young and rockin. Very blues based alot like Zep. Also on the bill is Scott Ians band with his girl Pearl, another kid of rockstar Meatloaf. Awesome singer and great performer. Cool to hang with Scott, good friend and cool dude. So pretty cool night all in all. Got more good news from LA after getting on the bus on the way back to Birmingham. Mike Inez from Alice in Chains went in my new clothing store and bought one of my leather jackets. Like I said Keepin the Rock alive and very well.
I'll keep u posted my friends, Matt

[2008.03.20] Raising Sand Certified Platinum

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Raising Sand, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' recent release was just certified platinum on March 4, 2008 after only being released for 98 days.

Plant and Krauss will kick off their world tour to support Raising Sand on April 19, 2008 in Louisville, Kentucky's Palace Theatre.

http://www.riaa.com

[2008.03.20] Jason Bonham Confirmed For Drummer Live

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Jason Bonham is among the first confirmed drummers for Europe's largest drumming festival, Drummer Live, which launches in London on June 14 and June 15 and promises to be the music event of the year. With a spectacular lineup of famous drummers and hundreds of exhibitors, this will be ultimate day out for all drummers and percussionists.

Drummer Live will be the closest thing to drumming heaven for all those gear junkies. The very latest percussion gear and jaw-dropping kits will be on display at the biggest gathering of drum manufacturers in the Europe. From top of the range acoustic drums to congas, state-of-the-art electronic kits to cymbals, the most famous brands in the business will be showcasing their best products and offering every conceivable product, service, part or accessory a drummer could wish for.

Drummer Live is part of the UK's biggest music exhibition, the London International Music Show, which includes the London Guitar Show, Unplugged and Sound Recording and Technology Show. It takes place at ExCel London, now firmly established as one of the UK's premier (and largest) exhibition venues. Located in the heart of London's Docklands, ExCeL is set within a stunning waterfront environment in the dynamic and thriving Docklands and just across the water from The O2 arena. There's easy access to ExCeL via the Docklands Light Railway/ Jubilee Line and easy road access from the M25, M11, A406, A13, plus there's plenty on-site parking.

For further information on Drummer Live, the London International Music Show and for all the latest news and show updates, go to this location.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=93289

[2008.03.17] Velvet Revolver To Support Led Zeppelin

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Duff McKagan has revealed to HotPress.com that Velvet Revolver is in pole position to support Led Zeppelin if the legendary rock act decides to go ahead with a full-blown reunion tour.

"I understand that we have it, although I imagine there will be plenty of bands prepared to kick and punch us out of the way for the privilege!" said McKagan. "I would so love to have been at their London gig before Christmas, but we had dates of our own that obviously took precedence.

"What made up for it was running into Jimmy Page at an awards ceremony and him not only knowing who I was, but also saying he'd caught a couple of Velvet Revolver shows. No way did I think in 1977 when I saw Led Zep in Seattle that one day I'd be hanging out with the guitarist. Things like that I still pinch myself!"

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=93101

[2008.03.16] Page To Auction Tapestry & Other Items

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0500

There may be a Stairway to Heaven, but for Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, there's no wall space for his Holy Grail tapestry.

Page, founder of the iconic rock band behind the mega-hit from 1971, is reportedly putting up for auction his mammoth pre-Raphaelite tapestry depicting the Holy Grail.

The Guardian newspaper in England reports the seven-metre-long piece, part of an original set of six tapestries featuring scenes from the Arthurian legend, had been in storage for years.

The report says Page is getting Sotheby's auction house to sell the one piece, which depicts a climactic scene from the Holy Grail story, worth upwards of $2 million Cdn.

According to the William Morris workshop, which was contracted to create the pieces, the tapestries took three weavers two years to complete.

William Morris, who died in 1892, was an English artist and regarded has one of the greatest pattern designers of all time. His workshop produced carpets, embroideries, wallpapers and woven clothes.

Morris is credited with spearheading the British Arts and Craft Movement of 1850 to 1915 focusing on simplicity, and good craftsmanship and design.

The tapestry Page is selling was last viewed in public at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London back in 1996, when Page was between houses.

Apparently the 64-year-old musician had hung it in the billiard room of his Windsor mansion, but it was sold. He then bought the house back and has now sold it again.

Page's friend, art dealer Paul Reeves, says the guitarist has a new mansion in the Thames Valley, but it has wood-panelled walls, which are too weak to hang the tapestry.

Page, a member of the Yardbirds before founding Led Zeppelin, is a collector of museum-quality pre-Raphaelite and British Arts and Crafts Movement pieces.

In the same auction next week, Page is selling a gigantic set of Arthurian round table and chairs, and two sideboards.

The tapestry has only been sold twice before, by Sotheby's, once by the heirs of the original owner and then when Page bought it from the heirs of the Duke of Westminster.

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2008/03/16/jimmypage-tapestry.html

[2008.03.13] Page Donates Doubleneck To Charity

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page has donated an ultra-limited edition, iconic double-neck guitar to raise money for charity.

The auction, Childline Rocks, takes place at London's IndigO2 tonight (March 13), with the Jimmy Page Signature Double Neck EDS 1275 being one of the star lots on offer.

Also up for auction are guitars donated and signed by Noel Gallagher and Status Quo, tickets on the Flight 666 piloted by Bruce Dickinson for a trip to see Iron Maiden play live in Lisbon, a personal acoustic performance by Thunder, a guitar signed by all the artists appearing at Childline Rocks and a plaque presented to Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin.

Page's guitar will be signed and personalised for the highest bidder by Jimmy himself.

Performing tonight are the likes of Roger Daltrey, Lulu, Marillion, The Zombies, Fish, Thunder, Glenn Hughes and Russ Ballard.

http://www.gigwise.com/news/41506/jimmy-page-donates-iconic-double-neck-guitar-to-charity

[2008.03.12] Plant's Led Zep Book In Auction

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Legendary rockers Led Zeppelin have donated a signed souvenir programme from their reunion gig last December to a football club to help raise funds.

It was sent to Aberystwyth Town by singer Robert Plant, and there are plans to auction it later this year.

Tony Bates, chairman of the Welsh Premier League club, said he had known Plant for years and asked him for his help.

The programme comes with a picture of Plant and a letter of authenticity.

The club auction is planned for later this year and will also include football memorabilia.

Mr Bates said: "I have known Robert Plant for some time and prior to the recent massively successful concert at the O2 stadium, I asked him to obtain for me a programme signed by himself, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones which the football club would be able to auction in aid of club funds.

"Robert is a very keen football supporter and he was happy to oblige."

Mr Bates, a solicitor in Aberystwyth, added the souvenir came with a letter of authenticity from Plant.

Aberystwyth Town and its team of semi-professionals plays in the Welsh Premier League.

Led Zeppelin played their first concert in 19 years before nearly 20,000 fans at London's 02 arena last December.

Original band members Page, Plant and Jones were joined on stage by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham.

More than one million people had taken part in a ballot for the 9,000 pairs of tickets available for the show.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/mid_/7291591.stm

[2008.03.06] 02 Concert Tickets Most Money Last Year

Thu, 6 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Tickets for concerts by Take That and Led Zeppelin were the most in demand on internet auction sites last year, according to research firm Tixdaq.

"Second-hand" Take That tickets generated £12.8m in online sales across the UK's 25 biggest sites, it said.

Led Zeppelin's gig at London's O2, meanwhile, produced the highest average ticket price at £707.97 despite measures to prevent resale, it added.

Tixdaq monitors secondary ticket sales on the websites.

Tickets for Paul McCartney's gig at the BBC Electric Proms were the second most expensive at an average of £498.14 per ticket, while third were tickets for Ireland's Electric Picnic festival, fetching an average of £360.96 each.

Tixdaq spokesman Will Muirhead said secondary ticket exchanges had created a huge new market in the last couple of years.

"No wonder artists are concerned that they do not generally share in the proceeds," he added.

In January, a committee of MPs said that artists and sports bodies should share profits from tickets resold on internet auction sites.

In a report on touting, they stopped short of calling for a ban, but said online touts must "clean up their act" because they exploit fans.

The Culture, Media and Sport select committee said up to 40% of tickets were being sold on the internet.

The Resale Rights Society (RRS) - representing the managers of the Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead and Robbie Williams and more than 400 other acts - is lobbying for a levy to be added to resold tickets.

It says that the existing situation - where big profits can be made by ticket sellers with nothing going to the organisers or rights owners - was "unfair and must be addressed".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7281194.stm

[2008.03.04] Should Zeppelin reunite? Most definitely

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0600

The communal bond that keeps fans of Led Zeppelin listening and hoping is strong, if not stronger, than it was when first forged by the hammer of the blues-loving gods in the late 1960s. It has withstood the death of one member, long absences by the other three and occasional cameo reminders of what is and what will never be.

When the three remaining members - Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones - reunited with drummer Jason Bonham, son of the late John, for a concert last December in London to honor the late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, Ron Laffitte considered not attending, even though he obtained a ticket more precious than Willy Wonka's gold ducats.

"I've been a fan since I was 11," said Laffitte, a managing partner at Red Light Management, which handles acts like Alanis Morissette, The Decemberists and Band of Horses. "I bought 'Physical Graffiti' in 1976. I didn't get to see them when they toured in '77, when I was 12."

Read the rest of the story at MSNBC.COM. Thanks Frederick Key

[2008.03.03] Led Zep In Fan-Inducted Hall Of Fame

Mon, 3 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0600

98.5 WNCX in Cleveland, OH has taken a ballot over the past few months to re-create a rock and roll hall of fame list of inductee's chosen by the people, for the people. Today, (Monday, March 3rd) the first inductee has been announced, and that group is Led Zeppelin.

Thanks to KPE6zep

[2008.03.02] Robert Plant Out And About

Sun, 2 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Hi Jeff

He was there to watch his mate Steve Bull who is the new manager of Stafford Rangers football team.He stayed & watched the whole match which unfortunately Stafford lost 2-0.

He stayed after the match talking to local fans me included & did a few interviews for local radio

Not every day that we get a Rock legend at our local

Regards
Tony

[2008.03.02] Plant Turns Down £100m For World Tour

Sun, 2 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Robert Plant has turned down an extra £100million fortune to take Led Zeppelin on a world tour.

The rock legend wants to concentrate on his new partnership with US country singer Alison Krauss... spelling the likely end of the famous band.

Led Zep fans had been longing for a tour announcement since last year - when the 1970s superstars reformed for a one-off show at London's O2 Arena.

Surviving members Plant, Robert Page and John Paul Jones were offered a guaranteed £100m each for a tour of North America and Europe after a million fans applied for O2 tickets.

But after extensive talks Led Zep - best known for the song Stairway To Heaven - decided against the moneymaking opportunity.

Guitarist Jimmy Page, 64, was keen to do the tour this year and was backed by bass player John Paul, 62.

But singer Plant, 59 - already worth an estimated £70million - wants to concentrate on his new success with US country singer Krauss. The pair's duet album Raising Sand went to No 2 in America and Britain and they are starting their own tour in April.

A band source said: "Despite the enormous offer, the decision did not come down to money. They always said they would do the one-off show and then see how they felt.

"Jimmy had enjoyed the concert in December enough to want to tour. He argued they still had something to offer. He likes the idea of another chapter in the band - the grown-up tour.

"John sided with Jimmy. He loved making music with the others again.

"But Robert wanted to leave last year's concert as their legacy. They had proved they could still do it and that was enough.

"He has other commitments and is happier looking forward to those. Robert put the mockers on the tour.

SUNDAYMIRROR.CO.UK

[2008.02.26] Jimmy Page Interviewed For Japanese Tv

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman, along with host Rolly of Japan's NHK program "Eigo De Shabera Night", interviewed Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page for an episode of the show, which aired Monday night (February 25). Watch the five-minute segment below.

http://www.youtube.com/v/MdyBlO2UkZY

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=91639

[2008.02.25] Top Artists Sought For World Peace Concerts

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:00:00 -0600

World Peace One, a not-for-profit global peace advocacy group whose mission is to bring peace to the world through a 10-year global campaign of concerts, education and government initiatives, has targeted some of the top acts in the world for a series of international concerts to begin May 17.

The event is in discussions with such marquee acts as U2, Madonna, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Lionel Richie, Celine Dion, INXS, Velvet Revolver, Will I. Am, Justin Timberlake, and Timbaland, says WP1 founder Doug Ivanovich.

International artists in discussion, according to Ivanovich, include Reyna Reyna, Brazilian artists Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Ivan Lins, Sergio Mendes and Linox; Jane Zhang and the Trollmates in China, Tarkan in Turkey, and Saer, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Tamara Day for Africa.

Of course, "discussions" is one thing and artists actually taking the stage in the name of WP1 is quite another. Still, WP1 is nothing if not ambitious. "Our mission is ending all war at the end of our 10-year period," Ivanovich tells Billboard. "Our intent is to foster and generate the largest peoples' movement, grassroots as well as institutional, in the history of the world."

Read the full story at Billboard.com.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003714355

[2008.02.17] New Led Zeppelin Tribute 2-CD Set

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Cleopatra Records has released a two-CD set called "LedBox - The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Tribute" on the Deadline label. This 25-song double CD set contains contributions from many great classic rock artists, including the following:

Eric Bloom (BLUE ÖYSTER CULT)
Brian Robertson (MOTÖRHEAD, THIN LIZZY)
Tony Franklin (THE FIRM)
Doane Perry (JETHRO TULL)
Pat Travers
Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW)
Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (THE DOOBIE BROTHERS)
Jack Russell (GREAT WHITE)
Bruce Kulick (KISS)
Manny Charlton (NAZARETH)
Rick Derringer
Steve Lukather (TOTO)
Albert Lee
Dweezil Zappa
Rick Wakeman (YES)
John Wetton (KING CRIMSON)
Geoff Downes (ASIA, YES)
Steve Morse (DEEP PURPLE)
Keith Emerson (ELP)
Billy Sherwood
Tony Kaye
Alan White (Yes)
Paul Di'Anno (IRON MAIDEN)
Taime Downe (FASTER PUSSYCAT)
Jani Lane (WARRANT)
Joe Leste (BANG TANGO, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES)
John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE, UNION)
Marq Torien (BULLETBOYS)
Kelly Hansen (FOREIGNER)

Bruce Kulick plays guitar on "Dazed and Confused". Also his brother Bob Kulick plays guitar on this track, along with Jack Russell from Great White on vocals, Tony Franklin from The Firm on bass, and Doane Perry from Jethro Tull on drums. Bob Kulick produced three of the songs on this collection and plays 12-string electric guitar on the song "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You".

"LedBox - The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Tribute" track listing:

Disc 1:
01. Good Times, Bad Times
02. Houses Of The Holy
03. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
04. When The Levee Breaks
05. Dazed and Confused
06. Whole Lotta Love
07. You Shook Me
08. Immigrant Song
09. Ramble On
10. Rock And Roll
11. D'yer Mak'er
12. Stairway To Heaven

Disc 2:

01. Fool In The Rain
02. Dancing Days
03. Heartbreaker
04. Black Dog
05. All My Love
06. Kashmir
07. Misty Mountain Hop
08. The Ocean
09. Houses Of The Holy
10. The Rover
11. Dancing Days
12. Nobody's Fault But Mine
13. Stairway To Heaven

http://www.cleorecs.com/Details.cfm?ProdID=4584&category=6

[2008.02.15] TSRTS To Be Screened At Film Festival

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:00:00 -0600

On Friday, March 7, as part of this year's Bradford International Film Festival, the National Media Museum, Bradford, UK presents a special event featuring screenings of Led Zeppelin's "The Song Remains the Same", plus a special guest appearance by director Dick Carruthers.

Archivist and documentary maker Chris Phipps looks back at the origins of über-rockers Led Zeppelin. This special event is complemented by screenings of the thinly veiled Zeppelin tribute "Almost Famous" and the band's legendary concert film "The Song Remains the Same".

Dick Carruthers is a multi-award winning director of live concerts and concert DVDs. He is also the producer/director of the groundbreaking 2003 Led Zeppelin DVD set. He will discuss the artistic and technical challenges of selectively unleashing and showcasing the myth that is Led Zeppelin and reveal the challenges of directing last year's reunion gig.

The Bradford International Film Festival will also screen "Almost Famous" on Tuesday, March 13. For more information, click http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/biff/guest_detail.asp?filmid=7654.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=90858

[2008.02.12] Robert Plant Speaks For First Time About O2 Gig

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Led Zeppelin's lead singer, Robert Plant, has spoken out for the first time about his experience at the band's O2 reunion gig last year (December 10).

The Golden God' - in a just published interview - said they were just as good on the night as they were in their prime.

Speaking to Esquire Magazine the morning after the show (December 11) Plant said: "It was ramshackle, casual, nervous, overblown, a little self-indulgent, it was all the things we ever were. We were the genuine thing last night."

He added: "We're not some ambivalent dross that pours into the charts by being some sort of valium for the middle-aged. It was a very decent and exciting visitation."

Revealing further details about the event Plant admitted he did not warm up before gig saying: "We did two songs at a soundcheck the day before, and they were pretty hot. But yesterday [December 10] I had to keep very, very quiet. I didn't want to talk. I just lay in a dark room playing my little ukulele, going: "If I was in Mali, it wouldn’t be like this."

After the gig Plant had only one thing on his mind, grabbing a drink.

The singer said: "I was trying to find the special brew. My children are always embarrassed when I get on the Tenant's Super, and the other guys, well none of them drink. So I just had a drink, gave everybody big hugs, saw my family, took in a bit of, I guess, nostalgia."

Plant also revealed that the whole evening seemed like a bit of a blur saying: "In the middle of all that effort, there were so many little flashbacks that I didn't expect. I couldn’t put a form to a lot of it: it was just there. I thought: this is really cute, all these fucking old blokes huddled round John's [Bonham] son."

Concluding the interview Plant remained adamant that a world tour would not happen saying he wanted to concentrate on his project with Alison Kraus.

He said: "I really enjoyed playing with my friends [Led Zeppelin], and we are a lot closer because of it. But the responsibility, the whole deal... it's a whole different thing to what I’m doing with Alison."

Plant then continued adding: "I was singing the same, better, last night. I could go to certain places. But with Alison, it's not about that. It's about being comely. That's where I'm bound."

http://www.nme.com/news/led-zeppelin/34301

[2008.02.11] TSRTS HD-DVD & Blu-Ray To Be Released

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:00:00 -0600

After a series of street date delays, Warner has announced a late February Blu-ray and HD DVD arrival for the Led Zeppelin's concert classic 'The Song Remains the Same.'

Originally planned for release in November of last year (day-and-date on Blu-ray, HD DVD and standard-def), Warner subsequently delayed 'The Song Remains the Same' on all formats by three weeks. That new December street date didn't last long, however, with the studio again yanking the title from its release schedule only days before it was due to hit stores.

High-def copies of 'The Song Remains the Same' weren't impossible to find, however, as numerous reports surfaced online that Blu-ray and HD DVD stock had still appeared at several online and traditional retailers.

Now Led Zeppelin fans who have been unable to snag an early copy can mark February 26 on their calendars, as Warner will finally bow the long-delayed disc across all formats (according the studio's press announcement, the HD DVD version of 'The Song Remains the Same' will not be affected by the studio's three-week transition window).

Previously announced specs remain unchanged, with both the Blu-ray and HD DVD versions set to include 1080p/VC-1 video and audio options in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.

Supplemental features include over 40 minutes worth of additional material, including never-released performance footage of "Over The Hills And Far Away" and "Celebration Day," plus the bonus cuts "Misty Mountain Hop" and "The Ocean." Other extras include a rare 1976 BBC interview with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, vintage TV footage and the theatrical trailer.

Retail also remains the same, with the Blu-ray and HD DVD listing for a suggested $28.95 each.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Warner/Street_Date_Changes/Warner_Re-Announces_Song_Remains_the_Same_Blu-ray,_HD_DVD/1448

[2008.02.11] Video from JPJ with Foo Fighters

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:39:12 -0600

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jZxBcg5-uA

[2008.02.10] Robert Plant on UK TV

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 20:00:00 -0600

Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant was a guest on ITV's "This Morning" program on January 11, 2008 to discuss his collaboration with bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss, "Raising Sand", and Zeppelin's reunion gig at London's O2 arena this past December. Watch the interview in two parts below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfdbUoSJ9tY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBdlAR4fE0w

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=90423

[2008.02.10] Plant & Krauss Win Grammy

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 20:00:00 -0600

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss won the (non-televised) award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.

This is for a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together.

Plant and Krauss beat out Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé & Shakira, Gwen Stefani & Akon and Timbaland Featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake.

http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/

[2008.02.10] Why TSRTS DVD Was Pulled

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 08:00:00 -0600

There was some conjecture that the reason the DVD was pulled was because 40 seconds of You Really Got Me was playing during a clip on one of the Extras. The Cameron Crowe bit. Anyway it appears it was pulled because Warner did not get clearance for the clip.

> It was indeed the Davies Brothers.
>
> They never would and still won't acknowledge that Jimmy played on YRGM.
>
> They refused permission for the 40 seconds of it on the DVD.
>
> Unfortunately Warner Home Video ( NOT WMG ) never got got clearance so they were forced by the pissant brothers to pull all copies.
>
> It will be reissued in the exact same format but without the "offending" 40 seconds.
>

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=139674

[2008.02.08] First Look at the New Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom

Fri, 8 Feb 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Here's a first look at one of the tastiest releases of 2008 - the Gibson Custom Jimmy Page Signature Les Paul Black Beauty.

Early in Jimmy Page's career, one of his most relied upon guitars was the three-pickup 1960 Les Paul Custom "Black Beauty" with a bigsby tailpiece. In 1970, the guitar was stolen and never recovered, but thanks to the Gibson Custom Shop, this guitar is back in the form of a new Gibson Custom Shop Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom, recently announced at NAMM.

From Gibson:

No one has had a bigger impact on the style and sound of hard rock guitar than the deservedly legendary Jimmy Page. As the musical mastermind of Led Zeppelin, Page's tone, playing, and phrasing made him one of the most influential musicians of the past 50 years.

In Zeppelin's early days, Page relied heavily on a three-pickup 1960 Les Paul Custom "Black Beauty" with a Bigsby tailpiece. Unfortunately, the guitar was stolen in 1970 at an airport and never recovered. Page has always felt that that particular guitar was "the one that got away."

Gibson proudly returns Page's cherished lost guitar in the form of the new Gibson Custom Shop Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom—a painstaking recreation of that iconic instrument, with the addition of some of the most innovative electronics to ever grace a Les Paul.

The result is this stunning "Black Beauty" with a slim-profile neck, Page BurstBucker pickups, gold Bigsby vibrato and an innovative six-position toggle that lets you isolate the neck and bridge pickups, or add the middle in any combination. A stop tailpiece version is also available.

http://guitarplayer.wordpress.com/2008/02/01/jimmy-page-les-paul-custom-wbigsby-first-image/

[2008.02.07] Led's Bonnaroo Controversy Results In Free Publicity For Lez

Thu, 7 Feb 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Chris Harris of MTV.com reports: It was perhaps one of the bigger music-press snafus in recent memory, and it began at midnight Wednesday, when the press release for this year's Bonnaroo festival was distributed via e-mail to various members of the media. Along with news that Kanye West, Pearl Jam and Metallica would be headlining the event, the announcement further boasted that New York's all-femme Zep tribute band, Lez Zeppelin, had also been confirmed for the bill.

Months before the lineup went public, though, several unsubstantiated rumors had spread like wildfire, suggesting that other band, Led Zeppelin, who had recently reunited to play a gig in London, would be anchoring the festival's bill, performing their first Stateside concert in well over two decades. As a result, a number of prominent publications, including the esteemed Associated Press and the Chicago Sun-Times, erroneously reported Wednesday morning that it would be Led Zeppelin, not Lez Zeppelin, topping Bonnaroo's roster.

Read the entire article at MTV.com.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=90238

[2008.02.06] Zep's Confirmation For Bonnaroo Leads To Mass Confusion

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 08:00:00 -0600

The Pulse of Radio reports that a number of news sites, including the British music news site NME.com (which apparently "broke" the news), erroneously reported that Led Zeppelin was going to headline the 2008 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, scheduled for June 12 through June 15 in Manchester, Tennessee. The lineup was posted at the official Bonnaroo site at midnight ET on Wednesday (February 6). But in actuality the lineup includes Lez Zeppelin, an all-female Led Zeppelin cover band from New York. Nevertheless, dozens of other sites picked up the erroneous story without apparently first bothering to check the official Bonnaroo site itself.

Led Zeppelin's appearance at the event had been rumored for weeks.

The festival, which launched in 2002, will take place once again on a 700-acre farm 60 miles south of Nashville, with a total lineup of more than 100 bands and over 20 comedians, including the headliners Metallica, Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson and Kanye West.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=90130

[2008.02.05] Plant Would Be Reuniting With Zep For Money, Not Art

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 08:00:00 -0600

According to The Pulse of Radio, Todd Rundgren says that Robert Plant is in the rare position of being so satisfied with his current projects that a Led Zeppelin reunion would only be done for money. Rundgren, who performed at Britain's legendary Knebworth festival along with Zeppelin back in 1979, said the buzz around a Zeppelin reunion is ironically taking place while Plant enjoys a creative resurgence with his recent collaboration with Alison Krauss, called "Raising Sand". "Robert Plant will probably always have a gig somewhere," he said. "And the only reason for him to reunite with the Led Zeppelin thing is because it would just be huge money involved, I guess. But he has an opportunity to play music that he feels like. Some music that he may feel actually more akin to than what he's, I guess, 'obligated' to do (laughs) at this point with LED ZEPPELIN. Everything that he did after he left Led Zeppelin was an octave lower (than the Zeppelin songs). (Laughs) And now he's got to go back and sing and scream at the top of his lungs."

Plant and Krauss' "Raising Sand" was released last October and peaked at Number Two in the charts. The album currently sits at Number 21 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

"Raising Sand" is Plant's highest charting post-Zeppelin album.

At a recent press conference in Japan, Jimmy Page said that the earliest that Led Zeppelin could reconvene for a reunion tour would be in September, when Plant and Krauss end their series of dates to promote the album.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=90082

[2008.02.05] Jimmy Page Sells Works at Auction

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 08:00:00 -0600

LONDON - Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and '80s band Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp are selling rare works at Sotheby's on March 20 in the largest-ever auction of British design from the 19th and 20th centuries, the Telegraph reports.

The auction, worth more than $5.94 million, is the first either at Sotheby's or Christie's to be organized by a dealer. Paul Reeves, a clothes designer to rock stars in the 1960s, is organizing the sale, which features a abundance of rare hndmade Arts and Crafts designs.

Both Page and Kemp are offering works that new homes cannot properly accommodate. Page is selling a 24-foot-long Burne-Jones tapestry, The Quest for the Holy Grail: The Achievement, which is estimated to bring a record $1.98 million, and five Burne-Jones stained-glass windows, estimated at $49,500 to $69,300 each. Kemp is selling furniture from the 19th-century Arts and Crafts movement, including an 1875 hanging bookcase estimated to bring between $118,000 and $158,400, a record for a piece of furniture by designer Edward William Godwin.

http://www.artinfo.com/articles/story/26748/jimmy-page-sells-works-at-record-british-design-auction

[2008.02.05] Led Zeppelin Have 'No Idea' About Future Plans

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones has said that the band have "no idea" about what their future plans might be.

Speaking at Radio 2's annual Folk Awards in London last night (February 4th), the bass player couldn’t confirm any further recent tour rumours.

Asked if they had spoken to each other, he told the BBC: "I am obliged to say we have and we have absolutely no idea of what we are going to be doing."

Rumours about the band’s future have been persistent since they performed a one-off show at the O2 Arena in London last December.

The high demand for tickets, which saw over 1 million people register for just 9,000 pairs of tickets, is believed to have caused them to think about doing more shows.

Last month, guitarist Jimmy Page told reporters that they wouldn’t be able to consider additional shows until at least September.

http://www.gigwise.com/news/40548/led-zeppelin-have-no-idea-about-future-plans

[2008.02.04] Led Zep TV Performances Headed To Online Music Channel

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 08:00:00 -0600

According to The Pulse of Radio, online music channel Rockworld.TV has announced that they have purchased footage of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles that has been rescued from obsolete Super 8 and Betamax formats.

Uncut.co.uk reported that a new deal has been reached between RockWorld.TV and the Infernal Machine music archive to digitally clean up such lost 1960s TV broadcasts as the German music show "Beat Club", among other rarely seen shows. The remastered footage will appear sometime this year on Rockworld.TV along with additional performances from Aerosmith, The Who, and the Greatful Dead.

Pete Hadfield, co-founder and joint CEO of Carnaby Media, who own Rockworld.TV, has said: "We are getting access to some of the most exciting music footage in existence, a great deal of which has rarely if ever been seen before, which make our broadcast offering even stronger than it is already."

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=89947

[2008.01.31] Jimmy Page Joins Marty Friedman On Stage

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

According to a posting on former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman's official web site, Led Zeppelin guitar legend Jimmy Page joined Marty in Japan for the taping of a new episode of "Eigo De Shabera Night", NHK's hit program which Marty is a regular guest on. The show will be broadcast on February 25.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=89654

[2008.01.30] Jimmy Page Footage From Press Conference

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:15:07 -0600

A short Japanese TV report featuring footage from Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page's January 28, 2008 press conference in Tokyo can be viewed below.

As previously reported, Page said at the press conference that Led Zeppelin was "musically ready" to go on a world tour, although the earliest that was likely to happen was September. According to Yahoo! News, Page said that the band's intense rehearsals for its reunion show at London's O2 Arena last month were "what you would normally put into a world tour anyway." But Page added that frontman Robert Plant "has a parallel project running, and he's really busy with that project, certainly until September. So I can't give you any news on anything at the moment."

Plant has mapped out a series of live shows around the world with singer Alison Krauss, with whom he recorded the recently released "Raising Sand".

Page was in Japan to promote the Zeppelin retrospective collection "Mothership", which arrived in the U.S. late last year.

Page, Plant and bassist John Paul Jones performed together for the first time in nearly two decades at the December 10 show in London, joined by late Zeppelin drummer John Bonham's son Jason behind the kit.

Since the acclaimed show, speculation has been rampant that Zeppelin will launch a full tour, with massive offers reportedly already on the table from some of the world's largest concert promoters.

Meanwhile, Plant was interviewed by MSG TV last Friday (January 25) during the halftime break of the Knicks and Sixers game at New York City's Madison Square Garden. When asked about the possibility of a full Zeppelin reunion tour, he responded, "You never know what is around the corner."

http://www.youtube.com/v/ADHspk4V2Cc

[2008.01.30] TSRTS Gets NME Award Nomination

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:31:36 -0600

The re-release of The Song Remains The Same has been nominated in this years' Shockwaves NME Awards.

Here is a list of the nominations in the category of Best Music DVD:

'Up The Shambles' - Babyshambles
'The Song Remains The Same' - Led Zeppelin
'Unplugged In New York' - Nirvana
'Lord Don’t Slow Me Down' - Oasis
'I Told You I Was Trouble' - Amy Winehouse

Fans can logon to the NME Website to cast their vote on which nominee will win.

The awards will be presented on Feb. 28, 2008 at the Indig02 in London, England.

http://www.nme.com/news/nme-awards/33925

[2008.01.28] Jimmy Page visits boot shops in Tokyo...again!

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Jimmy Page is in Tokyo this week for business, and as usual he spent time visiting the record shops in the Shinjuku section of Tokyo yesterday, January 27th.

He was photographed and filmed at the Lighthouse Record Store.

After selecting CDs, he started to watch the Led Zeppelin show at the O2 Arena on DVD. In the photo below he is watching In My Time Of Dying and he watched it very intently. Afterwards he was satisfied and gave a big smile. He seemed very impressed with the DVD and requested several copies.

http://www.youtube.com/v/LLIH4Rnbz9o
http://www.youtube.com/v/-7AG_e0QNus

http://www.collectorsmusicreviews.com/announcements/jimmy-page-visits-shinjukufor-the-fourth-time/

[2008.01.28] John Paul Jones To Conduct At The Grammys

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:15:30 -0600

The Foo Fighters will perform as part of this year's "My Grammy Moment," produced in partnership with YouTube and CBS.com. The segment gives up to 20 unsigned musicians the opportunity to play with the rock group as part of an orchestra that will be arranged by special guest conductor John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame. The 50th Annual Grammy Awards will be held Feb. 10 at Los Angeles' Staples Center.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003701651

[2008.01.28] Zep Concert Off Until At Least September

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:12:13 -0600

TOKYO (Reuters) - Rock band Led Zeppelin enjoyed jamming together again last year in a charity concert but won't have another session before September at the earliest, lead guitarist Jimmy Page said in Tokyo on Monday.

A successful reunion show in London in December rekindled hopes of a world tour, but Page said that singer Robert Plant's tour with U.S. country singer Alison Krauss is keeping him busy for now.

"I can assure you the amount of work that we put into the O2 (concert), for ourselves rehearsing and the staging of it, was probably what you put into a world tour," Page said.

But, "Robert Plant also had a parallel project running and he's really busy with that project, certainly until September, so I can't give you any news."

Page, in Tokyo to promote a greatest hits release, painted a happy picture of the reunion.

"It was exhilarating, fantastic, every week was a week to look forward to," he said. "We did the show and it was great."

The band, formed in 1968 by Page, Plant, bass guitarist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham, became arguably the world's biggest rock group by the early 1970s.

Their fourth album, released in 1971, included their most famous song, "Stairway to Heaven", while the band has sold an estimated 300 million albums worldwide.

The group decided to break up shortly after Bonham died in September 1980, although Page and Plant collaborated at times over the years.

Plant, Page and Jones performed together in London before about 20,000 fans on December 10, with Bonham's son Jason on the drums.

When the concert was announced, the Internet site selling tickets crashed with applications, while the possibility of a new world tour had fans around the globe excited.

Page said after many years the song indeed remained the same.

"That is what was so thrilling really -- to come together after all this time and find that there was so much chemistry and so much electricity involved in these four characters."

http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKT9054520080128?sp=true

[2008.01.26] New Robert Plant Interview

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Jill Martin from MSG TV interviewed Robert Plant during the halftime break of Jan. 25, 2008's Knicks and Sixers game. Robert said that the most memorable performance at Madison Square Garden was in 1973, from which they made The Song Remains The Song Movie.

He also talked about his upcoming tour with Alison Krauss and that Kashmir was the one he would choose to play to bring the house down at Madison Square Garden.

"You never know what is around the corner" was Robert's reply to playing again with Page, Jones and Jason Bonham.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3tMKDcMScI

[2008.01.25] Plant & Krauss 'CMT Crossroads' Preview Available

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

A preview clip of Led Zeppelin frontman and legendary rocker Robert Plant and bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss performing the track "Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)" as part of the all-new episode of "CMT Crossroads: Robert Plant And Alison Krauss" can be viewed at this location.

"CMT Crossroads: Robert Plant And Alison Krauss" will premiere on Monday, February 11 at 8:00 p.m. ET. The two music icons perform songs from their "Raising Sand" album, including "Please Read the Letter" and "Rich Woman". The pair performed Alison Krauss and Union Station's "The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn", as well as Led Zeppelin classics "Black Dog" and "When the Levee Breaks". The pair also pay homage to The Everly Brothers with their version of "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)". Special guest T Bone Burnett, acclaimed songwriter, performer and "Raising Sand" producer, joins in the onstage collaboration.

Plant and Krauss were recently nominated for a Grammy in the category of "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" for the song "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" from "Raising Sand".

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=89292

[2008.01.24] Led Zeppelin Ringtones Available

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Led Zeppelin ringtones are now available for the following songs:

* "Black Dog" (purchase)
* "Immigrant Song" (purchase)
* "Kashmir" (purchase)
* "Stairway To Heaven" (purchase)

According to Rhino, rach ringtone "requires compatible handset and service through participating carriers. Standard text messaging rates apply. See your contract for details. Available content subject to change at any time."

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=89232

[2008.01.24] Jimmy Page To Hold Japanese Press Conference

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

According to a posting on the Led Zeppelin fan site Royal-Orleans.com, Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page will hold a press conference at Park Hyatt Hotel in Shinjyuku, Japan on Monday, January 28. Park Hyatt is reportedly the hotel Jimmy stayed at during the 1996 Page & Plant tour.

Times Online reported in December that Led Zeppelin could earn well over £100 million (approximately $200 million) if the hard-rock band went on tour this year in the wake of last month's triumphant reunion gig. The band is being pursued with offers from both Live Nation and AEG, the rival concert promoters, with each structuring bids in the form of a large upfront payment to lure the band to their venues.

One source said that "AEG put a bid in on the night" — although that could not be confirmed independently — but intense demand would probably make a Zeppelin reunion the most sought-after ticket in 2008.

The reluctance of Robert Plant, the lead singer, still makes a tour far from certain, although the three other band members are believed to be willing to go ahead. Venues in America have been held open in the hope that Plant will say yes.

It is likely that the four-piece band would be able at least to match the estimated $212 million grossed by The Police for their reunion last year, according to figures compiled by Billboard, the industry magazine.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=89210

[2008.01.23] Led Zeppelin concert uses Kahuna

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

As Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham opened the Led Zeppelin reunion show — a tribute to Ahmet Ertegun, the late founder of Atlantic Records and mentor to many music icons — they launched into "Good Times Bad Times" against a 28-meter by 10-meter backdrop featuring video mixed on a Snell & Wilcox Kahuna SD/HD multiformat production switcher.

For this, the first song on the band's 1969 debut album, and the next 15 songs that rocked London's O2 arena on Dec. 10, 2007, Concert Video Director Dick Carruthers used the Kahuna to create the visual spectacle envisioned by the legendary troupe for its stage return.

"Led Zeppelin songs vary massively from gentle, tender blues to knock-your-head-off songs like 'Kashmir' and 'Whole Lotta Love,' and to reflect this the Kahuna allowed us to create and apply a variety of beautiful textures perfectly suited to what each song was about," said Carruthers, who mixed video from the Front of House position. "The Kahuna is unparalleled in terms of its quality and what it can achieve technically, and that's only half the story because we also had the support of Snell & Wilcox behind us. We programmed layers of effects and mapped them into 20 or 30 buttons, subdivided by song, so that I could recall each one instantaneously. It was a 'Wizard of Oz' kind of thing, and the resulting pictures on stage were mind blowing."

Officially titled the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert, this first full Led Zeppelin concert in 27 years not only recognized Ertegun, who died in 2006 at age 83, but also served as a benefit for the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund, which will offer music student scholarships to universities in the United States, England, as well as Turkey, Ertegun's homeland. In building the images displayed behind the band's three surviving members — Plant, Page, and Jones — and drummer Jason Bonham, son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, Carruthers used a 4-ME Kahuna to switch graphic material, live slow-motion playback, and eight live HD camera feeds through the switcher DVEs.

Carruthers specifically sought out the Kahuna for production of this Led Zeppelin concert. Though the on-screen result was at times subtle, the effects Carruthers applied with the Kahuna ranged widely from heavy colorization (blue or red in the blacks) to black and white with heavy contrast ratios to color washes and film effects such as strobing, smears, and jiggles.

Carruthers' team captured the whole event using 12 cameras recording in HDSR and also with three film cameras. Though Carruthers worked at a switching surface at Front Of House, the Kahuna mainframe was located in a CTV OB unit 150 meters away. The high quality of the uncompressed HD images and uncompressed processing allowed Carruthers to get the best out of each look.

http://www.screenafrica.com/news/tech/817720.htm

[2008.01.23] Reunion Show Breaks Merchandise Sale Record

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

When Led Zeppelin played their first concert in 19 years, Event Merchandising worked with the organisers to put together a range of merchandise for sale at the gig and from the online shop.

Nearly 20,000 fans attended the event at London's 02 arena where original band members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones were joined on stage by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham.

The products sold, broke the record for sales of merchandise in the O2 venue.

http://www.promotional-merchandise.org.uk/news/news.asp?article=875

[2008.01.18] Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Schedule US Dates

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will kick off a world tour in support of their acclaimed 2007 album "Raising Sand" with a handful of dates in the U.S. and Europe this spring.

The first leg begins in Louisville, Ky., on April 20 and continues to Knoxville, Tenn., on April 22, Chattanooga, Tenn., on April 23 and Birmingham, Ala., on April 26. The tour's 11-date run in Europe follows in May.

The duo will be joined on stage by producer and musician T Bone Burnett. Tickets for the April U.S. dates go on sale Jan. 25. A longer run of North American shows is planned for June and July, but dates and details have not yet been announced.

The Plant/Krauss trek, long in the works, would likely complicate the scheduling of a potential full Led Zeppelin tour, which has been widely speculated following the legendary band's one-off December reunion concert in London.

"Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)," the single from "Raising Sand," is currently up for a best pop collaboration with vocals Grammy. The album bowed at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 in October.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003698839

[2008.01.15] Led Zeppelin pics uncovered after thirty years

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

It was 1972, and the world's biggest band of the time, Led Zeppelin, was due to play at the Sydney Showground. No-one was to know it would become one of the great concerts, and thankfully, photographer Ted Harvey was there to capture the moment. But the discovery of these images seems more a result of 'accidental archiving'.

Ted came across his extraordinary images three years ago when he conducted a search of his many rock music photographs when someone enquired about his work as a freelance photographer in the 1970's.

Ted had photographed the likes of Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple and Cat Stevens. After he took these shots of Led Zeppelin in Sydney, he met the band and enjoyed a stroll in Kings Cross with Robert Plant. He recalls Plant started to sing at the top of his lungs without a passer by seeming to notice! Now based in the Northern Rivers, Harvey has fond memories of the Zeppelin concert that Sunday 27 February, 1972.

"I drove my van around to the back of the stage, parked and walked to the front. I was surprised I seemed to be the only press photographer there."

Ted literally had front row seats with the rest of the crowd distanced from the stage behind a concrete barrier. I had free movement around the stage, great for picture taking!"

He captured this historic moment on film but the images were never sold because of a pay dispute with a magazine. The images were eventually forgotten about and misplaced until early 2005.

"A friend of mine kept telling me he wanted to see the Led Zeppelin photos so I had a big search. I was just looking though some storage and actually found the negatives, I was quite shocked to find them and immediately scanned them and printed them up."

"No one, apart from the Zeppelin band members, had seen the photos. I thought others might like to relive the memories of an era that will never be repeated."

Led Zeppelin played the Sydney Showground in an extraordinary three-hour concert on an otherwise-sleepy February Sunday afternoon, their only-ever Sydney gig. Officially, there were 28,000 fans attending, though it was more like 38,000 as 'lots of people climbed the fence'.

It was a record crowd for the era. Despite the millions of albums sold and record breaking tours at the peak of their success, Led Zeppelin shunned media attention. Notoriously camera-shy the band were almost inaccessible to the media and few photographs of their live performances exist.

Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant said Ted Harvey's images are the best ever taken of the band.

In exhibiting this works, Harvey hopes to raise awareness for Rockphoto aid – helping to support children who live in extreme poverty in Brazil, a project he and his wife are committed to.

Led Zeppelin continue to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success, and broad influence. The band have sold more than 300 million albums worldwide and recently played a reform concert in the UK.

The exhibition also presents responses from contemporary artists Adam Cullen, Nicholas Harding, Geoff Harvey, Euan Macleod, Lucille Martin, Alan Jones, Craig Waddell, Chris O’Doherty (aka Reg Mombassa), Danius Kesminas and Gareth Samson.

The photographs were first exhibited in an exhibition called 'One Night Stand' at the Lismore Regional Art Gallery.

The exhibition opens January 19 to March 2, 2008 at the S.H. Ervin Gallery, National Trust of Australia.

http://www.abc.net.au/sydney/stories/s2137992.htm?sydney

[2008.01.15] Robert Plant And Alison Krauss: 'CMT Crossroads' To Premiere Next Month

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Led Zeppelin frontman and legendary rocker Robert Plant and bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss share the stage performing their own classics as well as songs from their new album, "Raising Sand", in the next all-new episode of "CMT Crossroads: Robert Plant And Alison Krauss", premiering Monday, February 11 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Plant and Krauss were recently nominated for a Grammy in the category of "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" for the song "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" from "Raising Sand".

Together, Plant and Krauss combine his rock intensity with her angelic grace for a phenomenal episode of "CMT Crossroads". The two music icons perform songs from their new album, including "Please Read the Letter" and "Rich Woman". The pair performed Alison Krauss and Union Station's "The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn", as well as Led Zeppelin classics "Black Dog" and "When the Levee Breaks". The pair also pay homage to The Everly Brothers with their version of "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)". Special guest T Bone Burnett, acclaimed songwriter, performer and "Raising Sand" producer, joins in the onstage collaboration.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=88458

[2008.01.14] New Robert Plant book release date to move forward

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

UK-based journalist Neil Daniels' book on Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, "Robert Plant: Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page & The Solo Years" (Independent Music Press), has had its release date moved forward to January 31 from the previously announced February 28.

The book is based on interviews with many of those who knew Plant throughout his career, including childhood friends, and will cover Plant's post-Led Zeppelin career as well as his time in the influential rock band.

For the first time, Plant's solo years, famously working with his former Led Zep cohort Jimmy Page, numerous guest appearances and on his own material, are covered in depth in a complete rock biography. The book also places Plant's later work in the wider context of both Led Zep's own legacy and the broader history of modern music.

This is the very first book to tell the complete story of an enthusiastic young kid from the West Midlands who belied his humble blues roots and defied his stern parents by becoming one of the world's most recognizable and iconic rock superstars. This biography brings his career slap-bang up-to-date covering his latest album "Raising Sand" with the revered bluegrass singer Alison Krauss and the highly-publicized Led Zeppelin reunion in December 2007. For more information, visit www.neildaniels.com.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=88394

[2008.01.14] Plant and Krauss Receive Grammy Nomination

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Even though Raising Sand was not eligible this year as an album, the single "Gone Gone Gone" was released early enough to be eligible. It has been nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocal.

The list for this category:
"Steppin' Out" -- Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera
"Beautiful Liar" -- Beyoncé & Shakira
"Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" -- Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
"The Sweet Escape" -- Gwen Stefani & Akon
"Give It To Me" -- Timbaland Featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake

The Grammy Awards show will take place on February 10, 2008 in Los Angeles.

http://www.tblweb.com/

[2008.01.10] Special 'Bonham To Bonham' Interview in DRUM NAMM! magazine

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Enter Music Publishing, publishers of diverse, hip drum/percussion magazines, such as DRUM! DRUM! Interactive, TRAPS and HOW TO PLAY DRUMS, has made available its February 2008 DRUM! Special NAMM (National Association of Music Merchandisers) Show Issue. It features an innovative tribute the drumming legacy of John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) including a joint interview involving John and his son Jason.

The interview (printed in a special minibook bound into the issue) celebrates the compelling 40-year old hold that John Bonham has made on the imaginations of drummers worldwide, and his son Jason's recent powerful performances with the reunited Led Zep.

Since John passed away in 1978 (Jeff note: "Oi!") it's logical to ask how one could interview the father and son together. This editorial sleight-of-hand was accomplished by asking Jason and John the same interview questions twenty years apart. Back in 1993, DRUM! Editor Andy Doerschuk conceived the double interview between Jason and John Bonham. He asked Jason the exact same questions that John had answered in an interview twenty years before, and then published the answers side by side. The editorial result was both compelling and prescient. Though Jason had performed once with the remaining members of Zeppelin in 1988, no one knew then that in 2008 that Bonham Jr. would take over his father's chair with Led Zeppelin. The original John and Jason interview has been updated and re-edited for this special issue.

http://www.huliq.com/46949/enter-music-publishing-paradiddles-namm-special-bonham-bonham-interview

[2008.01.09] Led Zeppelin: New Verizon Commercial Posted Online

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Advertising Age has posted a new McCann-produced TV commercial promoting the tie-in between Led Zeppelin and Verizon.

Watch it at this location.

According to AdAge.com, the spot, highlighting Verizon's deal to bring their customers the band's recently re-released digital catalog, cleverly features scenes, symbols and characters from LED ZEPPELIN's history, including album covers, concert posters, equipment, symbols and people. The song "Kashmir", from the album "Physical Graffiti", plays as the commercial's main character travels down the street, headphones on, listening to the song. He walks past a tattoo shop with the classic LED ZEPPELIN symbols (from "IV") on display in the window, past a girl with the symbols tattooed on her back, past a LED ZEPPELIN poster on a contractor's building board and past a character with a bundle of sticks on his back, as featured on the front of the album cover for "IV". At the end of the commercial the main character walks into the building featured on the cover of "Physical Graffiti".

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=88109

[2008.01.09] Led Zep Bassist Looks Back On Reunion Concert

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

David Fricke of RollingStone.com recently conducted an interview with Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

RollingStone.com: What were your feelings the day of the show, in the hours before you went on stage?

John Paul Jones: I tried to keep the enormity of it all as far away as possible, until the last minute. I sat around playing banjo all day. It calms me down. For every show we've ever done, there is always hype, expectancy. For us, it was just "Let's get on and do it." Obviously, it was quite a reception when we did get out there.

RollingStone.com: There was a dramatic quality to opening with "Good Times Bad Times", the first song on Led Zeppelin's first album.

John Paul Jones: That's the hardest riff I ever wrote, the hardest to play. But it was a good starter, because everybody had to focus. We soon figured out in rehearsals what the first three numbers would be ("Good Times Bad Times", "Ramble On", "Black Dog") and that we would play them straight through.

What gave us confidence was the week before [the show], we did a full production rehearsal, with the full screen set up. That was really good. It was a smaller room, and you could hear everything, which is the only thing I regret about those stadiums, you don't hear all of the subtleties. The groove is much tighter in the small room. I can only wish we could play 2000 seaters forever, because that's where it sounds great. But the excitement was there on stage [at the O2 arena], as it was in the old days.

RollingStone.com: At soundcheck, I was surprised to hear you, Jimmy Page and Jason Bonham play instrumental versions of "Good Times Bad Times" and "Ramble On". It was like hearing ZEPPELIN in dub, the subtleties and interplay that go into the background when Robert Plant sings over them.

John Paul Jones: He didn't do that much singing in rehearsal. Robert wanted to protect his voice. We did a lot of the songs instrumentally for quite awhile, especially when he was out doing promotion [for "Raising Sand", Plant's hit album with Alison Krauss]. And it was really good for us. It was us getting used to each other, which you have to do in order to bring this off. You want to be tight. But I like to be free in what I do. I hardly ever play the same bass line twice. Even in songs where it's mapped out, like "Good Times Bad Times", I swap it around a little bit. We all enjoy the freedom to do that. In order to have that freedom, you have to know each other so well.

RollingStone.com: How would you describe Jason's playing during the show? He was very much his father's son.

John Paul Jones: A lot of the fills were not what his dad did at all. He's as fearless as his dad, that's for sure [laughs]. But he did an amazing job, when you consider that he had to answer to every drummer in the world after that show. With that sort of pressure, to bring all that off was astonishing. "Kashmir" was absolutely wonderful, the way he led in and out of the choruses and bridges.

Read the entire interview at RollingStone.com.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=88098

[2008.01.08] Average Ticket Price For Reunion Show: $14,700

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

The loud and proud return of Led Zeppelin was the most lucrative event of the year for the touts and fans at the centre of a heated row over the resale of tickets online, according to figures published yesterday.

One of the leading online ticket resellers, Seatwave, said the average price for tickets sold through the site for Led Zeppelin's comeback gig at London's O2 arena was £7,425.

Online resellers have effectively created a rolling market for high-profile gigs and sporting events.

There is no legislation covering the resale of concert tickets and sporting events other than football matches but the culture, media and sport select committee will this week release a hotly anticipated report on the matter.

Desperate Led Zeppelin fans were willing to risk thousands on tickets sold through sites such as Seatwave. The tickets had a face value of £125.

The figures reveal that boxer Ricky Hatton's much-hyped bout with Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas was the second most popular event for users of the site, with tickets going for up to £3,050.

Dedicated resale sites such as Seatwave and Viagogo, as well as established online retailers such as eBay, have angered artists, managers and promoters who say they are profiting from online touting. But those behind the sites say the vast majority of their customers are legitimate fans.

The live music market is now worth more than £743m a year, and the online ticket resale market alone is worth an estimated £200m a year.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/08/internet.ebay?gusrc=rss&feed=technology

[2008.01.08] Sky's The Limit For Led Zep

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0600

While the music business and international media continue the "will they or won't they tour the world" debate, Harvey Goldsmith - the promoter of Led Zeppelin's December 10 reunion show in London - says the band's earning capacity is unlimited.

But Goldsmith, who was awarded the MBE for his services to music and charity, doesn't believe what The Times described as "a whole lotta loot" will be the motivating factor.

"Basically, the sky's the limit," he told Pollstar, without revealing if he's among the promoters who, according to The Times, are "structuring bids in the form of a large upfront payment to lure the band to their venues."

The paper reported that Led Zep is "being pursued with offers from both Live Nation and AEG," and claimed the latter put in an offer immediately after the London show, although it admitted it couldn't verify that info.

But Goldsmith reckons some creative thinking is more likely to win the day.

"They are one of the few bands around that do not need to tour for money," he explained.

"Not much point in talking hypothetically. Led Zeppelin committed to playing one show for Ahmet [Ertegun]. That was it," he explained, as if dismissing any question of his own future involvement.

"If they decided to go onwards there are so many different ways to reach an audience. Money is not the driver.

"Therefore, what would be important is creating an environment that worked both for band and audience. That would need a lot of creative thinking with the band's input being paramount."

If Live Nation or AEG is about to stump up "well over £100 million," which is where The Times is pitching the act's potential earnings, then they're not letting on.

"I wouldn't presume to have any knowledge or info on this," was LN head of global touring Arthur Fogel's reaction to his company's mention in The Times piece. However, he did admit to having thought about it.

Having persuaded The Police to reunite and take to the road again would suggest that producing a world tour for Led Zeppelin would be right up his street.

Anyone trying to prognosticate whether Live Nation is about to table a bid may be left feeling a little dazed and confused. While Fogel said he didn't profess to speak for Live Nation colleague Michael Cohl when talking about Led Zeppelin, Cohl himself is saying nothing.

AEG Live President Randy Phillips, who was at the London show, is clearly a fan and would love to promote a tour.

"Standing on the floor of the O2 Arena, I closed my eyes and felt like I was in college studying for finals again," he told Pollstar.

"As far as making an offer for a world tour that night, this never happened. I was told that the group are going to meet again in January to decide whether this was a one-off or if they will want to do more performances.

"Needless to say, if they decide to do more I would be honoured to be invited to make a proposal to be their tour promoter."

Live Nation's Los Angeles-based rival is seen as the other main contender by one or two of the U.K.'s serious papers, although Cohl will likely also have considered the fact the act doesn't have a record deal.

As head of Artist Nation he now has an infrastructure to deliver a tour and record contract, as the company has recently done with Madonna.

The will they/won't they debate may even be turning into a can they/can't they question as singer Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are set to tour in the spring.

Most of Europe, apart from non-qualifying countries including all those in the U.K., is also likely to be more focused on the continent's major soccer competition during the summer.

However, according to the Daily Star, the tour is definitely on and the act is already looking at playing Cardiff Millennium Stadium. It quotes Welsh Rugby Union chief exec Roger Lewis as saying, "We would love to welcome Led Zeppelin and we have already put in a request to Harvey Goldsmith." Only time will tell if he's talking to the right person.

http://www.pollstar.com/news/viewnews.pl?NewsID=9078