I was planning on doing a Jazz post this evening, but the week’s biggest musical news — the one-night only reunion concert by Led Zep — had to take precedence.
What’s that you say? One night only?
Unfortunately, it is true: Robert Plant, not Zeppelin, is touring in May 08 with album mate Allison Kraus.
As previously mentioned, I am an enormous Led Zep fan. However, despite having seen a bazillion concerts, to my everlasting regret, I never managed to see Zep live.
This was going to be my big chance.
To make matter worse, the reviews from the show in London have been spectacular:
• Led Zeppelin’s Rocking Return (WSJ)
• Led Zeppelin Finds Its Old Power (NYT)
• Led Zeppelin Reunion Wows London (Bloomberg)
• Led Zeppelin rocks again in London (LAT)
You get the idea.
While a tour seems to be on hold (at least for now), Zep’s album sales have skyrocketed in the UK: Music retailer HMV also revealed that sales of Led Zeppelin’s Mothership 2CD/1DVD, Led Zeppelin’s recent compilation album, rose by 50% overnight following the gig. Mothership was the biggest selling album in HMV stores in the UK on December 11.
And, the rest of the band’s album sales were up 500%, as fans snapped up the back catalogue after O2 Arena show, according to music site NME.
When old meets new, you can expect snafus, and this "happening" was not without a curious one: Zeppelin’s reunion concert clips were inadvertently pulled from YouTube; It turns out that an Anti-Piracy firm had the Zeppelin reunion videos removed "by mistake."
As always, videos after the jump.
– Led Zeppelin Official Site
– Every concert set list from every Zep live show. ever.
– Reunion Announcement
– Wikipedia entry
There are lots more on YouTube, but these had acceptable sound quality.
Good Times, Bad Times
Black Dog
Kashmir
Over The Hills And Far Away Music
Jimmy Page’s 20 Greatest Led Zeppelin Studio Solos
click for Hey, hey, baby, when you walk that way,
Watch your honey drip, cant keep away
~~~
Led Zeppelin redefined rock in the Seventies and for all time. They were as influential in that decade as the Beatles were in the prior one. Their impact extends to classic and alternative rockers alike. Then and now, Led Zeppelin looms larger than life on the rock landscape as a band for the ages with an almost mystical power to evoke primal passions.
– from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s web page on the band s 1995 induction
Disc: 1
1. Good Times Bad Times
2. Communication Breakdown
3. Dazed and Confused
4. Babe I’m Gonna Leave Yous
5. Whole Lotta Love
6. Ramble On
7. Heartbreaker
8. Immigrant Song
9. Since I’ve Been Loving You
10. Rock and Roll
11. Black Dog
12. When The Levee Breaks
13. Stairway To Heaven
Disc: 2
1. Song Remains The Same
2. Over The Hills And Far Away
3. D’Yer Maker
4. No Quarter
5. Trampled Under Foot
6. Houses Of The Holy
7. Kashmir
8. Nobody’s Fault But Mine
9. Achilles Last Stand
10. In The Evening
11. All My Love
Disc: 3
1. We’re Gonna Groove
2. I Can’t Quit You Babe (DVD)
3. Dazed & Confused (DVD)
4. White Summer (DVD)
5. What Is & What Should Never Be (DVD)
6. Moby Dick (DVD)
7. Whole Lotta Love
8. Communication Breakdown
9. Bring It On Home
10. Immigrant Song
11. Black Dog
12. Misty Mountain Hop
13. Going To California
14. In My Time Of Dying
15. Stairway To Heaven
16. Rock and Roll
17. Nobody’s Fault But Mine
18. Kashmir
19. Whole Lotta Love(DVD)
I guess great minds think alike…
My weekend post centers on the “philosophy of Led Zeppelin.”
Check it out for some great “philosophy” in Led Zep’s lyrics…
http://financialphilosopher.typepad.com/thefinancialphilosopher/2007/12/weekend-wisdo-1.html
By the way, Mothership is outstanding! I “won” it in a music store raffle!
I already have the box set and Mothership is perfect for my car…
I am not a huge Zeppelin fan, but the song “No Quarter” always gives me the chills and is my favorite. Friday rock blogging rules!
I’ve always known Led Zeppelin is great at rock however, I am not a huge fan.
I heard/saw the youtube clips – my expectations are always high – and they met them. From my views of videos of past and present, looks like a minimum A- show from them. Which is pretty great. Would like to hear from those who saw them back in the day. I didn’t know Ramble On would work, and yes, No Quarter is great. Check out the ’73 NQ on You Tube.
July 27, 1969
Seattle / United States / Goldcreek Park (Seattle Pop Festival)
Yes! My mom dropped me off. Didn’t have license yet.
…and who else remembers lyin in bed with a beautiful girl while ‘Stairway to Heaven’ plays on the stereo…
I’m a BFA Degreed Theatrical Designer/Technician, and an IATSE Union Stagehand. Based on these audience cam videos of the show, I say that anyone who said the show was spectacular was paid to say it. Here are three of the best audience cam videos of the show:
Opening, “Good Times, Bad Times” | Kashmir | STH (Play Stairway To Heaven, Man!!!) made by audience viewers. There are plenty of others out there, already, these were the best– IMHO.
Considering their sizable (nearly unlimited) available budget, they delivered:
-Shitty lighting.
-Non-existent staging. Too much empty stage. No spectacle.
-No backing musicians/orchestra. Someone needed to keep them on-tempo.
-Bad Production video.
-Bad visuals.
-What’s up with that audio array? Feedback during Stairway To Heaven???
-Bad production values overall. Even for English standards.
OK. I **Think** that they were trying to recreate their first US show in Tampa… IIRC, YOU posted the “Grateful Dead Inflation rating” a few months back. Based on THAT, I say that Led Zepp needs to call this a “One-Off,” take their gains, and Plant should be happy to come tour with Alison Krauss. That tour will be something to get excited about seeing; and a non-starting Led Zepp Tour will be better for everyone. Do we REALLY need to establish a $300 rock and roll show ticket? Really???
Barry, Your good headphones, the cd box set, a pleasantly darked room, and some good mushrooms are all you need, and I’ll GUARANTEE the audio and the visuals will be vastly better than what you’d pay an ungodly amount of money to see if they bring THIS product to America.
I promise you.
–Monkeyfister
ps. I’m sorry that I took your Writers Union post wrong. I should have known better, and I’m trying to make up for it with this post. As you are vastly qualified to analyze the Markets, I believe that I am equally qualified to analyze live entertainment with equally fuzzy data. Trust me on this… Just look at the evidence. In the STH video, the Stage Left audio array is swinging back and forth— there is feedback, and they fall completely out of tempo… Page barely walks through the song. Very shoddy for their level of budgeting and expected performance. Back when they were a bunch of drugged-out drunks, a performance like this might have been acceptable, but now? I don’t think so.
:)
Cheers!
My over all review based on these three videos… Just to be fair…
http://monkeyfister.blogspot.com/2007/12/led-zepplin-2007-reunion-ummmmmm.html
–mf
with the exception of “kashmir” i never much cared for zep, but really, barry: the historic mission of rock music is to epateur the bourgeois, not to entertain wealthy people who want to prove they have street cred.
i’ll give the band some credit for doing this show for a worthy cause – a scholarship fund in the memory of the great ahmet ertegun – but basically, there was a reason that punk rock came along, and a zeppelin reunion reminds us what it was….
love that blog monkeyF. It’s filled with attitude. If you’re not big yet you probably will be soon. Boondock’s Christmas was a hoot!
Monkeyfister, funny, I know actual musicians who play music who thought they were tight.
You’re just a blowhard. And backup singers? To keep rhythm? You have no idea what you’re talking about. Are you also on drugs? Also, you didn’t say what you thought of Page’s hair and Jones’ pants. Let us know ASAP.
Funny remembering the Zep skit on Kids in the Hall:
Giant Mark Mckinney drag girlfriend defended by tiny boyfriend Bruce. But Bruce can’t fight for the honor of girlfriend Mark – once a reference to Zep is made by enemy. Bruce’s face contorts and – hugs his enemy learning he is a Zep fan, “Buds for life!”
How can you guys listen to the Led Zepps they are crapppp!!! Now I listen to Red Garland, Oscar Peterson, YO YO Ma,
etc., Jazz and classical thats where its at guys. I trade, make money, attend rehearsals of a great orchestra. Wish I could be a professional musican (tin ear) so thats out all I can do is drink good wine and make money!!! Educated at Harry’s that the place to learn how to make money!!!GO BROWNS
XM 59 is now all Led Zep. Check to see if DirecTV has this channel.