In his excellent 2011 Led Zeppelin biography When Giants Walked The Earth<\/i>, Mick Wall writes that he enjoyed the 2007 reunion show but probably would not pay to see the band again.<\/p>\n
In the liner notes to Celebration Day<\/i>, the two CD chronicle of that show, singer Robert Plant writes that, among the reasons for this one-off reunion, the show could \u201cdo justice to meaning and expectation\u2026anticipation and hype are not sensitive bedfellows.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both philosophies are important heading into this show, which was recorded and filmed at the O2 arena in London as part of the tribute concert to Atlantic Records honcho Ahmet Ertegun, Atlantic being Zeppelin\u2019s record label from 1968-75, when they were perhaps the biggest band in the world. Fondly remembered by seemingly every musician signed to the label, Ahmet was an influence and champion of music; as Plant describes it, he spent \u201c30 years shaping taste for aspiring musicians.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is as good a reason as any for a reunion show, although for salivating fans, any reason will do. Other than a couple of subpar one-off shows in the \u201880s, there has never been any sort of real Zeppelin reunion since drummer John Bonham\u2019s death in 1980. This has only deepened the mystique and strength of the band\u2019s music and persona; unlike most other bands, Zeppelin has not sullied their name by playing the same old hits, adding new members, touring into their sixties, and trying to record new music that captures the old spirit but ends up defiling it.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not for lack of trying on guitarist Jimmy Page\u2019s part, as Wall\u2019s biography makes clear, but more a reluctance on Plant\u2019s part. He has spoken often about not wanting to sing the same old songs and have the same public image. True to his (and the Zeppelin) spirit, he has forged a solo path with music unafraid to take chances, to be different, to draw on different styles and moods. The Raising Sand <\/i>collaboration with Alison Krauss further confirmed this, and for a while it looked as if a Zeppelin reunion would never happen. The closest we came was the 1994 acoustic No Quarter <\/i>show, which was a Plant\/Page reunion only and which showed a different side to the Zeppelin catalog.<\/p>\n
But the fans continued asking, wishing, hoping, and the show finally came to pass, with Bonham\u2019s son Jason filling in on drums. It was pretty much understood this would be one show only instead of the lead to a tour or new album, which means this show had to not only be fantastic in its own right, but it had to live up to 27 years of fan expectations and a back catalog of some of the best rock music ever made. Strange bedfellows, indeed.<\/p>\n
Pretty much every major Zeppelin song is here, with the vast majority taken from the first five albums, three from Physical Graffiti <\/i>and two from Presence<\/i>. The only real surprise is \u201cFor Your Life,\u201d which has never been played live \u2013 a risky move, but the guys do the song justice. The rest is hard and heavy, emphasizing mood and power over speed; this means there is nothing acoustic, nothing fast like \u201cImmigrant Song,\u201d and nothing from In Through The Out Door <\/i>or Led Zeppelin III <\/i>save \u201cSince I\u2019ve Been Loving You.\u201d <\/p>\n
Yet more than any heavy rock band, Zeppelin is able to create and sustain a mood and a groove in nearly every song, no matter how hard or complex, and a wised-up band with decades of life is able to add gravitas to a performance, instead of a youthful swagger. This means Page doesn\u2019t take long or flashy solos, Plant doesn\u2019t hit all the high notes or all the fill-in words during verses, and Jones keeps his bass and keyboard playing within the confines of what the song requires. <\/p>\n
Jones, in fact, anchors many of the songs and provides many of the best moments here, proving that Zeppelin isn\u2019t a true band without him. His piano on \u201cNo Quarter\u201d is sublime, more knowing and earthy than the version on The Song Remains The Same<\/i>, while his keyboards on \u201cTrampled Under Foot\u201d trade places with Page\u2019s liquid fills in a battle to the finish; the song is a moment you hope never ends, and it always has been, and it always will be, regardless of the version.<\/p>\n
The show starts a bit slow with a slowed-down, lackluster \u201cGood Times Bad Times\u201d and a subdued \u201cRamble On,\u201d but picks up with \u201cBlack Dog\u201d and the long blues of \u201cIn My Time Of Dying.\u201d As expected given the band\u2019s age, every song is pitched in a lower key and slowed down a bit, which hinders some of the songs but doesn\u2019t affect most, once you get used to it. This was likely done to accommodate Plant\u2019s voice, which has lost some of its high range (obviously), yet to compensate the singer portrays a husky gravity befitting an old bluesman. <\/p>\n
There are times when Plant doesn\u2019t seem too invested in the songs, speeding up certain phrases and leaving out some words altogether, but these moments are seldom. To Page\u2019s delight, Plant consented to sing \u201cStairway To Heaven\u201d without fanfare and in the middle of the show, but he brings the song his all. <\/p>\n
Page remains the star and proves he hasn\u2019t lost a step with age, veering from the solos on the longer blues numbers to the power of \u201cRock And Roll\u201d and \u201cThe Song Remains The Same\u201d to the groove on \u201cMisty Mountain Hop.\u201d It is rewarding to hear the original band play \u201cKashmir\u201d and \u201cDazed And Confused.\u201d The latter is the only time Page gives in to his showy impulses, but it doesn\u2019t last long, and you\u2019ll forget about it when the whole band kicks in at the seven\u00a0 minute mark.<\/p>\n
Celebration Day <\/i>ends up fulfilling its promise, serving as a fantastic concert, a treat for fans and a vindication that, despite the pressure, the old Zeppelin magic is still alive in the songs and interplay between band members. And when it\u2019s over, the listener is left with a sort of final satisfaction, such as the one akin to reading the epilogue of a favorite book. You don\u2019t need to read any more. The story is finished.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":31293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"artist":[5700],"rating":[5617],"class_list":["post-42988","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-led-zeppelin","rating-rating-b-plus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42988"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42988\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42988"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=42988"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=42988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}