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Denials begin to surface on reports of Led Zeppelin tour without Robert Plant

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Some reporters, following up on rumors of a possible Led Zeppelin reunion in the works with Robert Plant being replaced, are saying they are being told that is not what is going to happen.

OK, now pay attention. What exactly are they being told is either not possible or hasn't been confirmed?

Jason Gregory, who has been pursuing Led Zeppelin reunion rumors for Gigwise, writes that he obtained such a statement when speaking on background with a source connected to American singer-guitarist Jack White. The source, said to have spoken on condition of anonymity, told Gregory, "I do not believe you can have a band called Led Zeppelin, singing Zeppelin songs, without Plant."

Gregory writes that the comment was designed by White's camp to distance the singer from speculation that he could be taking Plant's place in a reunited Led Zeppelin. That's one way of looking at it. Another way says that a band could be in the works that would not be called Led Zeppelin.

Anonymity was also invoked when MTV News reporter Chris Harris had an insider address the issue of a reunion, as he reports. Harris writes that "a source close to Led Zeppelin" denied press reports of a Led Zeppelin reunion with Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge on vocals instead of Plant. As quoted in the news item, the source tells Harris, "They are just rumors. Nothing has been confirmed at all. There's been no talk of a Zeppelin tour!"

Harris seems to interpret that as a denial of Kennedy's involvement in rehearsals with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham. The reporter seems to dismiss the idea of the Alter Bridge singer joining the members of Led Zeppelin based on it being such a remote possibility and utterly far-fetched.

Harris first doesn't realize that the insider who gave him that quote could have been more accurately identified as a source close to Page, a source close to Jones, a source close to Bonham, or whatever the case may be. Led Zeppelin isn't a working band per se, so its people are working with the individual people who were members of that band when it existed. R-r-right?

In the same way, the source's comment that there is "no talk of a Zeppelin tour" has the same ring to it as the statement from White's camp to Gigwise. A band could be forming with Kennedy or White on vocals, and that much of the rumor would be true. But the rumor can be dismissed as false because they're addressing the possibility of that resulting band being called Led Zeppelin.

Hmmmm. I'm seeing a pattern here. Ask about a band called Led Zeppelin with a singer other than Plant, and you get the answer that it's not going to happen.

Then what about the crux of the rumors, that Page, Jones and Bonham have been doing something together to bide the time while Plant was unavailable? Take your band called Led Zeppelin out of the equation, and you might be on to something!

Maybe these reporters ought to go back to their respective sources and ask the question over again but this time not attach the name Led Zeppelin to it. See if the answer changes!

Incidentally, Harris of MTV News also notes that "Kennedy is not available for a five-minute phone interview." He even tried to contact the people surrounding Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider, who last week was shown online explaining that Kennedy had been rehearsing with Page, Jones and Bonham and would be singing on tour with them if Plant did not want to. No call back from Snider's folks, Harris writes.

An interview with Plant and Alison Krauss aired this weekend on the CBS News program "Sunday Morning." It was recorded over a month ago, while the two were in New York on their tour, and it included Plant blowing off a question about whether he would reunite with Led Zeppelin.

When asked the question, Plant first jokingly attempted to change the subject by commenting on the look of interviewer Katie Couric. He then provided the answer that a Zeppelin reunion was so far from his mind while touring with Krauss that he didn't even have the time to ponder the idea.

Since then, Plant issued a statement in the tour's closing days that he would not participate in a Led Zeppelin reunion tour or any tour, or even record with Led Zeppelin, for the next two years.

12 comments:

solerso said...

May Robert Plants cock fall off.

Steve Sauer said...

Hahaha! What would that ever accomplish?

Anonymous said...

Satisfaction from millions of dissapointed fans?

Nuvo911

solerso said...

What does refusing to accept the responsibility of ones own most important work accomplish? what does doing nothing accomplish?At least plants noodle falling off would contribute in some small way to the need of the universe to return to a highly dipersed energy state.AND it would be more entertaining than that absysmal, boring, derivative "raising sand" affront.

Anonymous said...

Let's just face it, Plant could give a Rat's ass about us, his fans.

Maybe, finally there will be a fan revolt against him and he will find out that most of the fans that were supporting his solo stuff were just Led Zep fans hoping and craving for thank you tour.

His next record sales will probably tell.

Nuvo911

Anonymous said...

Steve,

I just watched the clip from the CBS morning show.. So Robert Planet does not know who that guy was. I'll tell you this he will know the * replacement guy* soon enough.. He's a A Hole.. But,As you know I saw Led Zeppelin 11 times, I feel bad for all those who did not..

Rich ( MSG.73.75.77) And the The World Premier of TSRTS at Cinema One Oct.20.1976

Steve Sauer said...

I never attended a Led Zeppelin concert. I was too young to go to any of their shows on the other side of the planet during the first year of my life.

I also never met Sir Isaac Newton, who lived before me. Sure, I'd like to, but it never was possible.

I've never met Bob Barker, who's still alive, and perhaps I never will. He lives far away, and now that he's not hosting a game show anymore, the chance of meeting him has severely diminished.

I never witnessed firsthand the fall of the Berlin Wall, nor did I step foot on the moon. I just wasn't in the right place at the right time.

I may never meet my great-great-grandchildren. If I even have any someday, I might be gone before I have a chance to meet them.

I'm not going to go out and start assigning blame to anyone for these unfortunate circumstances. They're beyond my control.

Led Zeppelin may never reunite again and give me and millions of others another chance to see them perform, and it doesn't really matter to me "Who's to Blame."

solerso said...

Steve, im with you. I pledge never to post about robert plant again. I think the conversation should move away from him. He will be happy, and so will the rest of us who wont have to endure his bizzare put downs and derogatory comments about Led Zeppelin and their fans. I dont know if they will ever play again as Led Zeppelin, but i am CERTAIN, they could excell without their former singer, and if they choose to, i will be listening with an open mind.

Anonymous said...

Terry Reid...Terry Reid...Terry Reid...Terry Reid...Terry Reid...Terry Reid...Terry Reid...Terry Reid...Terry Reid...

solerso said...

Hey annoymous terry reid fan althought this is an old post if your out there, i have to say i just checked out the old boy on you tube and all i can say is DAMN! he sounds like he did in 1970(Unlike another singer we know!), hasnt lost a note. although, he LOOKS as though hes been at the bottle pretty hard for the last 40 years. i would agree with you that reid could EASILY, sing ANY zeppelin, as good or BETTER than plant, EVEN TODAY, but im concerned about his health.

Steve Sauer said...

A reader named Laura wrote me the following on Oct. 14 after reading my entry here:

I'm an FBO lurker and frequent reader of your blog. Bravo - I totally agree with today's comments: in fact, I posted much the same thing yesterday on Planet Zeppelin.

[She then quoted the MTV story, which said: "... But a source close to Led Zeppelin — who spoke to me on condition of anonymity — said, 'They are just rumors. Nothing has been confirmed at all. There's been no talk of a Zeppelin tour!'" Laura continued.]

Can these people not ask the right questions, or if they asked it report it that way? "Are there any plans for JP, JPJ, JB to make new music and/or tour together?" "Will there be a new singer?"

Asking questions within the framework of Zeppelin makes them very easy to deny.

[She then stopped quoting her post to Planet Zeppelin and continued writing to me as follows.]

Ask the wrong question, you don't get the right answer: I learned that in High School journalism class but apparently others skipped that lesson. I do have one tiny observation about today's blog: Robert's website statement didn't say "he would not" participate. It actually says "Robert has no intention whatsoever of touring with anyone for at least the next two years." If you're looking for nuanced meaning in one place, you probably need to apply it everywhere. As they say, hell is paved with good intentions! Just my .02, but "I won't" seems a LOT stronger statement with far less wiggle room than "I don't intend to." Robert has shown time again his mastery of the subtleties of language and I'm sure that statement wasn't crafted in five minutes on the eighth cocktail napkin! I'm pretty sure the wiggle room is there on purpose.

Keep up the great observations and thanks for all you do for the community!

Laura

solerso said...

Steve your correspondent Laura made a couple good points. Although to me, she is making the same "glass half full" statements that all the plant true beleivers make, right after they damn even the possibility of zeppelin without plant.(what if -plant died tomorrow?) I read the same entry at Mtv, it focused mainly on plants statement, followed up with the comment she quoted "from a source close to the band". I dont believe ANY of those statements anymore, and i doubt anyone else should either. for myself, im tired of looking for "nuanced meanings". i wish some favorite musicians of mine would stop acting like politicians. JpJ is making an appearnce at Mansons in London the 25th and 26th, maybe he will answer the question directly.

Led Zeppelin Reunion


Photo courtesy of Simon Keeping

The surviving members of Led Zeppelin regrouped in 2007, with Jason Bonham on drums, to perform a year-end tribute to Ahmet Ertegun. Their widely praised concert was witnessed in person by fewer than 20,000 people. It is likely never to be repeated, and there are no announced plans to release the concert for home viewing. However, clicking the image above will bring up multi-cam footage of the entire Led Zeppelin performance as it happened on Dec. 10, 2007, at the O2 arena in London.

Many posts on LedZeppelinNews.com have centered on the possibility of a full-scale Led Zeppelin reunion, noting particularly the inaccuracies reported by the popular press.

Page


Jimmy Page stars with fellow guitarists Jack White and The Edge in this guitar documentary, directed by Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth"), which had widespread theatrical showings beginning in August.

LedZeppelinNews.com provided a review of "It Might Get Loud" at that time.

"It Might Get Loud" will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on Dec. 22 in the United States. Click here to pre-order on DVD or Blu-Ray. Prior to this, "It Might Get Loud" will be available on iTunes for two weeks beginning Dec. 8.

- What else should I know about "It Might Get Loud"?

- What else is Jimmy Page up to?

Plant


Just prior to the Led Zeppelin reunion concert in 2007, Robert Plant released the album Raising Sand with Alison Krauss. Their partnership has been the subject of much critical and commercial success, including victories at the Grammy awards two years in a row.

A follow-up to that album has been in pre-production, but Krauss's current priorities are new recordings and eventual touring with her signature band, Union Station. Progress on the second Plant/Krauss album is anticipated following the completion of the Union Station tour.

More recently, Plant entered the studio with famed U2 producer Daniel Lanois for some recording sessions, the nature of which has not been disclosed.

Following the breakup of Led Zeppelin, Plant went on to a rewarding career as a solo artist. He released six albums of his own between 1982 and 1993, two collaborative albums with Jimmy Page between 1994 and 1998, and two more solo albums since that time. Yet until Raising Sand, his biggest commercial success came in releasing an EP of classic cover material under the name The Honeydrippers.

- What else is Robert Plant up to?

Jones


John Paul Jones is now in one of the hottest and hardest rock bands, Them Crooked Vultures. The frontman, handling lead guitar and vocals, is Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age. Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters is on drums. As for Jones, he offers not only bass and keyboard but also mandolin, keytar, lap steel and whatever else is needed.

One album was released in November, and another is forthcoming. A tour of North America completed in November, and the band now heads to Europe in December and Australia in January.

- What's the latest on Them Crooked Vultures, the group featuring John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl and Josh Homme?

- What else is John Paul Jones up to?

Jason Bonham


Jason Bonham, son of the late John "Bonzo" Bonham, does not take lightly the responsibility of carrying on his father's legacy. Having made a head start at drumming while he was a child, Jason is now passing on the same lessons to a third generation of Bonham drummers.

John Bonham's death in 1980 left such an impact on the surviving members of Led Zeppelin that they knew immediately they could not continue as they were. Yet Jason Bonham's familiarity with the band made him a shoe-in to join his father's bandmates on the few occasions reunion concerts have taken place.

This year marked the 20th anniversary of Bonham's most successful album release to date, the Platinum-certified disc The Disregard of Timekeeping released by his band, Bonham. To mark the milestone, he recently toured with a new band and played under the banner of "An Evening with Jason Bonham."

In the past, Bonham has also toured and/or recorded with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Foreigner, UFO, Paul Rodgers, Joe Bonamassa, Virginia Wolf, Airrace, Healing Sixes and Motherland. He also acted in the movie Rock Star and appeared on the reality TV show "SuperGroup."

- What's the latest on Jason Bonham?

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