Fifth report from fans in London

Simon K. from the U.K., who supplied the photos used here and is seen on the right in the photo to the right, has sent me the following thoughts from the concert experience:

What a gig!
I have seen many, many bands over the years including Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, AC/DC, Whitesnake, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Guns n' Roses, Metallica etc. etc. etc.
But nothing else comes close ........... this really was the mother of them all!
In the front, centre stage, standing who could possibly ask for more.
Still dazed and confused by the whole experience but nonetheless proud and privileged to be part of history. Outstanding!

Nech from New York provided the following:

Music. Life. The love of life and music. The love of your family, friends, and people you don't even know.... it is a wonderful thing indeed.

I discovered many things about myself and people around me tonight. I'm not gonna go and start a whole University Professor discourse here, but it is the joy of dancing round without boundaries that really breaks down all boundaries between people.

Over the past 2 days, I have met folks from Australia to California, downtowns to uptowns, young tweens wearing brand spanking new repro ’77 tour shirts to grey haired grandfathers wearing their original ’73-80 stretched out over their bellies shirts. All had one thing in common...the love of good music. The love of Led Zeppelin.

The Song does indeed remain the same.

It's pushing 6 am my local time at the moment. Yeah, body clock think's it's only 12 but, I feel as awake as I ever will be. This wasn't just a weekend of Zep, this was a weekend of great music all around brought to us by the late great Ahmet, and the musicians that created it. And if they themselves weren't around, their kin, their spirits, filled the air with magic, and wonderful, wonderful , my wonderful one, noise. Noise that make this guy you all simply know as Nech...Dance. Yes Dance. Dancing Days were here again.

I will go into more details next post, but in this one I just was trying to convey my gut feelings before delirium sets in. No sleep and no food (except a Thai chicken wing breakfast ) make me a bit woozy.

My family knows the true joys of my heart. It's the joy they bring me. But for this weekend I enjoyed truly what it means to be a rock and not to roll...

After Nech wrote this, he responded to an e-mail that asked, "Why do I get the feeling this was the best Zeppelin show ever?" Nech replied:

Because it was.

It really was.

06:24 and I'm still awake...reelin' in the feeling.

I wish ALL of you could've been here. What a joy to see THEIR joy.

This needs to be shared properly with the whole music world....not via youtube or any really compressed and beyond distorted clip from my pos camera I can provide.

Release the dogs....I mean ...oh you know what I mean....

Led Zeppelin reunion links

• Fan photos by Les
• Telegraph concert review
• Comcast concert article
• MTV article
• Bloomberg article
• E! Online article
• Fan site by Bruce "The Buckeye" -- Watch here for his updates! Til tomorrow, I think I'm done for the day.
• Update: A Youtube playlist has been created, featuring audience clips of the reunion concert.

Complete Led Zeppelin set list from the O2 arena

Here's the complete set list from Led Zeppelin's performance on December 10, 2007

• Clip from news footage of Led Zeppelin's jet landing at the Tampa International Airport in 1973 [as seen on the newly released two-disc release of The Song Remains the Same on DVD]
• Good Times Bad Times - live debut by Led Zeppelin [Intro and complete song here, with a separate source covering the beginning of the song here]
• Ramble On - live debut by Led Zeppelin
• Black Dog [This one-minute snippet has been used in news reports such as this one]
• In My Time of Dying [brief clips of this song can be seen here, here and here]
• For Your Life - live debut by any of Led Zeppelin's members [half a minute of this song can be seen here]
• Trampled Under Foot [half a minute of this song can be seen here]
• Nobody's Fault But Mine [half a minute of this song can be seen here]
• No Quarter [nearly a minute and a half of this song is here and here]
• Since I've Been Loving You [most of this song is here, and even more of this song is here]
• Dazed and Confused [a two-minute sampling is here]
• Stairway to Heaven [this complete song is here with a brief snippet here]
• The Song Remains the Same [a snippet of the song is here]
• Misty Mountain Hop
• Kashmir [this song is here]

Encores:

• Whole Lotta Love [the song is here, with crowd reaction to it here]
• Rock and Roll [the song is here]

Update: Links to Youtube clips added above!

Another update: Incorrect reports said "Custard Pie" was played. It evidently was not.

Fourth report from fans in London

(Photo from yesterday's soundcheck taken by Ross Halfin)

The concert is underway, and Led Zeppelin is about to start. Stay tuned!

Update: Songs played will appear in the comments section of this post!

Looks like the lineup was a bunch of Ertegün favorites. This according to New Musical Express:

The Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert is now well underway at London's O2 Arena.
The concert started with a supergroup of Emerson, Lake and Palmer's Keith Emerson, joined by Alan White and Chris Squire from 60's prog rock group Yes, and Bad Company's Simon Kirke, performing 'Fanfare Of The Common Man'.
The group were then swiftly followed with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings taking to the stage, who are to be the night's house band.
Singer Maggie Bell, rock'n' roller Alvin Lee and Mike Sanchez then took to the stage to perform a succession of 50s soul ballads.
Paul Rodgers came on next performing his classic riff track 'All Right Now' followed by Bad Company's 'Seagull'.
Foreigner then took to the stage with their biggest hit 'Do You Want To Know What Love Is', the band were accompanied by a children's choir for the huge sing-along chorus.
The stage is now being cleared for what presumably will be Led Zeppelin.

Third report from fans in London

Chris from Virginia, who got two tickets in the first passcode drawing, just called me from a pub near the O2 arena to let me know he's in the presence of Led Zeppelin authority Robert Godwin. In case you didn't know, Godwin is the celebrated author of "The Press Reports" and "The Collector's Guide to Led Zeppelin" among others. And, according to the story Chris just told me, Godwin is also the guy who coined the name of the bootleg Listen to This, Eddie!

Godwin was apparently fed up with hearing the fictional story about the bootleg title being attributed to some radio disc jockey who had Eddie Van Halen on his radio program. According to that old wives' tale, Eddie was complaining about Jimmy Page's guitar playing as being sloppy, which miffed the DJ, who then played a fine counterexample, ordering him, "Listen to this, Eddie!"

Well, the story has now been debunked by none other than Godwin himself, who says he coined it. The bit about Eddie Van Halen complaining about Page's guitar playing as "sloppy" was correct, but it was Godwin who suggested to the publisher of the first unofficial release of Led Zeppelin's show from Los Angeles on June 21, 1977, that the guitar playing on that date was so good it should be played to Eddie Van Halen. Godwin suggested that someone ought to take this concert recording to Eddie Van Halen and say, "Listen to this, Eddie!" And hence the bootleg title was born! Thanks for the tidbit, Chris!

Speaking of bootlegging, somebody "anonymous" wrote a very nice comment today on my blog posting from September 2 about bootlegging. It reads like an essay, and it offers a very nice suggestion for bands that have been recorded. It is some very useful advice for Led Zeppelin.

Word has it the Ahmet Ertegün tribute concert is going to open with an all-star performance of "Fanfare for the Common Man," the Aaron Copland piece popularized by ELP. Participating in the performance are to be the E of ELP -- Keith Emerson -- along with Alan White and Chris Squire (who are both members of Yes and played with Page in a band called XYZ shortly after the demise of Led Zeppelin) and possibly also Rick Wakeman, who may or may not be wearing a cape. What a beginning to the show this would be!

I was listening to some Foreigner the other day. Great stuff! I called up one of my brothers out of blue that night and asked him what the best saxophone solo in rock history is. I didn't give him a hint that I was looking for a particular answer. It took him a minute of listing off a few contenders, and then he got the exact song I was thinking of: "Urgent" by Foreigner.

Second report from fans in London

Nech, a fan from New York state known among Led Zeppelins as a core contributor to the discussion group For Badgeholders Only, was greeting longtime friends when he started to hear the unmistakable sound of Led Zeppelin beginning its soundcheck with a run-through of "Good Times Bad Times." The song opens Led Zeppelin's first album, but the band is not known to have ever performed the song in its entirety. Nech was in a line waiting to be allowed into the arena to be in the same room as Led Zeppelin performing. He writes that hearing the song from the line, "It sounds like a barnburner!!!"

That ends, and soon we begin to hear another tune...and no mistaking this
one either as that bass line snaked its way into our collective souls..."Ramble
On"!!!! And sounds Like Plant is belting it out!!!

After this, Nech says, the line began moving.

That goes quick and we are litterally running for the door. Meanwhile some
undecipherable jam had went on. Sounded like they were redoing a bit of "Ramble
On" again..or possibly a quick snatch of "The Wanton Song"???

We walk out onto the floor but are then guided by security up to the seats stage right... Jimmy's old side!!! But Jimmy, Jonesy and Plant are all kinda huddled together in the middle of the stage talking so what's gonna happen here?!?!?!

Hmmmmmmm what are they gonna do. Then my heart lurches... Jimmy's got a slide on and I recognize THAT tuning!!!! And lo and behold they launch into "In My Time of Dying".....chills, people...chills.....The sound's a bit boomy but that gets tamed and as they progress along one thing in particular sticks out. Robert's voice is incredible!!!!!!!!! Jason's driving it along with what I think looks like a double kick pedal and Jimmy, well Jimmy looks like the cat that ate the tweety bird. HE IS ALL SMILES!!!! HE IS DANCING!!! HE IS KICKING HIS HEELS AND TOES IN TIME.. In my opinion Jimmy is in heaven.

There's a break in the sound as snap crackles and pops replace Jimmy's guitar and soundmen scramble...They don't miss a beat and they continue on. I am in heaven too. At the end of the song Plant starts ad libbing "Honeybee" and they play along before bring it back for one "oh my Jesus... Jesus make up dying bed..." and I feel like at this point I can die happy. THEY ROCKED IT!!!! The gel was there!!!!

I lost my voice as I just could not contain myself....as the small audience clapped along I just had to let out a huge YEEEAAAHHHHH!!!!! And the crowd took it as their cue to, yeah, so what if it's a soundcheck...APPLAUSE...LOUD APPLAUSE.... I think the guys on stage were taken aback, but so appreciated it.

Plant was already back as the Plantationator.... joking and laughing about as he called out, "Where are the children in need, people?" A small group stood up and Plant in the same swagger of '70s barechested Golden God goes, "Well, I'll see you later during the drum solo!" Those in the know laughed ourselves silly.

Meanwhile, the guys are switching gears...Jones has taken off his bass and is meandering about his keys. He's travelling light these days. Just two sets it looks like, one definitely a large Korg and another smaller set mounted on top of that. One note...he hit one note and that was enough...."NO QUARTER"! A couple more adjustments as Jason starts hitting his large gong....gong...gonggg....gong.....Jones continues noodling teasing us with 'No Quarter' snippets as Jimmy now brandished his Les Paul. Plant meanders off stage to the floor for a cuppa tea and they start into "No Quarter."

At first, vocal-less, but then I do hear some ..where's that coming from ??? And then I realize, It's Jason bending down low and singing through a drum mike adding an eerie quality to it. When Jimmy hit that first wahhed riff again...chills. It sounds raw, devlish...dirty and in my opinion right on. Jones does just a short solo before Jimmy start in with that familiar descending riff into his solo. No pinky problems here, folks... Jason belts them all into a crescendo and with "the dogs of doom" Jimmy breathes life into his Theremin and I just had to stand and raise my hands straight up high... master master!!! And then the second Jimmy wah-wah, PHENOMENAL!!!!

As the song ends Jimmy raises the Gibson over his head in triumph. Again, I cannot contain myself and scream out to them "We're not Worthy" in my best Wayne's World way. Also Plant ended up sitting on the drum riser as the song wound down, perfectly content to let them have worked this out without him.

Then something amazing...Jones switches over to his 8 string bass and he starts plunking out the "Nobody's Fault but Mine" riff... once twice... that bass sounds mean. I guess a bass can sound mean, no?! Slightly distorted it could practically double for Jimmy's riffage. Plant has his harp and launches right into his solo just as Jimmy also picks up his Les Paul and they are working out what I believe is going to be a brain-breaking start-stop harp affair that is gonna bring the house down. Amazingly it looks like Jason's calling the shots on this... As I sit there thinking out loud, that it's odd to be working on a number this late in the game, I see what's happening.... the improv, the groove... no no no Jason's saying listen .... tappa tappa tappa, humming out his idea...they catch on to it and never play the whole tune, but like I said, if it's what I got out of it, life is never gonna be the same. At one point Plant kinda just goes off on his own doing a quick blues harp thingy whilt JPJ, Jimmy and Jason talk semantics...

Jones changes up his bass again as Jimmy seems satisfied ... As the others meander off, a tearjerker of a moment. Jason's son with daddy standing behind him is on the kit. He plays out a couple simple patterns and gets a round of applause. Looks like Dad says, go ahead son and that kids laid down some rolls that probably had Bonzo spilling tears in Heaven. I know it touched me as I had to wipe another away. Like father, like son, like son.

As contest winners are being whisked away, a crew guy summons the band and all the crew onto the Stage for a great big group shot....

This is gonna be great. So great that I am hoping that all those cameras on and off stage are not just gonna be for the gargantuan screen backing the entire stage, but something the whole world can someday see.

As with my previous post, the photos are courtesy of Simon W. from the United Kingdom. It looks like there aren't going to be many fan photos from inside the arena, if any at all, as security there is pretty tight and collecting anything resembling personal media. (Update: This proved wrong, and thank goodness!)

As Nech mentioned, however, there are cameras inside, and one report from MTV in Canada claims the entire concert, including all acts, will be captured for a future DVD release. We'll see what comes to fruition.

First report from the Led Zeppelin fans in London

Simon W., a fan from the U.K., won a passcode in the original drawing for the Ahmet Ertegün tribute concert. He wrote me from London, where he and his wife received their tickets and wristbands on Sunday to attend today's concert. They spent about two-and-a-half in line for those and then another two hours in line to buy some merchandise. The whole time, they were able to talk with other likeminded fans.

The O2 arena must just be full of Led Zeppelin fans. Some devoted people, upon receiving their tickets and wristbands, were preparing to spend the night in line. Being the first to arrive, they would be the ones with the best view at the front near the stage. The first to show up had been there since 2 p.m. on Saturday. This is the bearded guy in the photo on the left. Wearing the wool cap is a student seeking a Ph.D. in classical music from Lincoln University in Nebraska. (Update: His name's Mike, and I've actually known him through my newsletter for a few years!) The fan along with him is from Colorado, and they arrived in line on Sunday at 6 a.m. Members of the press spoke the the fans who were earliest to arrive, and the promoter also arranged for these fans to receive all-access passes dated 12.09.07 so they could enter for Led Zeppelin's soundcheck.

(Photos all courtesy of Simon, as well as the details above.)

The soundcheck consisted of five songs. More on that very soon...