Experience the Led Zeppelin concert online here

Thanks to everybody who has submitted photos and stories from the Led Zeppelin concert experience in London, everybody else was able to live vicariously and feel like we were along for the ride.

Until there is an official DVD to document the concert of Dec. 10, 2007, we have other ways to memorialize Led Zeppelin's live debut of the 21st century. For instance, the playlist below brings together as much of the concert is available on Youtube at just one click.



Clips that appeared on Youtube were taken down shortly after the concert, but that was apparently done against the band's wishes, and the clips have been restored. Click here to find out why, or else don't worry about it; just enjoy the sights and sounds above while we all wait in hope for an official DVD.

Finally, if you have any other thoughts about the show, please submit your comments to this blog. Alternately, you can continue to send your photos and stories to me at ledzeppelinhistory-owner@yahoogroups.com.

History repeats itself; Led Zeppelin album, merchandise sales on top

Who would have guessed last January that Led Zeppelin would be capable of releasing a top-selling album by year's end?

That's precisely the scenario that has developed, according to Uncut. HMV, a U.K.-based music retailer, said sales of last month's greatest-hits collection, Mothership, have risen since the Dec. 10 reunion concert to become this week's biggest mover, the publication reports.

It quotes HMV spokesman Genarro Castaldo as saying, "Sales of their album have had a massive, massive boost by the concert. It was our best-selling album today, up from number eight last week. Led Zeppelin t-shirts have also been our most popular since the concert."

Castaldo also confirms in the Uncut piece that "sales of the band's entire back catalogue are also up by 500 per cent since the concert took place."

Keen observers of Led Zeppelin's history will note that the releases of 1975's Physical Graffiti and 1979's In Through the Out Door in 1979 had a similar effect on sales of the group's previous albums. Higher record sales at those times, in the United States, resulted in multiple Billboard chart rankings for the group.

In addition, the Led Zeppelin record sales of 1979 is often credited with rescuing the dwindling record industry at the time.

Eleventh report from fans in London

The photos accompanying this post were taken by Nech, whose description of the Dec. 9 soundcheck rehearsal and initial thoughts on the Dec. 10 concert I previously printed. The entire set of Nech's photos are being hosted here, on the site by Bruce "The Buckeye."

The photo shown at right was taken of the near-empty floor before the crowd filled the O2 arena. The second photo, below at left, shows the guy you would have to get through to declare war on any part of Jimmy Page's guitar army -- definitely not something I would recommend to those who like the use of their limbs!

The following report comes in by e-mail from Jonathan Wood in the United Kingdom:

Hi Steve,

Just thought I would share some thoughts on the O2.

I was one of the lucky ones that gained tickets through the second ballot. I remember being sat in the office at work when I noticed the e-mail. without exagerating i let out a scream and several people came to see if I was OK ! I managed to compose myself but was just a bit embarrassed. The tension of working my way through the password and the Ticketmaster site was unbearabale, I convinced myself that one wrong click would mean my application would be withdrawn but of course it all worked out in the end.

Anyway off to london from Hull (east coast of the UK) with my son who is a big Zep fan. Found the O2 ok and was greeted with the predictable long queues. Not sure why it took so long but it seemed most people were a little disorganised with the paperwork, nevermind. Queuing for a T-Shirt was just terrible and had to wait 2 hours. How difficult is it to say "large black T shirt please".

Well, what about the show ? We were seated at the back up in the gods, miles away but still with a decent view of what was going on. First act was a supergroup featuring Keith Emerson, Simon Kirke, Alan White and Chris Squire. They knocked out a fantastic version of Fanfare for the Common Man with a Kashmir interlude that was very nice. Harvey Goldsmith did the introductions and paid tribut to Ahmet Ertegun.

Next up was Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings who acted as house band for other artists. Paul Rodgers did a rousing sing a long version of All Right Now which went down well. Mike Sanchez and Maggie Bell also took a turn alongside Paulo Nutini. The final band was Foreigner, who i thought were a real let down. They did I Wanna Know What Love is and tried to get the audience to sing with them but it all went a bit flat, for me anyway.

The stage was then cleared and it was fantastic to see Jimmy's ZOSO symbol return to the amps, a nice touch.

the lights dimmed and a section of the Tampa news report from the DVD was played. I must admit this lulled me into a false sense of security as i somehow thought that harvey Goldsmith would return for the big introduction. I nearly jumped out of my seat when the drums banged out the into to GTBT. The roar from the crowd was incredible. The sound was really good from our seats with all instruments clear.

He's the first person I've heard say the acoustics were good from the beginning. I digress.

I was really apprehensive about how this was all going to turn out. Would Robert put his heart and soul into it? Could Jimmy still pull it off after six years of non playing, and even the age thing? Could Jason deliver or was he there just for his dad? Jonesy, well, never any doubts. The answer after the first number allayed all these fears. Jason was just a revelation, he played out of his skin and hammered the drums for all he was worth. Jimmy played like he'd never stopped and nailed all the solo's also looking like the coolest man in the arena , Robert looked as fit as he ever has and sang with power and conviction, and Jonesy did was Jonesy always does best - holding it all together.

what were the highlights then?

The fact that you never knew what they would play next, everything was a surprise and delight, no out of place numbers. SIBLY was ace and I swear that at the end Jason litterally jumped out of his stool and brought his whole body weight down on the drums. Stairway - I read in some reviews that the crowd went mad at the beginning. i beg to differ, my recollection was almost silence as I don't think anyone expected the song to be played mid set or even at all, quite sureal, and we didn't remember laughter. Nobody's fault is always a personal favourite although no cries of "Oh jimmy". Kashmir was a real crowning glory and much more guitar dominated than I've heard before. The end of the show had the crowd going wild for the encores and they didn't disappoint. really too many highpoints to remember.

In conclusion it was a real honour to have been there. They all played out of their skins, i think Jason had been rehearsing for 28 years and it showed. Should they tour? I don't know, best leave it to them to decide.

Jonathan Wood

Thanks for sharing! It's been incredible living through the eyes and ears of the people who were there in person when Led Zeppelin took the stage and blew everybody away one more time.

Thank you to everybody who helped me to do this.

Jason Bonham humbles himself at the front of the stage before John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.

Tenth report from fans in London

Howard Mylett is the author of several books on Led Zeppelin and its members including Led Zeppelin: In the Light, shown at right, which he cowrote. He's been publishing books about the band since 1976, if I'm not mistaken, which has given him plenty of time to make his thoughts known about the band. But when the opportunity came for him to attend the reunion concert on Dec. 10 at London's O2 arena, he couldn't pass up the chance to spit out another several thousand words on the group.

As if it's no surprise, Mylett writes like an author would. There's no off position. In just this brief excerpt of his extensive concert review appearing in full at Enzepplopedia, his descriptions of each band member really provides the reader with a feel for who was showcased onstage.

Scanning right to left onstage, the silver-haired Jimmy Page was resplendent in a 3/4-length black 3-piece mohair suit and black shades, looking just as cool as ever! He played blistering, razor-sharp chops and riffs with a sound that was totally of his own unique making - never afraid to smile with recognition when his fellow members hit the perfect spot he was aiming to fill.

Robert Plant, now bearded but still looking like the ringletted time traveller we all know through some of his remarkable and inventive lyrics, had his black shirt tucked in. His dark trousers were looser-fitted than in the 70s, but he is still gifted with the greatest and most emotive vocal range of any rock singer.

Behind him was the natural heir to the drum throne of Led Zeppelin - the late John Bonham's son Jason. His knowledge of Zeppelin bootlegs carried him through six months of rehearsals and had slotted him into place, they say, from their first rehearsal. He only improved more as the concert beckoned. What an emotional night it must have been for him! All the other group members made regular eye contact with him as if to spur him on to bigger and better sounds. And it worked! His father must have been looking down and smiling. The Bonhams were a very proud family.

To the left of the stage, with keyboards and bass at the ready, stood the enigmatic Zeppelin bass man, John Paul Jones - often the underestimated anchor man of the group. Nearly all sixteen of the tracks performed that evening benefitted from the punchiest bass-laden sound I've ever heard. I'd seen Led Zeppelin live in concert seven times from 1971 to 1980, and the drumming complemented this bass really well. The Zeppelin engine room had stoked up for full steam ahead!

Mylett's full review of the show unearths the entire concert experience in a very palpable and moving way, and it's available exclusively at Enzepplopedia.

Speaking of Enzepplopedia and concert reviews, the site's new third Enzepplozine installment (available to members only, but all you have to do to join and log in is type your e-mail address – big challenge!) features a late San Francisco jazz/blues critic's memories of the Fillmore West concert he attended on the first birthday Jimmy Page celebrated with Led Zeppelin. Philip Elwood recalls the show quite vividly in this never-seen-before interview conducted with Frank Reddon in 1998. It is one of several interviews that will appear in full this September upon publication of Volume 1 - Break & Enter, which will be the first installment of Reddon's 40th anniversary commemorative book series, Sonic Boom: The Impact of Led Zeppelin.

John Paul Jones to produce Sara Watkins album

John Paul Jones will produce the debut solo album of his one-time touring partner, musician Sara Watkins. The California-born singer and guitarist reveals on her blog that work on her first solo project is scheduled to take place at the end of February with Jones producing.

"I'm really excited and a bit nervous, but in a good way. In a way that will keep me on my toes and working hard," writes Watkins, who sang for the band Nickel Creek, which played its final concert Nov. 29 in Nashville.

In December 2000, Watkins and the other members of Nickel Creek -- her brother Sean and mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile -- teamed up with Toad the Wet Sprocket singer Glen Phillips to record under the name Mutual Admiration Society. To support the album's release in July 2004, the all-star cast supported it on tour with the additional rhythm section of John Paul Jones on bass and Pete Thomas on drums.

Thomas and Jones worked together in 1994 as the rhythm section on an album and tour for Diamanda Galas, and Thomas also drummed on half of Jones's 1999 solo album, Zooma.

Watkins said her new band began rehearsing in September. In addition to the expected contributions by Jones, the project is to consist of several other holdovers from the Mutual Admiration Society touring lineup. These are Thomas on drums, and both Phillips and Sean Watkins both on guitar and vocals.

They will also be joined by Benmont Tench from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on piano and organ, Greg Leisz "on pedal steel and other slidey things," Davey Faragher on bass, and Luke Bulla on vocals, fiddle and guitar.

Sara Watkins writes that her goal will be to record an album with purpose. "Truly what it comes down to is that I'm tired of buying CDs and then thinking 'Really? Did this CD really need to be made? Really?' I don't want people to think that about my record."

Watkins's Myspace page currently includes an a cappella demo of her singing an original called "Where Will You Be," alongside a pair of demos she recorded in 2004 with her brother and two other musicians. She plays fiddle on both of those tracks and also sings on one.

She writes, "If I had put something out two or three years ago, that would have undoubtedly been the reaction of many. But I think the timing is right and I am hopeful it'll be something I'm proud of."

Watkins also writes that she and her brother attended Led Zeppelin's Dec. 10 reunion concert "and it was completely worth the trip," she recalls. "Without a doubt. They were great and it was a privilege to be there on that Momentous night."

She says the highlight for her was the band's performance of "Kashmir." "Now there's a band," Watkins writes. "It was surreal. I can't imagine what it was like for the band. All the things they were remembering and thinking about."

Jones has produced many albums over the years for bands including R.E.M., the Mission U.K., and the Butthole Surfers. Most recently, Jones produced Waterloo, Tennessee, the sophomore album by Uncle Earl.

Ninth report from fans in London

Simon Woolf, whose submitted photographs and words comprised the entire "first report from fans in London" prior to the concert, has submitted some photos from the concert along with his recollections of the event. As for this latest set of photos, he says he concentrated his shots of the crowd because he knew the onstage shots of the band members were already being documented by others, which is certainly proved in the previous eight reports from fans in London here.

“The day a dream came true”
By Simon Woolf, with edits from Jane Woolf

It was a cold crisp day, bathed in glorious winter sun as we set off on our journey on December 10th. 2007, This weather is a rarity for the UK claims my wife Jane, who hails from Nebraska and describes the UK weather as grey! A quick check to ensure those golden tickets were still safely tucked away in a very deep pocket and the red wristbands were still securely attached from the previous day; it was time to go. We took the lunchtime train up to Marylebone Station in London with nothing planned until 7pm that evening, some inspiration from Jane, took us via the tube (subway) to see St Pauls Cathedral. We climbed the 446 stairs to the top, passed the Whispering Gallery and the Stone Gallery to reach the Golden Gallery, 280 feet above the ground and what an astonishing view of London! As we watched the sun setting over London, we knew we had to tear ourselves away to get over to Greenwich for our appointment with history.

We walked from St Pauls across the Millennium Bridge, famous for its now non-existent wobble, towards Tate Modern to catch the 4:54pm River Bus to The O2. The journey down the River Thames was magical as we slowly meandered our way down stream under Tower Bridge and past the towering offices at Canary Wharf to arrive at our destination at 5:45pm. Through the doors, past more queues of people in line to register where we had stood for 2 1/2 hours the day before, it was time to find some food.

We found a great Sushi Bar which serve some most excellent food, all washed down with a very warming bottle of Saki. It was the only place that could offer instant food, whereas all the usual Burger and Pizza restaurants were full with queues of people looking to grab some food before the concert. Refreshed and content, we set off to find our seats - block 402 row H seats 488 & 489. We went passed the place where the night before we had met up the hard core fans camped out to ensure they had the best place to see the concert. By now they would be in their prime spots! We were ushered to the security point to check our tickets and bags; I was still in dream like disbelief expecting to hear someone say at any time "Wake up simon, it's time to get up!" Then we were through and were guided to the escalator with the words "enjoy the concert". As we ascended to the top of the dome, everyone was in an excited mood and we watched groups of two huddled about, eating, drinking or turning to another group of two to start a conversation. You could feel the buzz of that common bond which had brought the lucky few to The O2. The mixture of people was so great to see. There were couples, both young and old, lifelong friends, a parent and child, and new friends who had just met via the internet to share the experience. As we counted down the block numbers to Block 402, I could see through the doors the vacant space of the arena with beads of blue illuminating the darkness. Then it was our entrance, conveniently nestled right next to the bar!

As we found our seats, the story of Ahmet and Atlantic Records was unfolding on two huge screens. All around people were either watching in silence or talking to their neighbours with the first question being "Hi, where have you travelled from?" Everyone was so incredible friendly, it was like we were all one big family. I sat next to a father and son from San Francisco who had made 2 trips to London, the first two weeks before being laughed off as the trial run! Our conversation is then interrupted by Harvey Goldsmith who welcomes everyone and introduces the first act, Keith Emerson of Emerson Lake and Palmer plus others who played "Fanfare for the common man". A succession of different artists joined the stage for the support acts, but most notable for me was Paul Rodgers of Free who sang "All Right Now". This really got the crowd going. Foreigner ended the support acts with “Do You Want To Know What Love Is” although as soon as a children's choir joined in the chorus, it was time to check out the bar for 2 pints of Boddingtons! Our timing was perfect as no sooner had the drinks been poured, the arena emptied for the intermission and queues began to quickly form! With the house lights on, the stage was quickly cleared and a giant TV screen was lowered as a back drop. Things were happening, drums were tapped, microphones were tested, Ladders were dropped from the lighting rig above the stage and then two brave road crew members gingerly clambered up their respective ladders to possibly the best seats in the house. A cheer came when they reached the top!

Suddenly everyone started to return to their seats and the floor below. Even those seats that had remained empty during the support, began to fill. At one point we did wonder if these empty seats belonged to people denied admission having failed the tight security measures to beat the touts. Those fears were quickly dispensed, it was a full house. At about 9pm, the lights started to dim and darkness returned. The arena erupted into a massive cheer, the main event had started! A clip played from "The song remains the same" film of The Band's arrival in Tampa in 1973 and as each band members was announced on the screen, a huge roar came from the audience with the loudest being for John Bonham. Then suddenly from the darkness there is a thud from the drums and a flash of bright light, then the unmistakeable sound of a Led Zeppelin chord bellowed out from Jimmy Page's guitar with the distinct voice of Mr Robert Plant, quickly followed by a massive cheer, "Good Times, Bad Times" was being play live by a band I thought I would never have the opportunity of seeing. The emotion began to well up inside me as I and 19,999 others watched in awe and disbelief, Led Zeppelin are back on stage playing live. The sound was awesome and as each number was played, they got better and better. I have seen Jimmy Page and Robert Plant perform twice before, but they were never this tight. They needed the solid base riffs that only John Paul Jones can give and Jason's thumping of the drums were just like his father, they were simply brilliant.

So for our favourite bits.... Well for me it has to be all of it but if pushed I would say "Kashmir" and the encores with "Whole Lotta Love" and "Rock and Roll"; For Jane, she loved "Dazed & Confused", especially when JP pulled out his infamous bow. Jane was fixated to this through our binoculars; it was a pity that we could not take photos through the binoculars! Even though we were high up "above the gods", we could feel the music vibrating through the floor and seats, but then who was sitting during the encores, long live Rock and Roll!

The show ended and the three original members of the band huddled together as Jason dropped to the ground to pay homage to them, but they would not have it and pulled him up and greeted him as one of their own. They left they stage; the show was over and I can confirm the songs most certainly remains the same! Now we had to get out and quick, it's 11:10pm and the last train from Marylebone leaves at 12:10am. Everyone makes for the escalators, but we make a bee-line for the lifts (elevators) and make it to the ground floor to the exits, passed all the waiting journalists, some with their camera crews ready to catch the eye of a passing fan and pounce. Some are stopped and a microphone is thrust towards them with the question "What did you think of the concert?". On our right, hoards of people had descended on the merchandise counters, eagerly trying to snap up the last T-shirt, mug or special Limited Edition Posters at £60 each (only 1,000 were produced). I hear that everything sold out by the end of the evening!

We made it to the station within 5 minutes of leaving our seats and descended to below ground to find our train. Everything was well organised, two trains were waiting to take us westbound to Baker Street Station and we found two seats on the train, which quickly filled. Everyone spoke to everyone, sharing stories of what they had just experience. One guy had flown in from Australia, but having now made it to the UK, thought he would stay a few months and find work! Another recanted how he has seen Led Zeppelin twice before, but felt the sound they produced tonight was the best he had ever heard. He then went on to tell the story of when he was on a flight and it was delayed at the airport (I can't remember which and the reason for the delay), so decided to pass the time at a bar, only to find he was talking to someone who had also been delayed and notice the "R Plant" on the boarding pass. He suddenly realised he was talking to Robert Plant and was soon joined by Messrs Page, Jones and Bonham who joined him for some drinks! And as we journeyed under London, other stories were recanted; we reach our stop and said our goodbyes well in time for 12:10am from Marylebone and home. It was truly a magical day out.........

Best wishes
Simon

p.s. near the end of the Led Zeppelin set, we saw 6 security guys escort someone from the standing area of the Arena. Does anyone know what happened to cause him to be ejected?

The final series of four photos depicting the group hug is from Wyatt in Illinois.

Eighth report from fans in London

Wyatt in Illinois supplied the great concert photos shown here, while Sunila "The Dragonlady" in Switzerland writes the following about her experience seeing Led Zeppelin at the O2 arena:

I have a grin on my face, but I have just been crying like I haven't since my grandma died last year. So many emotions!

Rob and I were in the “Chicken shack section” (a litteral translation from the French “poulailler”) which means high, high up in the sky... close to the roof of the hall, but almost dead above the stage. We had been warned it was nothing for the faint of heart...

I am not a big lover of heights, but it added some kind of an edge to the experience. I mean it was quite a sight to be peering down from the "pigeon's nest" or should I say Dragon's Nest? It was tricky to stand up on the narrow ledge and balance there; thank goodness people stayed seated most of the time and we could happily bounce about on the comfy seats. Also good because the guy in front of us was huge.

The first part of the tribute show was a mega gathering of so many stars it would be hard to list them all. I especially enjoyed the performance by Maggie Bell and of course the Rhythm Kings with Albert Lee doing a lively rock number that had me bouncing up and down on my seat!

I wouldn't want to be any of the other bands and musicians who played that night, most of them came and said things like: “we're just passing by don't worry... I won't be long.. we know you're not here for us but... Poor guys! Then the first part was over (I thought it was a bit short but I'm sure some of the old timers down there on the floor were happy about that)!

Then came the moment where all the lights went out and the long wait finally ended! Some footage of old times was on the screen, one could make out a few silhouettes getting on stage, and then there they were, launching into “Good Times Bad Times”! I hate being far away from the stage and at first I couldn't really get into it; the crappy sound up there didn't help. At first I was struggling; it seemed so unreal, but this little silhouette down there was unmistakably Jimmy! I didn't really hear much of “Ramble On”; Plant's voice was too loud and I could hardly hear Jimmy.

Then during “Black Dog” the sound got a bit better and I sat, mesmerised. And by the time they started on “In My Time of Dying” I was really gone, the next thing I remember is “For Your life” amazing! How many times did I try to imagine this played live?

Another couple of numbers (“Nobody's Fault But Mine” and “Trampled Underfoot”) where I sort of touched the ground again because the sound has gone again and I have to fiddle with my special earplugs to try and make out something. But then they start “No Quarter” and I forget the sound quality. Finally seeing all 3 of them playing this. I was re-reading all my reviews on TBL and came across this phrase that I wrote after seeing John Paul Jones in Switzerland in 1999:

"No Quarter was introduced by a speech about dinosaurs and the old, old
times....'There were dinosaurs... oh, and also this...' During the keyboard piece I closed my eyes and tried to summon up the pictures of Vaduz last year when I saw Jimmy Page doing this song a mere 2 meters away and I tried to picture what it would be like to have them all on the same stage again... it'll never happen but it would be too much anyway, I'm not sure I could survive to such power."

Never say never, eh? And look, I'm still alive! The blue light is there as usual, and from up above it feels like a real ocean, hypnotising! It helped me getting into the songs, remember I am a visual person and usually express myself through colour, more than once did I forget to breathe as I was plunging into the musical colour pool.

“Since I've Been Loving You” has often enough brought me to tears and it didn't fail this time either. I could hardly see through the haze of tears, what a song!

“Dazed and Confused” has never been my favourite song but this is the occasion to concentrate on the guitar sound and really watch how amazingly tight the three still are and how Jason Bonham hits just as hard as his dad. “Young” master Bonham -- I'm 2 years younger than him but up there he's really the “kid” -- is really a powerful drummer and can be as subtle as his dad as far as I could judge. Plant has nothing to prove; his latest album is a pearl and his voice has never been better. Jonesy is always cool, but his bass shakes a hall like no other. And of course Jimmy is so happy and you feel happy just looking at him, he's never looked so healthy and happy, and he gave us the whole shebang.

“Stairway To Heaven” might be a crowd pleaser but it's still very impressive, one of the best songs ever written. I was torn between amazement that they were really doing it and exhilaration at seeing the double neck guitar again. Same during “The Song Remains The Same.”

“Misty Mountain Hop” had me recalling all my memories of Snowdonia and the wonderful moments there. One of them being the Priory concert at Bangor, and the “Plantations” accompanying it. *big grin*

And then the absolute highlight for me this evening: “Kashmir”! Already one of my favourite songs, and if I could have, I would have flown down to the front, I so wanted to immerse myself in that vibration, but no, I had to do with the muddled sound... still, I think I must have forgotten to breathe for half of the song, I was shaking so hard I could not even stand. I'll never have grandkids but this would have been something to impress them with!

The first encore was “Whole Lotta Love.” Say what you will about the clichés and all, but it was so good to see the violin bow and the theremin again in this context. And I admit that when I saw the green laser pyramid I let out a nice series of French swear words!

The second encore was “Rock And Roll,” what else? Oh the power! How can these not so young men still have such energy after a long show like that? Magic! I was very impressed by the discipline in the crowd I expected a rowdy floor crowd but no... people were cramped like sardines but they listened religiously and of course cheered in wall shattering roars between numbers. I almost regret I wasn't on the floor but I also appreciated being seated... old bones and all. *grin*

After the concert I felt a bit "abandoned" meaning there was no gathering of fans like before the concert, just when you feel like sharing all the feelings tumbling in your head. I always hate crowds but after an event like this the crowd is suddenly missing. Smiling at perfect strangers who think the same as you is a cool feeling.

A day after it's hard to be really objective. When you're a diehard traveling Ledhead (remember these?) and you finally see your favourite band. But objectively, I think they rocked for good, even though the sound was crappy up there... sound waves don't travel well vertically.... sigh.