Two of my favorite things in this world are good music and good beer. Somehow they've always gone hand-in-hand with me, so I thought I'd spend a little bit of time explaining what I like in both. The making of each to me is an art form and both are necessary to a good outlook on life and general happiness. They both seem better while you're sharing them with others, and each enhances the other.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Led Zeppelin - After the 2007 reunion

After Led Zeppelin broke up following John Bonham's death on September 25, 1980 due to alcohol related causes, the remaining members went their own way for a few years. The Live Aid benefit concerts in 1985 enticed Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones to reunite and the show was a total failure. There were problems with Page's guitar, the monitors weren't working and Plant's voice was extremely hoarse. They tried again for Atlantic Record's 40 year anniversary concert in 1988 but the feed from Jones' keyboards was lost and the performance suffered because of a shouting match between Page and Plant just before they got on about whether or not to play "Stairway to Heaven".  Led Zeppelin pretty much died that day.

Page and Plant finally made nice in 1994 and did a show called Unledded for MTV, (a television station that actually played music at the time). It got great reviews and the two decided to tour to support the CD release of the show. Jones was not informed of the others getting together. At the press conference that was called to announce a Page/Plant tour, Page was asked where Jones was. Page replied that he was outside, parking the car. The next year, in 1995 Led Zeppelin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. When Jones took his turn to accept the trophy he turned to the other two and said "Thank you, my friends, for finally remembering my phone number". It could've been an outtake from Spinal Tap.

Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records passed away shortly after going to a Rolling Stones show in 2006. He was held in such high regard by everyone in the industry that the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin tried once more to bury the hatchet and have a reunion show at Ertegun's memorial concert on April 17 of 2007. This time the show went extremely well, with Page and Jones expressing interest in another tour with perhaps some new material.

However, immediately after the show while the Gallagher brother from Oasis banging on Plant's door calling him the "real F@(king thing",  Plant stormed out and went to a pub down the street where he proceeded to drink four beers and half a bottle of vodka.

Here's a show from Zeppelin's happier days, recorded off the soundboard at a show in Dallas on March 5, 1975.

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