Zep without Plant != Zep.

IIRC Planty is busy at the mo with this collaboration thing with the Krauss woman, so can't they wait a couple of months? It's not as if we're all going to not bother with "the biggest reunion tour of all time... ever!" if it's a bit later in 2009.

When the rumours first kicked off I did mention to a friend - and fellow Led Zep lover - friend of mine that we'd have to go to the US for a show, just to say that we saw them in California or Philly or whatever. But now I've got to say I may not bother if Plant isn't fronting it - just won't be the same. Mind you, ideally I would see them at the Molineux, which would make it the most perfect show ever in my eyes. Led Zepp playing at the Planty's fave footie club. Now that would be a bit special!

I have a preference for Soulfly's "The Song Remains Insane".

And to carry on Neil's comment: Zep without Plant == Insane

So therefore, by extrapolation

Plant = Zep

Not sure Mr Page would agree :)

Who cares - couldn't buy or beg tickets for the O2 gig so any chance of seeing another live performance should be leapt at

On behalf of those who were too young to see them live [original four] --- bummer!

Mike Portnoy of Dream theater assembled a tribute band for a few concerts a few years back. Plant's "duplicate", Daniel Gildenlow wasn't too bad actually.

That said it still won't be Led Zep.

..that John Prescott is at a loose end right now, and John McCain will also be available fairly soon.

Your logic is faulty if

Page + Plant == Zep

it is accurate for non zero values of Plant to say

Zep - Plant != Zep

It's not accurate to say

Plant == Zep

For no zero values of Page.

The shame is that Robert Plant won't do it, and seems his mindset is to never do a Zep reunion ... he said so a week ago ... and has no plans for any touring for a couple of years

Saw Zep 7 times starting in Aug. 1969, counting the marvelous Page/Plant No Quarter tour

Only interesting idea I've heard on replacements for Plant is to have Nancy and Ann Wilson of Heart sing ... gag me if it's someone like Paul Rogers

Plant doesn't need the cash, the others do - should be interesting to see the totally jumped up ticket prices for this pseudo show...........

Paris, coz she'll do anything for a quick buck too!

Er, nice equations, AC - but do the maths prove anything?

The fact is that Zep was/is more Plant than Page and that a reunion without the (now wrinkled) blond rock god is unthinkable.

I was in the audience when Plant took the stage at Fairport Convention's Cropredy festival in August. His appearance was unanounced and the 20,000-strong audience went predictably ape. He then sang a duet - 'Battle of Evermore' - with a lass called Kristina Donahue. Plant still sang wonderfully even though he didn't look quite as god-like as thirty-odd years ago - see this pic in Cropredy's local rag:

http://www.banburyguardian.co.uk/cropredy/Cropredy-pictures-Singing-in-the.4377565.jp

My point being that if it had been Jimmy Page walking on to do a guest spot, the reception would've been a lot more muted.

More on Fairport's site, no doubt.

BTW, is there an IT angle to this story?

LZ sucked when it was in it's heyday, and it sucks even more now. But if this turd does get off the ground, I can't help but wonder whom they're going to plagiarize this time around.

if Jones + Plant + Page + Bonham == led zep then

Jones +page +Bonham != led zep

so surely it depends on the value of the new front man (FM) if new FM == Plant then

Jones +page +Bonham + FM == led zep

of course if FM > Plant then

jones +page +Bonham + FM != led zep either maybe equal to led zep+

of course that s for a given value of led zep and for plant value is given in BS*

unforunately this BS value is arrivaled at pre individual and varies greatly from person to person

thus we may never know the turth value

*the BS unit of measurement is not the britney spears measurment as some may think (this would be the how many more times talent some one has to britney but since she has next to no talent it would be an impossible value to give )

it's actually the Bull Sh*t value based on how many hours your willing to waste argueing that the band/person in question is the greatest thing in Music after 4 pints.

Led Zep without Robert Plant and John Bonham? That'd be like Queen without Freddie Mercury and John Deacon.

If maths is too complex take a real world example:

bacon and eggs= bacon and eggs.

If you took away the bacon you would not anymore have bacon and eggs.

However this clearly does not mean that eggs on their own is the same as bacon and eggs.

I am not a fan of Led Zeppelin, but I do like bacon and eggs.

You're mad to believe that Led Zeppelin was Robert's group. Sure he fronted the band but it was always Jimmy's baby. Page formed the group (with manager Peter Grant) and always remained its driving force. He wrote most of the early material himself - including lyrics - and even once Plant (and Jones) began to make a bigger creative contribution Page remained the main creative behind the band and its sound.

That really only changed on In Through the Out Door (the last studio album) when Jones took the lead.

Plant was a great frontman for the band. And his writing was invaluable in the mid and later period. But it's completely wrong to view LZ as his group. It was and always was Page's, with Jones as his second in command.

I'd love to see the three of them (plus Bonham Jnr,) play together. I was only born in 1972 so never got a chance to see them in their full pomp. But I'm still interested to see them on tour and perhaps a new record. But if Robert doesn't want to do it, fair play.

However that shouldn't stop Page playing music he created and is justly proud of to large audiences. Should they use the Led Zep name? Perhaps not. But it's great news that Page and Jones will be playing again together and giving fans a chance to see them in their best element - live.

He sang well with Jones in the Jeff Beck Group.

Bjork. Her general artlessness worked very well for the Tavener work she performed. She would articulate the spirit of Bob Plant's lyrics rather better then Bob himself, methinks.

The music is not the music - it's behind the music. Judging by the comments, not many people know this.

Jimmy Page played with the Black Crowes, and it was shit. Robert Plant's voice IS Led Zeppelin... the band touring without him isn't the real thing.

Hasn't Jimmy Page made enough fucking money from the last tour? Give it a rest guys!

Paris, because even she knows when to call it a day.

Well, if it's to be Zep, or least to sound like Zep, best *not* to re-engage Percy. He doesn't have the pipes for it any more.

The problem is that Page et al selected him in 1968 because, then, he did have the pipes for it. There was only one Robert Plant at the time, and we have been waiting forty years for the next one. And there is no sign. After forty years of leading the Israelites through the wilderness, Moses did at least know that Joshua would be available for the leading-into-the-Promised-Land bit.

Mind you, as Promised Lands go, the O2 Arena is a bit lacking. [It's not much cop as the wilderness either -- at least one got manna from heaven for free.]

Now, I have seen Led Zep tribute bands, mostly in smaller venues, and on occasion the experience has been thoroughly agreeable. One does need a band that can actually play a bit, and whose members know and love the canon of work they are trying hard not to butcher. But just how badly is the singer going to mangle the opening scream in The Immigrant Song?

And on that last thought ... James and John (and Jason!) need to think really hard about whom to employ, if they don't want to sound like their own really naff tribute band.

than people necessarily realise. He was under contract to another record company at the beginning, and was precluded from taking any songwriting credits on the first album because of that.

That said, most of the lyrics and music in the early years came from Muddy Waters and a host of other blues and folk musicians than were ever really given credit for. And if you think that Black Mountain Side is an original Page composition, check out Blackwaterside, a traditional folk tune popularised partly by Bert Jansch on a recording in 1966.

Was former 4 non-blondes singer Linda Perry.

Saw her sing a 5 or 6 song LZ set in an LA club about 5 years ago and she absolutely scorched the songs. Her voice is exactly in the vocal range the songs were written in. Killed anyone else I've ever seen try to do LZ.

If they tour without Plant, it might be worth doing with someone like Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes. Anyone else remember their show with Jimmy Page "Live at the Greek?"

"Was former 4 non-blondes singer Linda Perry.

Saw her sing a 5 or 6 song LZ set in an LA club about 5 years ago and she absolutely scorched the songs. Her voice is exactly in the vocal range the songs were written in. Killed anyone else I've ever seen try to do LZ."

see http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jpl76Hbeu8 very good indeed

also http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu_moia-oVI is ok

.. for Page. If you're stuck for a singer, Sir Cliff seems to be free according to El Reg:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/27/uk_music_launch/

"Whole Latta Devil Women" anyone?

We can go back and forth all day debating the various and assorted contributions of Plant, Page, Bonham, and Jones to Zeppelin as a whole. However at the end of the day for it to truly be a Led Zeppelin concert (at least for me) then Plant needs to be manning the mic (sadly not much can be done about the lack of Bonzo). Sure others can be the front person and perhaps even do justice to the songs but it simply isn't Plant.

It's a bit like David Gilmour going out solo and billing it as a Pink Floyd concert, or when the Dead tried to continue to tour after the passing of Jerry Garcia, it just aint the same.

I can't see how the Zepsters (Plant excluded) can possibly need the dosh. Their albums have never been out of print for almost 40 years and even today you can walk into pretty much any record shop and they'll be in stock.

They are probably all richer than you or I could possibly imagine, and have been for a long time.

I think it's much more likely that they're old and bored and missing the buzz. I'd imagine the prospect of thousands of screaming girlies (OK, MILFs then) throwing themselves at you every night is enough to get most late middle aged men out of the house.

"nothing as much fun as having an instrument in my hand"

snigger

I can just about put up with the story about Peaches Geldof (the IT connection is tenous but still just there) but this ?? Zep were over-rated even in their heyday so why the hell have they been mentioned now ?

Oh wait, maybe theres a science angle. Jurrasic Park/Dinosaurs/DNA maybe ?

Meh !

(Awaits flames from doddering Zep Heds)

Like you say, their records are all in stock - because excellent as they undoubtabley are not enough people / new fans are actually buying them with hard cash, but truck loads are d/l'ing them for nothing.

The only way to make solid cash in the music industry is to tour nowadays (with the obligatary new album & licensing / kick-back deals)...... pretty soon we'll have Elvis on tour with Buddy Holly & Crickets doing the backing (accompanied by Glen Miller in the interval) - Well I wouldn't be surprised for one.............

@I'd imagine the prospect of thousands of screaming girlies (OK, MILFs then) throwing themselves at you every night is enough to get most late middle aged men out of the house.

Late middle aged? WTF. With the exception of Bonham's nearly middle-aged remains [that have probably aged the best of the 4], they're all in their mid to late 60s. They are pensioners, old biddies or what have you, perhaps, like Richie Blackmores music more middle ages than middle aged.

I doubt any advanced medical technology is going to keep this particular bunch of alcohol soaked, cocaine snorting, heroin addicts alive for 130 years - but I've stopped recycling just to be sure. After all, If there's any contribution we can all make to music in the 2040s and beyond it's ensuring either Page et al have gone, or the planet does :)

I'm looking forward to seeing Myles Kennedy from Alter Bridge live his dream of fronting Led Zep. Very good indeed.

when I realised they were not spontaneous.

So much for improvising and playing from the heart.

It was disappointing to see them in full flow, the spot light switch to another member and then whoever was in darkness shuffle around and strike a pose ready for the spot to be turned back on just at the right time..

Brilliant choreography and they did play their own instruments unlike today's trash, but completely scripted.

They phoned us and asked to play so they could record a live session as they liked our acoustics.

During the afternoon set up I heard some brilliant guitar and also saw what I thought was a roadie head down, messing about with an unplugged guitar out the back. Made the mistake of asking him if Jimmy Page taught him anything, got a strange look and then walked in to see Mr Plant playing the electric guitar! Funnily enough JP did not speak to me again.

They gonna play all the ol' Zep songs, right? And they gonna sound just like their own tribute band except for they are not and they are probably nothing better than a good tribute band. At best. Well, there's only Page and Jones left so I'd call it half a tribute and nothing more.

Don't misunderstand me; I love the Zep music. Just like it was when they existed. But LedZep is past. It's gone along with Bonzo. Keep enjoying to listen to their records.

EAfH

ps.

Is JIM THE shouting BOSS the same random word generator formerly know as moron from mars?