Led Zeppelin Live At The O2
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Reviews Rock and Indie
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Wednesday, 12 December 2007 |
 Sometimes when you wait for a special gig for a long time you set your expectations so high that the gig can only be a let down. Waiting for 20 years for Led Zeppelin to announce a reunion and then to wait some more to see if you got tickets in the lottery amongst 20 million applicants put enormous pressure on them. But at the tribute show to Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records at London’s O2 Arena, Zep were out to put the records straight after their last mediocre performance at Live Aid. In summary, their reputation as the world’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band is intact, especially in the minds of the 20,000 fans that left the arena and weaved their way through the TV and media circus awaiting their verdict on route to the tube.
John Bonham’s son Jason had the privilege of beating out the first sounds as the band came on stage and went straight into ‘Good Times Bad Times’, followed seamlessly by ‘Ramble on and Black Dog’. The sound was massive, although possibly a little mushy for the first few tracks, in contrast with Plant’s humble high pitched speaking voice as he addressed the crowd before launching into ‘In my time of dying’. Plant’s singing voice was nothing short of amazing – sounding incredibly like it did more than 20 years ago. Page’s guitar work was as powerful as ever and his virtuoso pieces included his bowing on ‘Dazed and Confused’, and of course use of his double necked Gibson on a few others. He was on fire and delivered his work with aggression and drive that left him looking exhausted at the end of the two hour set. For your life was given a live debut and a fantastic graphic treatment on the massive screen behind the band, white lines shaping around the space and over the video feeds in reference to the lyric.
As they moved through the set list, ‘Trampled underfoot’ showed them to be able to deliver foot stomping funk, ‘Nobody’s fault’ their blues credentials, and of course they ignored the guitar shop signs and played Stairway to heaven. At the end of Stairway a middle aged American fan turned to his wife and said “You know, I’m not sure his timing was as good as mine on that. In fact I think I play that better”. When they went into the architectural riffs of Kashmir, the crowd went mad. It was the track they played closest to the recoding and it sounded immense, orchestral and regal. They then left the stage before coming back for two encores punching out ‘Whole lotta Love’ and the closer, ‘Rock and Roll’.
So now the speculation is rife. There is no doubt that they are able, it's now all about if they are willing to tour and serve up the goods for a handsome price to the unlucky 19,980.000 people that registered but didn’t win tickets in the 50 countries that Plant said were represented in the audience. The band clearly enjoyed the gig, gelled well and survived the pressure. Plant’s voice was amazing, Page’s playing was completely up to it, Paul Jones is as rock solid and crucial to the sound as ever and Jason Bonham is a credit to his late Dad. So, will we see them touring or headlining Glastonbury? Eavis is tight lipped and besides, the ink’s not dry on the reviews yet and the band will want top paw over those at their breakfast tables before signing up for Harvey Goldsmith’s dream ticket or the party on the farm. But there can be no doubt that Led Zeppelin are and have reestablished beyond any doubt that they are the leaders in their field of blues based, loud, sometimes trippy and often monumentally orchestral rock n roll.
01. Good Times, Bad Times
02. Ramble On
03. Black Dog
04. In My Time Of Dying
05. For Your Life
06. Trampled Under Foot
07. Nobody's Fault But Mine
08. No Quarter
09. Since I've Been Loving You
10. Dazed and Confused
11. Stairway To Heaven
12. The Song Remains the Same
13. Misty Mountain Hop
14. Kashmir
Encore:
15. Whole Lotta Love
16. Rock and Roll
Review by : Stephen Izatt
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