Robert Plant Puts Another Nail In Coffin of Zeppelin Reunion
— February 4, 2009 5 36Ever since the rumor mill started cranking out Led Zeppelin reunion reports, we’ve heard a few different reasons why Robert Plant did not want to do it. While the others seemed willing, Plant has seemed quite happy with his Alison Krauss gig and is doing quite well with it, earning five Grammy nominations.
At one point, it was said that Plant was put off by all the paperwork that a tour would involve. That may be the silliest one of them all, but now it seems like he may be coming clean with the real reasons for his reluctance to put the group back together.
In an interview with Absolute Radio, Plant is starting to sound like he’s letting the real truth come to light. He describes any effort to revive Led Zeppelin as an “very incredibly delicate thing to do.” Meaning that it may not work out all that great when three guys in their sixties reunite and try to rock like they did in their twenties or thirties.
As Plant put it, “No matter what you do, you have to really guard the discretion of what you’ve done in the past and make sure that you have all the reasons in the right place to be able to do something with absolute, total conviction.”
I suppose one cannot blame Robert Plant for his cautious approach to the idea of a reunion. He’s justifiably concerned that it might not go as well as they would all like. One reunion gig does not necessarily mean that Plant could belt out Zeppelin tunes on any kind of regular schedule, as he would be required to do on tour. He probably feels that dropping his vocals down an octave or two would not do the memory of Led Zeppelin justice.
Speaking of memories, Plant has certainly not forgotten late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, and refers to the status of the group as “incomplete” ever since Bonham’s untimely passing in 1980. That appears to be another reason that may ne holding Plant back from taking part in a reunion.
Unless Robert Plant has a dramatic change of heart, it seems less likely than ever that the world will ever see a reunited Led Zeppelin, although many would argue that it’s not possible anyway without John Bonham, and Robert Plant may just agree with them.
5 Comments
“It’s over, Johnny! It’s over!”
I’m glad he finally came out and said it – although I think older fans like me would not expect the same performance they gave in the 70’s. Oh well.
Laylas last blog post..one last word on the ticketmaster BS
This is nothing new. He has been rejecting a reunion album and tour since the early 80’s. I personally find Robert Plant hard to figure out. He claims that it would be wrong to bring Led Zeppelin back together because it may ruin the hopes of people who will expect them to perform as they did during their prime, yet he has no problem butchering to death Led Zeppelin classics with Alison Krause which is an insult not only to his fans, but also to the remaining members of Led Zeppelin and to the entire Led Zeppelin legacy itself. Don’t get me wrong. Krause is a great artist, but within her own style of music and only as a solo act. Robert has no problem turning to Led Zeppelin whenever it benefits a project of his or a tour that is not directly affiliated with Led Zeppelin (e.g., incorporating Led Zeppelin guitar riffs and lyrics in the 1988 song, ‘Tall Cool One’, and supporting new material on his solo tours with ridiculous, watered-down versions of Led Zeppelin classics). I could not believe the number of Led Zeppelin classics that he performed at the then Providence Civic Center in 1988, the same year he released ‘Tall Cool One’. I kept thinking, “this is great, but he should be performing these songs with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones!” At least he did a good job with Page, Jones and Jason Bonham during the reunion concert in London back in ’07 so I highly doubt a reunion tour would embarrass the remaining members of the group and taint their legacy. Page is still a great guitarist and he will continue to be the best guitarist in the world until he grows too old, or too sick or dies. Jones is multi-talented in that he can still play all kinds of instruments with ease. While Plant is not the singer he was 35 years ago, fans have accepted his mature style since it is filled with heart and rawness with occasional wails that mimics his days with Led Zep [with the help of modern technology]. Life is too short. Now is the time for Robert to return to his roots with his old friends. Maybe a special tribute tour to John Bonham and his family would be fitting? The excuse that Led Zeppelin is not the same without John Bonham is bogus. I know he is one of the great rock drummers of all-time, but I think Bonzo would want Led Zeppelin to return as long as his son takes his place. He would be very proud of this if it were to happen on a full-time basis. If Plant wants to continue singing the rockabilly/country/bluegrass/Gospel songs he’s been singing with Krause then that will be fine as long as he allows Jimmy Page to give the Gospel numbers a Led Zeppelin flavor! Maybe that’ll rid Page of those demons that infiltrated his life as a result of him turning to the occult rather than to Jesus. LOL! Ecce Agnus Dei, Ecce Qui Tollis Peccata Mundi. 😀 The bottom line? Plant is at his best when he plays with Page/Jones/Jason Bonham as Led Zeppelin and not with the likes of Alison Krause. He better realize this before it really all comes to an end.
The name Alison Krause is spelled wrong. Her last name is actually “Krauss”.
Then again, I just watched the latest videos of Robert Plant on youtube. It’s probably best he stay away from Led Zeppelin.