Just got this blog, in general, his blogs usually hit the nail on the head:

I'm trying to figure out why this Led Zeppelin reunion is creepy.

I'm not saying it wasn't a good time, that I wouldn't want to have been there and experience it. But it just doesn't sit right with me. Maybe because I don't buy this hogwash that it's a one-off.

All my sources tell me there's going to be a tour. No one will CONFIRM a tour, but it's a well-known fact that they're going to go on the road. As for Ashley Capps and Bonnaroo...when he contacted me to correct that e-mail I printed, saying it was false, I replied that I would if he guaranteed in writing that Zeppelin absolutely wouldn't play Bonnaroo. I got no response.

Hell, the band's entitled to make a living. If they want to go on the road and people want to pay, I understand it. But it just doesn't feel good. It's kind of like going to the museum.

That's one of the reasons I didn't go see the Police. I remember first hearing "Walking On The Moon", decades ago. That experience is frozen in time. I'm not sure I want to relive it, certainly not with the people in attendance, those now decades older or those too young to be into it the first time around, maybe not even born.

As for Genesis... You wanted to shake the stink from your shoulders. Talk to anybody that went. Genesis used to mean something, even after Peter Gabriel left. I saw them at the Forum, they weren't just a hits act, they carried on the tradition. Now, Phil Collins is leading cheers, he's playing the role of rock star on stage.

Maybe that's the problem... Robert and Jimmy, John Paul Jones and Bonzo...THESE WERE THE GUYS! Who raped and pillaged, who we wanted to be, or @#$%&, or both. Now they're old men. I was next to a besuited Jimmy Page one evening and I didn't even bother to say hello, I didn't want to mess with my memories.

It's no crime to get old. It's more of badge of honor than o/d'ing at a young age. But to go out and play the role of a young man, that's what's truly weird.

We revere retired baseball players, but we don't want to see them take the field and play nine innings. We don't want our memories @#$%& with.

And it's not like there's any new music. And, even if there were, would anybody want to hear it?

I guess the show seems to be nostalgia, trying to bring us back to the way things used to be. But those days are through. But they live on in my memory. Inviolate, unchanged. Just like the records. That's one of the great things about music, every time I play the Zeppelin catalog, the songs remain the same.

If it's truly a one-off, then I take it all back. It's about honoring Ahmet. But, unlike Pink Floyd, I don't hear the band members protesting, saying that they're definitely not hitting the road again. I see them collecting e-mail addresses, saying we'll see. "We'll see" in rock and roll means it's gonna happen. Unless the band members get into an awful fight. Like Van Halen back in '96, at the VMAs. Still, the band eventually got together. And as much as I enjoyed it, the show was ultimately meaningless. It brought you back, but it didn't stand for anything. Hell, I don't even imagine there were groupies backstage. And, if there were, I bet David Lee Roth didn't want to @#$%& most of them.

But Van Halen was about fun. Led Zeppelin was something different. Led Zeppelin was about testing limits. Not playing by the rules. And if they go on the road now, they're just like every other classic rock band trying to make an extra buck.

I guess what I truly lament is the passing of the years, from the days when music was a dividing line, between us and them, to now, when those in charge, who were on the right side then, are now all about the bucks.

In the seventies you listened to the record to know which way the wind blew. Music was the ultimate art form. Hipper than movies, TV paled in comparison. And the profits on records were greater than those on films. Music built the Warner empire.

If Ahmet had known this, he would have waited a few years to sell Atlantic, he would have gotten more money for the company. And believe me, Ahmet liked money, just ask all those who were screwed on royalties. But Ahmet didn't know it was going to continue. He'd had Cream, never mind all the earlier R&B greats. What could come next?

Led Zeppelin. Decades of triumphant acts.

But Ahmet was primarily about the music. He took some money off the table and continued to play. Today's executives want to take ALL the money off the table, and they want the acts to be subservient to them.

You couldn't tell Led Zeppelin what to do. You can tell ANY ACT ON A MAJOR LABEL WHAT TO DO TODAY! So, when everybody in the business is in London tonight rejoicing, my head is spinning. Are these the same guys @#$%& the business up? Who feel they've got no option but to rape and pillage themselves?

It's only about the money now. Except if you're young. That's why the youngsters have glommed on to Zeppelin. They SENSE that this was something different, a band that played by its own rules, that wasn't afraid to test limits. I only hope that some of the band's fans will be inspired and create or steward equally challenging quality music to the public.

The people who are gonna change the world musically were not in London this evening. They can't afford the buy-in. They're not connected enough to get a ticket. Music has gone from being inclusive to exclusive. Instead of love your brother, we all belong, it's I'm richer than you, @#$%& YOU! The best seats aren't even ever sold. And acts and promoters complain that scalpers are making all the money...the fan doesn't count. The fan will pony up the bucks, right?

Wrong.

Used to be the ONLY problem was getting a ticket. NOTHING was overpriced. You went to the gig constantly, it was a way of life, it was a religion. You listened to FM radio to know what to buy, you bought it and went to the show. FREQUENTLY! You had to buy the record before the band hit your town, you wanted to be familiar with the new material, which they were going to play! Don't see them this tour and you might NEVER hear it live, because they'll be on to NEW STUFF!

Now tours are the greatest hits, all the time. Give the public what it wants. But musicians used to LEAD the public, which doesn't really know what it wants. But labels are only interested in the easy sell. And acts are afraid of pissing off their fans. But Neil Young and Bob Dylan can still tour BECAUSE they piss off their fans, you don't know what you're going to get. Therefore, only fans go, and the fans respect them for following their muse.

I don't want to rain on the parade. Anybody who hears music and enjoys it gets a pat on the back from me. Even if I don't like the act to begin with. Music is the grease that makes life worth living.

But the reason I got into music was because of the notes, the performance, the music itself. The trappings came after. Now the trappings are primary.

I guess I do want a return to the old days. When music was religion.

I know it's a religion to some, but it used to be for everybody.

Except the man. The parents. The establishment. They just didn't get it. And that's why we didn't do endorsements, didn't do commercials, because we didn't want to be associated with THOSE PEOPLE! It was AGAINST OUR PRINCIPLES!

But now we've got no principles. Just a guiding light. And that light is money.

And what I smell in this O2 show is money. Not the amount raised for charity, but the vast quantity Zeppelin is going to make on the road. The cost for all the Americans who flew over there. Whereas it used to be you didn't even have to leave town to be a fan. Like that guy in Harry Chapin's "Taxi", you could be stoned in your automobile, grooving to the radio, feeling completely connected with the tunes that emanated from it.

But now you can't listen to terrestrial radio. You don't even know where to start musically. Like that old Stealer's Wheel song said, we've got clowns to the left of us and jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

And I hope you are stuck here with me. You love the old tunes, but you want music that meaningful again. And it's got to be at least as good as the old stuff. Sure, Sarah McLachlan is tasty, but she's not even in the same LEAGUE as Joni Mitchell. We all love Dave Grohl, but if you mention Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin in the same sentence, I'm laughing.

What was in the water then? Can those days return, or did we live through the Renaissance, no different from the one that took place in Italy centuries ago. Artists have painted since, but there was only one time when it all came together, when art ruled.

I don't want to watch Michelangelo paint. And if he came back, he'd be hundreds of years old, what he produced would probably be shit. Hell, his legend would inhibit him, he'd probably be UNABLE to paint.

If somehow we could return to the seventies, when each new album was eagerly anticipated and digested, when we were surprised by "Physical Graffiti" and the fact that "Presence" came so soon thereafter, that would be great.

But we can't.

To try to bring back alive that which is already gone... It's impossible. You can try something new, like Plant did with Alison Krauss, but you can't breathe new life into something dead. Led Zeppelin is dead. And one of the reasons it's so revered is that the band didn't carry on after Bonham died, which utterly stunned us. There's no time for carrying on now. Give it a rest. Sell the DVD. Allow those in attendance their badge of honor and their memories. Please don't tarnish the image, the legend. We've whored out rock and roll too much already. It's as if Jesus sold Cadillacs.

What would Jesus do? Well, he's NEVER come back. Maybe that's why people still revere him so!

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very nicely written, but his opinion.

And there is no review of the show! Just a long personal rant.

ok, change the subject to: Rant of 70's acts on tour

trainarollin, I appreciate where you're coming from...even though you've got to understand that the anti-establishment/counter-culture of our youth IS the establishment today...it's their/our values that have created the Greed is Good ethos...but where's the "Honest review" of the show?

Many of the points are legitimate. But Zep's always been about money, though. Remember all the hoopla about their private jets, parties, etc? No band name on "Zoso"? Seven different album covers for "In through the Out Door"? Rebellious acts or shrewd marketing decisions -- you decide! Not exactly Pearl Jam.

Concerts are terribly expensive these days. I can't think of an item that has gone up more in price than a rock concert ticket. But look at it this way. In the past, artists made money from record sales, so the concerts were a way to promote the record. That doesn't happen very much today (in fact statistics showed that most Radiohead downloaders paid exactly $0 for their new album). Instead, artists need to make money on the road.

Anyway, based on what I saw this evening, I think it would be a terrible waste NOT to take the revamped Zep on the road. I hope that they play stadiums and that everyone gets a chance to see em. If they can do what they did tonight, there will be a lot of jaws dropping. Page still has the chops, and it still sounds like dinosaurs roaming the earth.

[www.bloomberg.com]

[www.nytimes.com]

[www.reuters.com]

[www.latimes.com]

pix:
[www.rollingstone.com]

[entertainment.timesonline.co.uk]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-12-11 08:03 by Beelyboy.

Thanks for the links Beely (Redemption has been granted -lol - just take it lightly my friend - no reason for us to get excited as Dylan said)

Trainarollin, I'm not sure about the article. I think the band is taking EVERY step of the way by gut feeling, intuition (something we have too little of these day in Hollywood and Washington DC). Now that they've OBVIOUSLY pulled off this show they MIGHT take the next step but it's not like all the other reunions because they didn't go down this way, only Zeppelin's did. People can say what they want about one more tour but you know how great it would have been if Lennon and Harrison were alive and did the same thing with the other 2? You'd see me shelling out ...whatever it took/costs and I basically quit going to concerts. Zeppelin is different cause I saw them many times but let the kids that missed it get 2 hours of pure rock and roll (Leaving The Stones out here cause they have been around for the kids unlike Zep). With Rock and Roll disappearing for real these days let the Zep help keep it going, what ever it takes.....don't need bad rap (there is a tiny bit of great rap) and Vegas type floor shows taking over all of modern music, F*ck that notion...

Wow. I'm not sure what to say about this rant. I was too young to see Zeppelin before, so I for one, hope they continue this. I'm not going to the show to see music that is expected to change the landscape. I want to hear the songs I love and I don't think there is anything wrong with me wanting that or the band providing that. It's ludicrous to think these guys have the same passion and vigor they did back in the day. Everyone grows up, even Led Zeppelin. That is no reason not to enjoy experiencing them today. It tarnishes nothing. No one is going to take away their place in the Hall of Fame because they decide to tour. Don't punish those that weren't around the first time. Would I like to hear some new Zeppelin tunes? I'm not sure. With today's production values it would probably sound too clean. The 70's can be imitated, but not recreated. It's impossible. Times have changed. You have to change with them or you'll be left behind. That doesn't take anything away from the 70's. You don't have to like that time any less. You just have to grow and be open to new things. Sure, what they did then was great and there is no crime in presenting it for a new audience. Yes, the crowds will be older, more tame, but so what? I'll get to hear the guys that originally created this great music, play it again. Without a time machine, that's the closest I'll get. And that sounds pretty good to me.

Amen, HelterSkelter...and thanks a bunch for the links, Beelyboy...reading the reviews makes it obvious that the Hammer Of The Gods still resonates. Makes me feel like a fool for not having attended...Nobody's Fault But Mine.

Let's hope these gentlemen deem to empty our pockets and pound our brains out with a follow-up World Tour.

Some people need to lighten up. He should have given me his bloody ticket insetad.

phelge Wrote:
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> Some people need to lighten up. He should have
> given me his bloody ticket insetad.

I wish I could have...

2008 might line up to be an interesting year...the Stones and Zep could both be touring...how would THAT be for a head trip back to the days when both these dinosaurs roamed the earth simultaneously?

short piece of live vid from tonight! get to it quick before they take it down.
it's just a minute or so but it's soooo heavvvyyy....good sound. just a minute teaser but well worth the look and listen...



__ ___

yeh to that helter; no problems beteen us...lightened up & hope everythings good with you & m.
and since steve jones plays so much of your mutual dear mates in The Clash on his radio show,
i expect a little 'sympathy for the lydon' out of you now and again...hee hee

i am happy about this show tonight and i haven't even heard it...
the initial reaction seems to really reflect that the musicianship was totally involed and engaged and powered up...too much...and to think, when they finished it all...and came out for that last encore unexpectedly, and launced into "rock and roll," somewhere in the hills of Los Angeles, Little Richard was smiling. Keep a knockin' and keep on rockin'



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-12-11 10:19 by Beelyboy.

if both LZ and the Stones tour in 2008 it probably proves that it doesn't matter if you take a long break or not, you arrive at the same place anyway.
Them playing more or less predictable setlists won't stop me enjoying their gigs one bit. It's a law of nature for such big bands, unless they're playing to a bunch of hard core fans, they have to bring out the hoary old warhorses. Otherwise the crowds loose interest.
Only ticket prices/limited access will stop me from seeing them. Every expensive show so far has been more than worth it, riding the energy long after I've paid the bills.

[del.interoute.com]

This tells me everything I really wanted to know.

lots of good points but you know what ? If Michaelangelo did come back, i WOULD like to see him paint. wouldnt pay over the odds or travel half way round the world.

Trainarollin.....lighten up, and relax the anus a bit.
Too much damn analysis.
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawnadoodledo

Beely, again, thanks for the YouTube link, all the US news stations talk all over their 15 second BLACK DOG clip - pisses me off, at least on this one (YouTube - UK, BBC?) they shut their effing mouths and let you hear the music for a minute. Band sounded damn good - Jimmy ESPECIALLY is just kicking ass, Plant is cranked, JPJ is fine - BUT Jason sure is not his dad. Bonzo was the giant steam engine pushing the group where as Jason seems to be slightly lagging - maybe he was just nervous but , man , I hate to say this but maybe an extra drummer would be the answer. Bring in that monster player from POWER STATION (didn't he do LIVE AID with Zep in '85?) Who would be as monster of a drummer as BONZO today? Anyway, they sounded damn good and thank God the night was such a success. They finally made up for their 2 bad shows (Live Aid '85 and Atlantic Records Anniversary's 5 song mini set back whatever year it was) WORLD TOUR IN 2008 BOYS !!! BTW, Is BLACK DOG the only clip any of the news stations are playing ???

If you don't think there's gonna be a tour you haven't seen the new Zep web-site. It's set up much like the Stones, Police and Genesis sites. Elaborate and designed to eventually offer "fan-club" pre-sales.

yikes...I did not write the article. The author has a great way with words. The author is credited at the end of the post with a link to his blogs, which are pretty much daily about the music industry.

he seems to be really depressed and suffering from age anxieties.
(and i don't get the thread title: the guy wasn't at the show, right?)

Led Zeppelin Rebellious? Wow, are you kidding me? Ok so they only released one single (Immigrant Song/Hey Hey What Can I do) but it was the 70s and my understanding of rock music then was that it was more geared towards the album. Pink Floyd didnt release any singles that werent from an album either in the 70s (Money and Time were released as singles, against the bands wishes and Another Brick in the Wall Pt 2 comes from 1980).
If anything Zeppelin was a conformist group. They churned out the same bass/guitar/drum heavy sound mixed with the blues and a wailing singer on every album. People may deride the Stones and the Who for the 80s garbage, but in both cases the music was a hit. Both groups knew when to change their sound and could do so succesfully. Zeppelin couldnt. In Through the out Door seems to be panned by everyone but diehards, proving that Zeppelin couldnt change with the times. If Bonham had not died in 1980 and the band continued, I would imagine they would have first ended up like a Van Halen group, in which the sound was driven by synthesizers and then fizzled away in the mid 80s.
I think the most rebellious group in rock music was the Kinks. Here was a group that in the mid 60s was equal to their peers (stones, beatles, who) in music, lyrics, etc. Yet in 1967/68 rather than pander to the psychedelic sounds, the Kinks put out a class album that sounds backdated (Village Green). In 1970 after a hit with Lola, rather than follow it up with another pop single, the Kinks release an album that yearns for the past (Muswell Hillbillies). Throughout the 70s rather than try and write hit albums, the Kinks instead wrote and put out what they wanted: rock operas that recieved mixed opinions. They rebelled against the music industry with such albums as Lola Vs the Powermen, and decried touring life (Everybodys in Show-Biz). Yet through all of this they built a loyal following. To me thats what rebellion is: performing what you want to who you want. Not to try and continue to peddle the same overblown music album after album.

Bob, I love your writing style and you make sound pronouncements regarding old acts trying to dredge up past glory and us graying "suckers" who willingly go along for the ride. Sure I'm trying to re-live some of my glory days by attending Van Halen and Police shows recently but what's the harm if I'm willing to shell out the bucks to see em ... I guess it does feel a bit weird being in my fifties and enjoying "Hot For Teacher" these many years later but like someone else said I don't over analyze and just go along for the ride so who gets hurt?

Heck I'd love to see Zeppelin again and maybe I'll get the chance and I'm still looking for the new music that gives the same jolt that they did (and still do) back in the day.

Jim

...

Ultimate Rock Music Poll
[www.squidoo.com]

Thanks for the link and the blog entry everyone......I am SO GOING to Bonnarroo this year.....I'll meet you guys at the front of the stage.

Come on Happy Jack, Zeps music changed with every album AND I agree In Through The Out Door WAS a weak album but I think they would have bounced back with some new strong work had Bonzo lived. Listen to the first couple Plant solo albums as well as Page's work. I don't know how REBELLIOUS Zep was but they weren't media ass kissers which probably hurt them somewhat (to not at least be a bit more open to the media at that time). Rolling Stone mag NEVER liked them nor did Robert Hilburn of the LA TIMES (if you knew what was good for you you kissed Hilburn's ass, ask DYLAN, MICK, and BRUCE - shine Hilburn on and he would write neg shit about you NO MATTER WHAT). The thing that kept Zep in the top 3 of 70's bands/performers were us fans and they paid us back with some great shows in the 70's - especially if you lived in LA which seemed to be their favorite US city, I guess the groupie's had nicer tans or something (but no mudsharks down here, that was Seattle - lol)

Lukester Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for the link and the blog entry
> everyone......I am SO GOING to Bonnarroo this
> year.....I'll meet you guys at the front of the
> stage.

Don't forget the ribs and oyster shacks too!

Always this black or white thing. What is it with people.. ?

Baboon Bro Wrote:
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> Always this black or white thing. What is it with
> people.. ?

Don't be disingenuous, what's your point?

Once sentence summary for the blog..."Zep shouldn't tour because it will ruin their godlike image"

Well, I don't buy that. The blog was more like a political speach to me. Led Zeppelin were just four guys that made music. Granted, there was nothing like it and the music they made totally consumed my life in the 1970's.

If you want to talk about something Godlike, isn't it a bit strange that only Bonzo had offspring that can almost fit in his shoes upon his untimely departure? So maybe this was meant to be.

It's up to Jimmy, Robert & John to decide what's next. Do they want to tour, will it be enjoyable, do they owe it to their fans? And yes money is always a factor. Whatever they decide, I will respect their decision.

Of course they should tour.
Will they have the fire of old ?
Of course not...but they'll be better musically and technically than they normally were on stage back then.

Turd On The Run Wrote:
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> Makes me feel like a fool for not
> having attended...Nobody's Fault But Mine.
_____________

...maybe this'll boost yer IQ some, , i gave away 4 front and center tickets for the beatles dodger stadium show in '66..... ........
.. i shoulda just been instituitionalize then...