Re: Been to a good gig lately? [Merged]
So, I headed to London to one of the most over-hyped gigs ever, thrilled about the prospect of Led Zeppelin, but also wondering if they could ever live up to all the hype. The newspaper coverage in London was especially detailed. After all they had not played together for 19 years, and that concert was considered a disaster. Nervous about how Jimmy’s pinky finger would hold up, and whether Robert’s voice could get to those notes again.
I queued up on the Sunday to collect my ticket, and who else did I bump into but TGN, viewer of only the most exclusive gigs. Chatted about the RFC (on the improve), PRE (full of wacky characters) and Led Zeppelin and other music. A great communal feel as I lined up, which took about 2 hours (very detailed ticket collection process and long lines). Add another hour to buy a T-shirt.
On the Monday, the excitement was building – heard a lot of different accents. Was later to find out that over 50 countries were represented at the gig. Got my standing place about half way between the mixing board and stage. And waited for the show to commence.
First up were the warm ups, commencing with a 70’s supergroup consisting of members of Yes, Emerson, Lake Palmer and Bad Company, playing Symphony for the Common Man. Interspered with elements of Zep’s Kashmir.
Next up was Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, with varying singers making appearances including Paolo Nutuni (famous in England I’m told), Paul Rodgers, Sandy Denny, Albert Lee, and one or two others.
Last up was Foreigner who played one song (I wanna know what love is) which I guess sounded good, but when they invited a Zeppelin crowd to sing along, for the most part, the request fell on deaf ears. Towards the end of the support, it all got a little boring, as everyone just wanted to see Zeppelin jump on stage.
At exactly 9pm the greatest band that existed came on stage, to play a rollicking version of “Good Times Bad Times” which would have sounded great had the mixing desk removed the feedback. I knew from that song the band was in fine form
Next up was “Ramble On”. What impressed me the most during this song was Jason Bonham’s drum work. The responsibility was in safe hands with the son of the legendary Bonzo. Sounded fantastic – half way through the song they had removed the feedback issue.
“Black Dog” came next, and it was great to see Jimmy and Robert’s interplay during this song. Jimmy was devastating in this song, attacking the riff with fury. The crowd, already crazy, went absolutely berserk during this song, from which the feeling never dissipated.
My favorite song of the set came next: “In My Time of Dying” a dirty 10 minute sludgefest on slide guitar that also has changes in tempo. Fantastic. Robert’s vocal work was great, and Jimmy nailed the various solos. After they nailed “Black Dog” you could sense confidence in the band was high, as the band started pushing the boundaries of the song.
It was interesting to hear ‘For Your Life” a song they had never played live before. Whilst not a classic Zeppelin classic, it was good to hear a less popular song having the cobwebs dusted off.
White people can dance, or at least the crowd attempted to during “Trampled Under Foot” a funk infused boogie, with excellent keyboard work from John Paul Jones. A fun number to experience, that sounded great live.
“Nobody’s Fault But Mine” saw a return to the electrified blues. At this point I really couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be attending this event. I, along with the crowd was going insane. It this point I couldn’t believe my luck that I got the magic ticket. In total aural (AURAL) ecstasy.
JPJ returned to the keyboards to play his signature number, the doomish “No Quarter.” It’s interesting to watch JPJ, you get the impression his body language would be exactly the same playing in Led Zeppelin, as he would in the church band. Insanely talented, and very much under-rated.
Zeppelin’s most famous slow blues number “Since I’ve Been Loving You” was next. I’m running out of superlatives, aren’t I? Superb.
“Dazed & Confused” was next. I was certainly dazzled by their performance. Jimmy’s violin bow work during this song was amazing (I have it recorded on my mobile – quality only OK), did not come across as self indulgent, nor overblown
Jimmy then strapped on the double-neck for “Stairway to Heaven.” Where do I start? Being the professionals they are, the band gave it 100%, although I think on reflection that song belongs in the 70’s. I love hearing the recorded versions (studio and live), it just seemed dated during the concert, unlike every other song they played, which sounded fresh and vibrant (see Kashmir).
The next two numbers “The Song Remains the Same” and “Misty Mountain Hop” continued the excellence. I especially liked the bouncing riff of “Misty Mountain Hop” another song where white people (including me) attempted to dance.
The perfect song to end the regular set was “Kashmir.” That song was perfection live on Monday night, and I think the song that best sums up Zeppelin as a band – always pushing musical boundaries. Robert’s vocals were perfect during this song, as was the band’s playing. This song as not aged one year.
With the end of “Kashmir” and the regular set there was no way they were going to get away with not doing an encore. So they came back on stage to annihilate “Whole Lotta Love.” I have the feeling Jimmy’s Therimin was playing up, as it did not last as long as expected.
The band once again retreated from the stage, before a further encore of “Rock & Roll.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve rock and rolled.” Indeed. The perfect end to a perfect concert.
Concluding thoughts:
- An emotional high from start to finish
- I know they didn’t have time, but it would have a perfect night even better to hear a couple acoustic songs. “That’s the Way” for example.
- “Stairway to Heaven” belongs in the’70’s. Great to hear, but it was the only song that dated the band.
Nearly 30 years after they broke up from Bonzo’s unfortunate death, Zeppelin once again set the live benchmark. TGN may disagree, but especially at a stadium, I think I saw the benchmark of the decade.
*smile*ing Amazing
Overhyped? No they performed above expectations if that’s possible. It really is amazing that the last time they performed on stage together was 19 years ago. It was insane how good they were.
Big thumbs up for Jason Bonham, who had in some ways the thankless task of filling in for his old man.
A tour? Selfishly I want that to be the band’s last concert. It’s doubtful they could hit the emotional high again.But imagine the possibilities of regularly performing together…
