Led Zep Kills in London

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Yesterday Led Zeppelin reunited for a single evening in London to commemorate the life of Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun who passed away a year ago this week. It was the band's first full-length concert since they broke up following drummer John Bonham's death 27 years ago. For more than 2 hours, they rocked a celebrity-studded O2 Arena with all of the classic Led Zep songs starting with "Good Times, Bad Times" finishing with "Rock & Roll." (Full set list available here.) Although it was a one-off event, they put in months of rehearsal to make it a night that they can be proud of. And who knows, maybe with all this preparation there might be a bigger concert tour next year.

Our intrepid field reporter (and long time Jimmy Page fan) Hans was on the job in London and reports from the show:

Led Zep didn't just perform a show to satisfy the nostalgia of the die hard fans. Instead they rocked better and harder than bands half their age. They simply blew me and the rest of the 20,000 lucky one's in the arena away. The set list was awesome with practically every song you wanted to hear. If this was really a one off event it seems such a waste, with the energy and commitment they showed this last Monday they have every reason to continue playing together... I dreamed about just seeing them play together one last time but now when the dream did come true, I can't wait to see them again. That's how good they were.

Robert Plant's vocals were remarkebly strong considering how much older he is now than when these songs were originally recorded. But as he aptly put it, "Older equipment may take a while to get going, but once the requisite valves heat up, the quality is unmistakeable." Jimmy Page, now sporting his natural white hair, was in fine form,with his trademark big riffs, extended solos and, yes, use of a violin bow. John Paul Jones kept the bass and Jason Bonham filled in for his father on drums, helping to update the sound.

There are a few decent videos on YouTube from the show, but most appear to be taken from shakey cell phones in the back row. The excerpt below on YouTube is from a proper professional multi-camera setup and was aired at the end of BBC Newsnight. Although it clocks in at just over a minute, I think it clearly gives a taste for what the concert was like and how well they played. And the good news is, they had cameras rolling for the entire gig so it looks like there will be a live DVD available next year.

In the meantime, check out the recent release of Mothership, a 2 CD greatest hits package that includes an hour of 1970's era live concert footage on DVD. Or pick up the the full length live 2 DVD Led Zeppelin set from which the Mothership video is taken or the newly remastered version of their 1976 film The Song Remains the Same. Check out the Rolling Stone web site for more news coverage and photos from the show.