In my opinion, Led Zeppelin was the greatest rock band of all time. As I hear the news about the reunion show of Led Zeppelin, and the possible tour, I remember when my friend and I drove from San Diego to L.A. to see Robert Plant for our first front row Robert show. It was great just to see Robert and his band do the Led Zeppelin tunes, I can only imagine how awesome it would be to see him with Jimmy Page on guitar and John Paul Jones on bass doing Zeppelin tunes. Of course, who better than Jason Bonham to play drums.



Although my friend and I were both too young to have caught Led Zeppelin live, we talked about a reunion with Jason Bonham, and eagerly hoped it would some day happen. The rumors say now perhaps it shall. These rumors seem only to be on the rise, with more positive wording each time I hear them. The excitement reminds me of my early Led Zeppelin memories.

In the early Led Zeppelin years, (basically, Zeppelin spanned the seventies), there were many stories in the popular press about Led Zeppelin, parties and substance use. Of course, after the untimely loss of John Bonham, it became politically incorrect to write about the wild party days of Led Zeppelin. No one, including myself, wanted to hear about how Led Zeppelin's behavior may have contributed to the loss of John Bonham. It just made everyone sad. I still remember what I was doing when I found out the news (my mom has her JFK moment, I have my John Bonham moment).

The day I heard the news of John Bonham was the first time I saw a guy outside my family cry: my 15 year-old next-door neighbor. I was 10 and had a crush on him probably because he could play Stairway to Heaven on the guitar. Do you remember how in the 70s and early 80s all the guitarists always wanted to play Stairway to Heaven? It was even in the movie, Wayne's World, when Wayne goes to play guitar in the guitar store. He only gets a few notes into it when the store employee points to the sign on the wall "Absolutely, no Stairway."

So now, here we are in the twenty-first century and I am again getting excited about the idea of getting a chance to see Led Zeppelin live. I know it is not a sure thing, but the band's representative, Harvey Goldsmith, won't rule it out. In addition, all of the reviews I have read of their December 10, 2007 show were very positive. Having watched all of the Utube videos of the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute concert, I must agree that the performance was as good, if not better than expected (backpackdave has some of the better sound with the footage, imo).

Robert was a showman, as ever. I think his voice sounded better than it did the last time I heard him on tour with Jimmy in 1995. The first song, Good Times, Bad Times was awesome, and rocked hard! Ramble On came next, and considering it was Jason on drums, it was one of the best versions I have heard. Actually, I think Jason plays it as well as anyone could have, John Bonham included. Black Dog rocked hard as the second tune, In My Time was bluesy as ever, but brief, while For Your Life was long and raw. For Your Life was my favorite of the first half; and, there's a multi-cam view version which is pretty hot.

By the time Trampled Underfoot got going, you could tell Led Zeppelin was really warmed up. In Nobody's Fault But Mine Robert played harmonica, which was super cool. No Quarter was a long, trippy rendition, which led right into a super-bluesy, Since I've Been Loving You. Dazed and Confused was kinda' short and led into the most played rock tune of all time, Stairway to Heaven.

In The Song Remains the Same, Robert was great on his crooning vocals. Misty Mountain was next, and then they finished it off with one of the most well-known get-in-the-mood songs, Kashmir (remember the reference in the movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High).

Fortunately, they played a two-song encore, with Whole Lotta' Love and Rock and Roll. We heard all of Jimmy's guitar mastery working off of Robert's moaning vocals in Whole Lotta Love. As can be imagined, Rock and Roll, the last song, rocked hard and brought the house down.

I am sure to buy any CD or DVD of this performance. I am also eagerly geared up to buy tickets for the U.S. tour. Come on guys, show the U.S. some love! Doesn't everyone want to see a Led Zeppelin reunion tour?