Led Zeppelin

In 1988, when Robert Plant was asked what inspired him about Led Zeppelin's 20th birthday, he found the idea ridiculous. He quipped at the idea that just because Led Zeppelin made music should see them being celebrated as if they were war heroes. Since John Bonham's sudden death on 25 September, 1980, the three other band members agreed to bring Led Zeppelin to a definitive close: it seemed inconceivable to continue without their iconic and irreplaceable drummer. A few short rare appearances then followed, like at Live Aid on 13 July, 1985, at Philadelphia's JFK Stadium, or Madison Square Garden on 14 May, 1988, to honour the man who took the risk of signing Led Zeppelin on his label, Atlantic, twenty years before – Ahmet Ertegün.

But it would be another 20 years before their first real reunion on 10 December, 2007, at London's O2 Arena (Celebration Day) with Jason Bonham, John's son, on the drums. There had been plenty to go on while we were waiting, with over 200 concert dates and two albums from Jimmy Page/Robert Plant (No Quarter, in 1994, and Walking into Clarksdale, in 1998), and two tours from the amazing Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes (Live at the Greek), the greatest homage yet to the famous blimp.

Like the Beatles, the three men have often received offers of mind-boggling sums as enticements for a new reunion, but they haven't been swayed. John Paul Jones preferred to form another supergroup, Them Crooked Vultures, with Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters…) and Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age…); Jimmy Page mainly worked on dusting off the group's old records, while Robert Plant alternated between his solo career and various groups and projects (Priory of Brion, Strange Sensation, Robert Plant/Alison Krauss, Band Of Joy, The Sensational Space Shifters…). Plant is still the most reticent of the three about any idea of a return for Led Zeppelin. Three years after the Live Aid concert, they had a rather disappointing live performance, and the singer was blunt: "Working with Jimmy again, especially getting back on stage... It'd be like finding yourself in bed with an ex-wife and not being able to make love. You can't recreate an old relationship in the way it was at the best of times. It's just impossible. "

But Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones did get back together on 2 December, 2012, after the homage to Led Zeppelin at the 36th Kennedy Center Honors in Washington D.C. But in spite of the presence of Barack Obama, they didn't play a note, leaving the stage free for Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters, Lenny Kravitz, Jack Black, Ann and Nancy Wilson (Heart, The Lovemongers…) and Kid Rock to play a selection of iconic songs. But the ceremony touched them deeply. Plant was on the verge of tears during Stairway to Heaven, a song that he couldn't stand back in the Led Zeppelin days. Jimmy Page confirmed as much: "We didn't know what was coming, and that's why our emotions were so visible. I had just seen Dave Grohl in the hotel and I didn't think he was going to play anything. Even the fact that Jason Bonham (often on the drums during reunions in the 1980s) was there was a surprise to all three of us. Kid Rock played Babe I'm Gonna Leave You brilliantly. It's a real shame that the event wasn’t broadcasted. The guitar arrangements were superb, including on Ramble On. And the finale with Heart on Stairway to Heaven was fabulous. I have always had the greatest respect for the Wilson sisters and their performance with the choirs that appeared at the end, it was superb. It was like a gospel adaptation and I thought, "Wow, what a good idea!" I never expected to hear our music played like that. It was really magic. It was so moving, because we could tell it was being played with such love and respect. I had no reason to play anything; I was just there to listen. Really, I would have liked to have listened some more…" It's a strong hint that a concert along the same lines would be a great way to celebrate Led Zeppelin's 50th…

Page has held the keys to the Led Zep archives for about twenty years, overseeing all the re-releases, and that's essentially because the group is his creation. In 1968, he had decided to form the New Yardbirds with a few hand-picked musicians. He'd made a first attempt with Keith Moon, who came up with the name Led Zeppelin, and John Entwistle. The drummer and the bassist from The Who had considered dropping Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey before changing his mind. John Paul Jones, who would visit the same studio sessions as Page, would be the first to sign, but the two men hoped to complete the group with their first choice of singer, Terry Reid. Reid, who wasn't available, strongly recommended Robert Plant, who in turn suggested John Bonham (the two of them had both been members of Crawling King Snakes and Band Of Joy).