Joe Tacopino of New York Post reports:
Robert Plant and the other living founding members of legendary hard-rock band Led Zeppelin were about to ink an $800 million contract with Virgin Atlantic billionaire Richard Branson to play a reunion tour, but the iconic band’s singer ripped the contract to shreds in the final moments, a report said.
Founding members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones signed on immediately when the flamboyant investor offered the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers the staggering amount to perform just 35 tour dates in three locations including London, Berlin and New Jersey, according to the UK’s Mirror.
But Branson was left stunned when the 66-year-old Plant tore the agreement to pieces right in front of the concert promoters, the newspaper said.
“There was an enormous sense of shock,” a source told the Mirror. “He said no and ripped up the paperwork he had been given.”
Guitarist Page and bassist Jones were all set to perform along with drummer Jason Bonham, who has filled in for his late father, John Bonham, in the past.
They gave their cranky frontman two days to think about the historic reunion, and he turned into a real heartbreaker for fans who have dreamed of another reunion tour.
“It was a no-brainer for them, but Robert asked for 48 hours to think about it,” the source said. “They have tried to talk him ’round, but there is no chance. His mind is made up and that’s that.”
And it’s not likely that the band can hire a replacement for Plant’s unique voice.
“There is no way they can go ahead without him,” the source said.
Branson, a tremendous fan of the ’70s rock band, reportedly pulled out all the stops to get the “The Song Remains the Same” rockers back on stage together.
The founder of Virgin Group was planning on renaming one of his jumbo jets “The Starship” and having the craft ferry the stars around to their gigs.
He was even going to have the staircase of the jet renamed the Stairway to Heaven after the band’s landmark hit.
“Even his money was not enough to get Plant to sign up,” the source said, adding that the tycoon was very upset by the singer’s diss.
The band last played together, with Jason Bonham filling in on drums, during a tribute concert at London’s O2 arena in 2007.
The band has been notoriously cranky about whether it would ever reunite, with Plant even calling one reporter a “schmuck” during a press conference in 2012.
source: pagesix.com
69 Responses
Pushing 80 !!!
I for sure would find it hard to say “no” to $800 Million……that being said we are talking about a REAL ROCK and ROLL LEGEND, he did the O2 show with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham and called it quits right then and there…..and I’m most positive John Bonham looked down and was more than satisfied and agreed with Robert Plant’s decision………unlike some other fruit rolled up band
i thought the last show/ dvd was the perfect end to this great band, they went out on top.
none of them really need the money , i’ll bet he felt the pressure of 80 million and the legacy they have created, also i hope the other guys are not going to make him out to be the bad guy, but Plant is done with his past and wants to move forward. i am very happy for him.
Led Zeppelin is done. Robert clearly doesn’t want to do it. I hope Jimmy and John Paul accept that. Vocally, Robert can’t do it, and I hope they accept that too. Richard Branson needs to keep his money in his pocket as far as a Zeppelin reunion is concerned. I hate a–holes like him that have so much money they lose track of what they can do with it. So you’ve got $800 million to throw around, then how about throwing it into Alzheimer’s research or aiding world hunger or finding a cure for cancer or something like that? I hope Robert wiped his backside with the contract before he tore it up.
Ten or fifteen years ago I might have gotten worked up over this, but c’mon, this has been Plant’s position since at least 1985, when they made a very brief attempt at reforming after Live Aid.
Plant doesn’t want to do it, that’s his thing. He’s enjoyed basking in the praise of the Rolling Stone types since the 80’s for resisting doing a Zeppelin tour, and obviously continues to enjoy it (although at this point, and age, I’m quite ready to believe him when he says he won’t because simply doesn’t want to). And his solo tours are really good, I’ve never seen a bad show from him.
The ’98 Page/Plant tour was about as close as it’s going to get. It was pretty good; shame there wasn’t an official live album or video.