Andy Greene of Rolling Stone reports:
It could have been the biggest tour in the history of rock & roll, a stadium juggernaut to dwarf even recent efforts by U2, Roger Waters and the Rolling Stones. Had they agreed to a two-year trek, taken on sponsors and charged exorbitant rates for tickets and merchandise, Led Zeppelin could possibly have been the first act ever to gross $1 billion on a single tour. They spent nearly a year prepping for their reunion show at London’s O2 Arena in December of 2007, but just when his bandmates, concert promoters and fans all over the world were practically salivating over the thought of the group’s first tour since 1980, Robert Plant walked away from the group, and nothing was going to change his mind.
You’re going back to the same old shit,” Robert Plant says. “A tour would have been an absolute menagerie of vested interests and the very essence of everything that’s shitty about about big-time stadium rock. We were surrounded by a circus of people that would have had our souls on the fire. I’m not part of a jukebox!”
Nearly all of Plant’s peers are happy to deal with such a circus considering the insane financial rewards. “Good luck to them,” he sneers. “I hope they’re having a real riveting and wonderful late middle age. Somehow I don’t think they are.”
When Robert Plant walked away from the group after the O2 show, Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham continued to rehearse together in England, even auditioning singers for a possible Plant-free tour. Most names have remained secret, but Steven Tyler and Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy have both admitted to spending a few days playing with the group.
“Singers were being thrown at us from here and there,” says Page. “The material we were coming up with was really, really good. Obviously, other people wanted to just get us out on the road quickly. I wasn’t feeling comfortable. Going out with the three members from the 02 show and another singer might have looked like trying to jam a square peg into a round hole. I wanted to see what we could come up with musically.”
Plant refuses to make a statement forever ruling out the possibility of him fronting Zeppelin again. “I don’t think there’s any reason for me to do that,” he says. “Otherwise we’ve got nothing to be mystic about…Everything will develop as it develops. All doors are open. All phone lines are open. I don’t hear from anybody. Talk is cheap…But I just think everything has to be new. Then you can incorporate history.”
Does that mean he’s open to the idea of recording new songs with Zeppelin? “You can’t be the marriage guidance clinic here,” he says, clearly irritated by this line of questioning.
Strangely, he’s among the few people who felt it was a good idea for Zeppelin to carry in without him. “They kept rehearsing after O2 and they had a singer,” Plant says. “I don’t know what happened. It seemed like a great idea to me.”
Plant stands up to leave, but turns on his heel. “Do you know why the Eagles said they’d reunite when ‘hell freezes over,’ but they did it anyway and keep touring?” he asks. “It’s not because they were paid a fortune. It’s not about the money. It’s because they’re bored. I’m not bored.”
Read more at Rolling Stone.
source: rollingstone.com
35 Responses
The fans and press need to stop beating this dead horse. There’s a greater chance of seeing the Titanic raised and remains restored to set sail for a world cruise more than there is seeing a Led Zeppelin world tour at this point. As much as I’d like to see that, it is what it is. This guy has been the holdout for this happening, now going on decades, so with what he’s got left at this point at least he’s got a legitimate excuse now. He’s content being the old guy that he is playing music and shows that aren’t going to push his limits. He seems happy and at peace with things, so good for him. I just which the other guys that have some fire and passion left for Zeppelin would’ve soldiered on after the 02 like they had planned without Plant. The problem is they were trying to find a single person to fill the void of lead vocalist, which isn’t going to happen. Had they incorporated a revolving door of guest singers for different recordings and shows, they could’ve pulled it off. I think the fans would’ve been more accepting of the project too over trying to get a single person to try and fill that legendary roll, which can’t be done.
Oh well, at least we got a great Them Crooked Vultures album out of John Paul Jones and we’ve heard some great projects from Jason Bonham like Black Country Communion and California Breed. The new editions of the Zep albums Page is putting together are nice, but I wish we could’ve gotten some new rocking material from him after that fire was lit inside him in 2007. In any case, it’s time to turn the page (no pun intended) with these sort of news posts.
They don’t need the money. They kept their publishing though Amet tried to bust it in ’69 like a banana in front of a chimp. They’d do it 3 cities. No tour. Pink Floyd did 2 in the U.S. ’80 and turned down a fortune for more. I’d see Vito Bratta before Plant. Bratta-Bonham-Sarzo-Paul Rodgers. Maybe The Firm can come back…this time with Bad CompanyLZ tunes
To add…I don’t think Plant could sing to expectations night after night, he’s 65 years old for goodness sake. Put a fork in it….next !
Plant: “A tour would have been an absolute menagerie of vested interests and the very essence of everything that’s shitty about about big-time stadium rock.”
Screw the stadium tour – do a smaller venue/amphitheatre tour instead and cut out the corporate bs.
The demand for tix would be insane and people would be shit out of luck, but how cool would that be?
I’m so tired of plant teasing everyone for 30 years. I don’t care anymore go away already!