Led Zeppelin: Could It Be True? [London O2 gig discussion]

Mushy

Belfast Telegraph wrote:

Six digits on the official website of Led Zeppelin was all it took yesterday to fuel fevered hopes that the longest-awaited and most-rumoured reunion in rock history is about to be announced - and spark a huge scramble for tickets.

The surviving members of the British band widely held to have redefined rock music - and how to indulge in its hedonistic excesses - are set to play their first full-scale concert in 27 years with a one-off appearance in November at the O2 venue in Greenwich, south-east London.


The group's front man, Robert Plant, was reported to have confirmed the performance to an autograph hunter, while those involved with promoting the gig said full details would be announced within the next 10 days.


Fan websites were buzzing with speculation that the concert would be held on 13 November after the home page of LedZeppelin.com carried the American-style date 11.13.07 without further explanation. The date is a day after the release of Mothership, the band's latest greatest hits collection.


A source said: "It is going to happen. We are finalising the precise timing but basically the guys have agreed they want to do it. It will be a one-off."


It is thought the concert in the former Millennium Dome will be a charity event in memory of Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records, the jazz and blues label that signed Led Zeppelin in 1968 without ever seeing them perform, apparently on the advice of the singer Dusty Springfield.


But sources said claims that the band will also play two gigs in America - one in Florida and one in New York - were wide of the mark.


The London concert will be performed by Plant and the two other original band members, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones. The drums will be played by Jason Bonham, whose father, John, was Led Zeppelin's drummer until he died aged 32 by choking on his own vomit after a drinking binge in 1980 - an incident which prompted the remaining members to go their separate ways.


Talk of a reunion has periodically emerged ever since but the group have only performed two short sets since 1980 - one for the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in 1985 and one at the 40th birthday celebrations of Atlantic Records in 1988. Plant and Page have also performed together amid a rumoured rift between the band's singer and John Paul Jones, reported to have been resolved in 2002.


The O2 gig follows recent reunion performances by other bands such as The Police and Pink Floyd. The Rolling Stones continue to set the pace for ageing rockers, earning about €300m for each of their world tours.


It is unlikely the three men from Led Zeppelin, aged between 59 and 63, are reuniting for financial reasons. Widely lauded as one of the best bands of the 20th century with their album-based exploration of multiple musical genres and influences, they have sold 300 million records. The solo from "Stairway to Heaven" was voted the best guitar rock solo of all time in 2005.


But a chance to witness a reprise of such classics as "Whole Lotta Love", "Stairway to Heaven" and "Black Dog" will cause a stampede for tickets among the band's masses of fans. The band famously refused to endorse the release of any of their song as singles, preferring aficionados to experience their work in the album format or in live performances.


Several companies were yesterday offering tickets costing between €400 and €750 for the performance in the 20,000-seat O2 Arena, amid warnings that touts and fraudsters are seeking to profit from the demand. One company is offering a combined ticket and hotel package costing £369 (€550).


Internet chatrooms carried complaints from fans that the venue was too small for such an eagerly awaited concert and tickets would go to corporate sponsors and predatory touts who will seek to sell them on at inflated prices.


Harvey Goldsmith, the promoter who helped launch Live Aid and the O2, and has promoted Led Zeppelin in the past, warned fans earlier this week not to buy tickets before events had been officially announced. He said: "We are concerned the public will be fleeced. The bottom line is unless official adverts have appeared, tickets are not for sale. Do not buy from unauthorised sources."


After forming in 1968, the four members of Led Zeppelin (whose name according to one version of the band's history is a pun on the phrase 'lead balloon') became probably the world's biggest music act at the height of their popularity in the early 1970s.


They became known almost as much for their off-stage exploits as their musical mastery, often booking entire floors of hotels for drink-fuelled parties. But their music continues to have wide appeal.


Jimmy Page said recently: "I thought the music would endure; I didn't think I would. I always thought I'd be dead by 30, then dead by 40 and on and on."


He is now 63

Dont know how true it is, or if it would be any good if it did happen, but its cool. Pity its only a once-off. Would be nigh-on impossible to get tickets.

ec18

I hope it is!!!!!!!

€400?!

ec18

what companies?

NIBBS

yeah been trying to keep track of this over the last few weeks, the offer/money is there for a full tour - but it appears they've only agreed to the one off Tribute show, but lets be honest the touts will be having a field day on this - and not only the average tout - this will have people up on ebay straight away wondering what they can get - if it happens and I could manage to somehow get a ticket (I don't pay touts for tickets, just helps create the business they make) I wouldn't sell it even for €1k.....if it's a one off it'll never happen again and will the the last ever opportunity to see them........we'll see - 15,000 lucky people if it's real...

ec18

From billboard.com News Here

NIBBS

yeah, the Press Conference is expected today - Sky News tracking it, home sick today, if I see anything I'll post....

grumpytrousers

frankly i can't figure it out; a press conference for one gig? I mean, i'm not doubting it's a big show, and i started a darned thread about it on music, but there's no way that demand for the show will be satisfied and absolutely no fair way to distribute tickets, unless they go for somethign along the lines of

a) everybody who wants to can buy a raffle ticket for £100
b) you might win a ticket to the show; you might not
c) charity gets all the money from the raffle tickets...

my spidey sense tells me that it'll be a precursor to a tour...

NIBBS

grumpytrousers wrote:

frankly i can't figure it out; a press conference for one gig? I mean, i'm not doubting it's a big show, and i started a darned thread about it on music, but there's no way that demand for the show will be satisfied and absolutely no fair way to distribute tickets, unless they go for somethign along the lines of

a) everybody who wants to can buy a raffle ticket for £100
b) you might win a ticket to the show; you might not
c) charity gets all the money from the raffle tickets...

my spidey sense tells me that it'll be a precursor to a tour...

I agree gt - if it's one show Ebay sales would be through the roof........and from a fans perspective it would be unfair in many ways.........only other thing I could think of is that they are using the show as a soundboard for reaction to a possible reunion and also to see how well the 4 of them can play the music together, I'd like to believe theres a little integrity between them and they don't just want to tour for the money or the sake of it and they'd actually care that the show worked.......
time will tell...

grumpytrousers

http://www.ahmettribute.com/page1.html

eoinf

playing glastonbury next year .

defo dont doubt me.

NIBBS

grumpytrousers wrote:

http://www.ahmettribute.com/page1.html

may as well join the raffle.......£125 a ticket is nice and steep - at least it's to go to educational causes....

ec18

if you can get to the site

brian_rbk

Has anyone successfully registered?!

ec18

nope not yet

s8n

I can get to the first page and thats it

MagicMarker

i got to the registration page but it timed out after i submitted my details. Will keep trying though.

1huge1

I can't even get onto the 1st page

brian_rbk

I managed to register

Beruthiel

I would give my left testicle to go to this gig

Lemming

Beruthiel wrote:

I would give my left testicle to go to this gig

Does Jeff know you plan to sacrifice his left testicle?

The Queen

Apart from ahmettribute.com, is there anywhere else to get the tickets?

Would be the gig of a lifetime!!

brian_rbk

I don't think any other websites will be registering for tickets... but to make things a little easier, here is the link for the page to register your name and address.

http://www.ahmettribute.com/main.php?show=prereg

brian

MagicMarker

This was on the news today.... The site is running slow/not at all because so far over 20 MILLION people have tried registering for tickets!!!:eek:

NIBBS

yeah I registered and so did the missus........would be awesome if I managed to get a ticket, but like winning the lotto I ain't expecting it to happen......

I wonder how many of those registrations are multiples - hopfully will be knocked down significantly before the draw, the Registration page is open til midday on Monday 17th Sept..........good luck all.....

starman100

Site is working fine now, I registered myself, my wife, my daughter, my dad, my sister, all with different email addresses :rolleyes: . It's not really fair the way its set up to allow multiple registrations, might have been better to charge a nominal amount to enter the draw, say £10, to prevent abuse. I really doubt if 20 million separate individuals have registered. Whatever happens, the Ebay touts will have a field day.

But I been a fan of Zep for over 20 years and to see them live would be well up the list of things to do before I die. Please let there be a world tour next year.....

MagicMarker

due to demand alone they would have to do some sort of mini tour at least...

120,000,000 hits on the site so far. :eek:

herbieflowers

so chances of getting tickets are slim to none!

finbarrk

Anyone care to guess what a ticket will make on ebay for this one, I'd say at least €1,500.

honru

I'd LOVE to go to this but €180 is a bit too much in fairness.

Will someome tell Regi to stop messing around with the site? It's borked again

NIBBS

MagicMarker wrote:

due to demand alone they would have to do some sort of mini tour at least...

120,000,000 hits on the site so far. :eek:

I wouldn't bet on it - the only one that really wants to push the tour thing is Jason Bonham - none of the others seem to be to bothered about the money side of it, they've know for years that they could exploit the name at any time to do that.......and to be honest I like that about them, and if they do a one off show as a Tribute to a dear friend, well that's cool..........

but then again, this could be a warm up for a tour......time will tell.....

StillBallygowan

Just read the following from Harvey Goldsmmith website:

http://www.harveygoldsmith.com/news-and-press-release-item.php?item=19

Ahmet Tribute tickets and passcodes. 02.Oct.2007

The random ticket selection has taken place and successful applicants have been notified that they can now purchase their tickets.

Each ticket holder has an individual pass code that has been issued by Ticket Master, that pass code and the name of the applicant are married together.

Consequently if the pass code is sold on to another party those tickets will be invalid.

Unfortunately a small number of unscrupulous people have decided to take advantage of the fact that they had been awarded the opportunity to purchase tickets.

It is even more unfortunate that eBay and a number of ticket scalping sites have chosen to take advantage of this situation.

Please note that unless the ticket, the code and correct identification match, those tickets will be invalid.

Anyone who chooses to purchase tickets in this way will lose their money!

We urge all fans who wish to come to the concert to sit tight; as the tickets are cancelled they will be re issued at the next random selection of registrations.

Lemming

StillBallygowan wrote:

Consequently if the pass code is sold on to another party those tickets will be invalid.

Unfortunately a small number of unscrupulous people have decided to take advantage of the fact that they had been awarded the opportunity to purchase tickets.

It is even more unfortunate that eBay and a number of ticket scalping sites have chosen to take advantage of this situation.

Please note that unless the ticket, the code and correct identification match, those tickets will be invalid.

heh. heh. heh. A nice fat two fingers to touting scum cvnts everywhere.

indiewindy

touts won't lose, it will be the people who buy off the touts who lose as they wont have they combination

--Kaiser--

Anyone manage to get tickets for this gig?

I'd sell my aunt for one, only it'd be cancelled.....

StillBallygowan

--Kaiser-- wrote:

Anyone manage to get tickets for this gig?

I'd sell my aunt for one, only it'd be cancelled.....

Yes, I managed to get tickets.

How much for your aunt? Send on a picture also!

Gileadi

I got tickets too, cant wait tbh

Neo#

Lucky gits!:D

lordgoat

Those going: enjoy!

i hope it lives up to everything and more.

jp4480

Bit of a long shot here, but what the hell . . . worth a try -

Does anyone out there have (or know of someone who has) a winning ballot for the LZ ticket allocation? If so, am desperate to get to the gig as a 'friend' on the day if a spare ticket happens to be going a begging.

I'm a Life-long Zepp nut so willing to pay top dollar for a ticket - and happy to finance pints before the gig as well!!!!!

MagicMarker

A friend actually made a good point about this last night to me...

If everyone has to register for the lottery, then surely there's only 1 ticket per person? So, i don't think there's going to be any such thing as a spare ticket. Unless there's a very small chance that one person who's successful personally knows of another who is successful... again, seems unlikely.

Antilles

Don't know if it is legit or not but there's tickets on ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/Led-Zeppelin-Reunion-Concert-O2-Arena-London-Nov-26_W0QQitemZ120169763845QQihZ002QQcategoryZ1306QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem)

feylya

If you have a winning number, you can buy two tickets.

ixus

I just got an email a couple of hours ago.
Apparently because of the date change there are new tickets available.

Wouldn't you know, I get an email saying I've won and the gig is on while I'm doing exams! WTF! :mad:

If anyone else applied at the beginning, check your mail, 'cos I'm not sure if it's a general release as I got the following :

Congratulations we are very pleased to be able to offer you a limited opportunity to buy tickets for the Ahmet Tribute concert at the O2 Arena in London on the 10th December 2007.



These tickets are available now until sold out on a first come first served basis.



Please read the below information carefully before you proceed to booking, by continuing to the booking page you are agreeing to all the below.



This passcode is non-transferable. Only the winner of the ballot as named above is eligible to purchase a maximum of 2 tickets using this passcode and a credit card in their name.



Tickets purchased by anyone other than the winner of the ballot as named above will be cancelled.



The tickets purchased using this passcode are non-transferable.



Your individual passcode can only be used once and will be invalid once you have either made your purchase or tickets are sold out.



If you have already obtained tickets via any method do not purchase tickets as they will be cancelled.



Terms and conditions

• Your passcode is strictly for your own personal use only. It may not be transferred or sold to any other person or body under any circumstances, nor may it be used in any way for commercial gain. If you breach this term we reserve the right to cancel your passcode with immediate effect. If your passcode is used to purchase tickets by any person other than you, we reserve the right to immediately cancel those tickets.

• The tickets purchased using your passcode are for your own personal use only and may not be transferred or re-sold to any other person or body under any circumstances for any consideration whatsoever or used as part of any promotion or competition. Where there has been any re-sale or attempted re-sale of any tickets, we reserve the right to cancel those tickets with immediate effect.

• We reserve the right to cancel any ticket purchase made by any person whom we reasonably believe to be associated with any ticket broker or tout.

• NO tickets will be mailed out. All concert goers must pick up their tickets and non-transferable wristbands in advance of the show at the O2 Arena between 10am and 6pm on Sunday 9 th December and between 10am and 6pm on Monday 10th December. To avoid long queues on the day of the show you are strongly urged to pick up your tickets and wristbands on Sunday 9 th December or arrive as early as possible on Monday 10th December, please be aware that ticket collection will be busy at peak times and you should anticipate having to wait to be served.

• To collect the tickets each original purchaser and the person accompanying them to the show must be present in order to pick up the tickets and wristbands. NO exceptions

• Each original purchaser must provide the actual credit card used for the purchase along with valid state-issued PHOTO ID in order to receive the tickets and non-transferable wristbands. All wristbands will be fitted immediately. The name on your photo ID must match the name against which your passcode is registered AND the name on the credit card used for the ticket purchase, otherwise you may be refused entry to the event.

• There will be no exceptions to the above, no name changes or letters of authorisation will be accepted under any circumstances.

• On the night of the show EVERYONE will be required to present BOTH the WRISTBAND and TICKET for entrance to the show. Wristbands must NOT be removed or tampered with prior to entering the show or your access will be refused. Original ticketholders must bring photo ID to the show as they may be required to present it upon entry to the venue.

• The original conditions of sale will be enforced. These passcodes and tickets are non-transferable under any circumstances and any resale or transfer, or attempted resale or transfer, will invalidate your passcode and any ticket purchase made using that passcode.

• No refunds will be accepted under any circumstances with the exception of the event being cancelled by the promoter.

• Customers with disabilities should forward this email and contact phone number to ticketing.co.uk to book accessible seating (subject to availability).

• All ticket purchases are subject to the standard terms and conditions of Ticketmaster (UK) Limited, accessible at www.ticketmaster.co.uk/legal.

We are doing our best to keep the tickets for this event out of the hands of secondary ticket sellers and in the hands of the fans so please help us by adhering to the above.

Your Passcode is :D:D:D

To purchase tickets please go to the below link and follow the instructions to enter your passcode.

Click Here



Thankyou for supporting the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund we look forward to seeing you there!

www.mothershipiscoming.com

Goat Mouth

oh man... does that suck!

ixus

Big time, not sure what to do, just paid to do a Masters.

I wouldn't mind if it was a 1/2/3rd year exam....

NIBBS

cheers for the heads up ixus, still didn't get anything.....such a pain you can't go after winning the lotto....I'm assuming these aren't the type of exams you can put off.....:(

FunkyChicken

I'll have em!

Alter-Ego

I will also...second in line.

Pythia

Anyone who wants can have my code. You won't get through the system though.