Celebration Day: Led Zeppelin's last concert

--Kaiser--

“It’s been a long time since I rock and roll..”

It has been a long time, a long, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time for fans of Led Zeppelin. Especially for the younger of us who never had the opportunity to see them live. Then in 2007, the opportunity did arise. They were playing a one-off gig in London, the tickets to be assigned by lottery. Well, I must have opened about 6 email addresses under slightly different names to try to get a ticket, but no joy. No-one else I know got a ticket either, but imagine the millions that would have applied? Luckily, for those of us who didn’t get a ticket, the performance was being recorded, and it has now been released (in cinemas, at least). Why did it take so long? Did they do some heavy rework in the studio? Not that I could see, there are some bum notes in the performance, so at least it’s authentic. So how do the Zep hold up?

They are looking decidedly long in the tooth. Robert Plant still has that shock of curly blond hair but now looks like less like a golden god and more like a strange elderly poodle; he can still howl with the best of them though. Jimmy Page gums and gurns like a mad, drunk goldfish as he plucks that old magic from his six strings. And John Paul Jones? He actually looks really well, at least 10 years younger than the other two (surely a testament to clean living?) but you can still imagine him yelling at you to get off his lawn. All the songs you’d expect them to play are there, the only thing missing is the acoustic set they used to do, but you can forgive that, given how long it made their sets.

Is it worth buying Celebration Day over a classic one (such as the seminal The Song Remains the Same)? In short, no. Jimmy doesn’t play with quite the same insouciant genius and, as I said earlier, he fluffs a note here and there. Robert’s voice is still magnificent, but he can’t quite hit the highest of notes anymore. JPJ still, well, can you ever say you noticed him at a Zeppelin concert? He was always less of a showman than the rest but you can’t fault his performance here. Jason Bonham puts on a great show, hard as it is to compare to the beast-machine that was Bonzo. It’s good to see them bring it on home but I think they were much better in their early days than they are in their latter.

tinyk68

I went to the screening last night and loved it. I applied for concert tickets too to no avail but twenty million people applied so what chance had I of getting tickets.
I agree that they aren't as good as they were in their heyday but in fairness for old men they were fantastic. Robert Plant's voice was better than I expected it to be and Jimmy Page produced some magical moments (most notably the violin bow segment in "Dazed and Confused").
The only song that didn't work for me was "Since I've Been Loving You". It's one of my favourite Zeppelin songs and unfortunately Jimmy messed up the intro and never really got a solo going.
But there were some great performances. "Whole Lotta Love", "Ramble On" and "Kashmir" being three of the best in my opinion.
I also loved the vibe between all four of them. They looked like they were having a great time.
I will definitely buy the DVD when it comes out. I only wish I could have been at the real thing.

--Kaiser--

tinyk68 wrote: »

I went to the screening last night and loved it. I applied for concert tickets too to no avail but twenty million people applied so what chance had I of getting tickets.
I agree that they aren't as good as they were in their heyday but in fairness for old men they were fantastic. Robert Plant's voice was better than I expected it to be and Jimmy Page produced some magical moments (most notably the violin bow segment in "Dazed and Confused").
The only song that didn't work for me was "Since I've Been Loving You". It's one of my favourite Zeppelin songs and unfortunately Jimmy messed up the intro and never really got a solo going.
But there were some great performances. "Whole Lotta Love", "Ramble On" and "Kashmir" being three of the best in my opinion.
I also loved the vibe between all four of them. They looked like they were having a great time.
I will definitely buy the DVD when it comes out. I only wish I could have been at the real thing.

I definitely agree on Since I've Been Loving You. At one point I was thinking "I can play that song better than he's doing"

RodgersLFC

tinyk68 wrote: »

I went to the screening last night and loved it. I applied for concert tickets too to no avail but twenty million people applied so what chance had I of getting tickets.
I agree that they aren't as good as they were in their heyday but in fairness for old men they were fantastic. Robert Plant's voice was better than I expected it to be and Jimmy Page produced some magical moments (most notably the violin bow segment in "Dazed and Confused").
The only song that didn't work for me was "Since I've Been Loving You". It's one of my favourite Zeppelin songs and unfortunately Jimmy messed up the intro and never really got a solo going.
But there were some great performances. "Whole Lotta Love", "Ramble On" and "Kashmir" being three of the best in my opinion.
I also loved the vibe between all four of them. They looked like they were having a great time.
I will definitely buy the DVD when it comes out. I only wish I could have been at the real thing.

I disagree about SIBLY being messy, i thought it was great. It wasnt a flashy solo like he played during the 70's, it was more an old tired bluesman-type solo, which is what he is nowadays. I thought the interplay between him and Plant was great.

I was at the show in 2007 and the concert film really did the show justice. For a band that hadnt played a full show in 27 years, and had no warmup gig and no follow-up gigs planned, they really nailed it. And to be fair to Jimmy, he hadnt played live in 6 years at that point. You couldnt expect him to have nailed every note.

It was fantastic for what it was, and a great way for them to finish their career.

Roanmore

Went Wednesday night in Dungarvan, loved it (been to a few music films there and this was by far the biggest crowd). Sound was ropey for the first song, not too sure if it was the film or just the sound system in the cinema but it was superb after that.
Kashmir and The Song Remains the Same were the highlights for me but there were so many highlights I can't mention them all.

Jimmy Page must have the record for the most amount of face pulling in a 2 hour peroid.

poundhound

Re "I think they were much better in their early days than they are in their latter".

Nobody expects a rock band in their 60's to be as electrifying as they were back in the day.

And hearing those classic songs performed by the original members (bar Bonham Snr) is a big deal and makes the reunion/DVD release hugely worthwhile.

big b

The OP reads like it's written for publishing.

On the basis of "the seminal Song Remains the Same" (widely slagged by both fans & band ) & the somewhat unsurprising conclusion that Zep 2007 weren't quite the same force as Zep 1977, it's not a review that would have me signing up for a subscription.

Genuinely no offence intended, just found it a strange read.

In other news, all things considered I thought Zep 2007 did better than many would have expected. And it made a LOT of people happy & there's not much wrong with that.

Roanmore

big b wrote: »

On the basis of "the seminal Song Remains the Same" (widely slagged by both fans & band ) & the somewhat unsurprising conclusion that Zep 2007 weren't quite the same force as Zep 1977,.

Zep fan for over 30 years and I've watched SRTS only twice, bored me to tears. Can't wait to get Celebration Day DVD.

dr.bollocko

Roanmore wrote: »

Zep fan for over 30 years and I've watched SRTS only twice, bored me to tears. Can't wait to get Celebration Day DVD.

I love the song remains the same.

LOVE IT.

I havent seen this yet. Been busy getting married and whatnot.

--Kaiser--

Roanmore wrote: »

Zep fan for over 30 years and I've watched SRTS only twice, bored me to tears. Can't wait to get Celebration Day DVD.

Huh? Are you sure you're a Zeppelin fan? It showcases the brilliance of this band better than any album

RodgersLFC

TSRTS is good, but it pales compared to the 2003 Led Zeppelin DVD with the desert scene on the front. The greatest music DVD ever released and the holy grail for any Zep fan, surely.

big b

dr.bollocko wrote: »

I love the song remains the same.

LOVE IT.

I havent seen this yet. Been busy getting married and whatnot.

That's a pretty flimsy excuse, tbh Doc

I went to see the movie TSRTS every night for a week when it was released in '76 or whatever it was. It was the most stunning thing I'd seen & heard. Bought the soundtrack as soon it was out & loved it too.
But repeated playings started to show the cracks, the album is dubbed to death & the production was poor & these days I get much more out playing How The West Was Won.

I will say that the re-issue of TSRTS in 2007 was a massive improvement on the original (hardly surprising with the tech available 30 years later)

I'd never say it's a poor album, it's a great album. But it ain't the best showcase for the legend that was Led Zeppelin.

Roanmore

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

Huh? Are you sure you're a Zeppelin fan? It showcases the brilliance of this band better than any album

Wow! I'm not a Zep fan because I don't like a film that even the band themselves have been critical of. Shame on me for having an opinion.

Sugarlumps

Totally agree with Roanmore & Big B, TSRTS is dubbed to death. They apparently shot some of it at Shepperton studios in Surrey.

It didn't synch right, it's all in detail in the Peter Grant book. How was West was Won is mind blowing. Looking forward to Celebration Day.

patravers

I was at the O2 the gig was amazing I just hope the Blu ray does it justice.

RodgersLFC

Was at the O2 gig myself. It was a wonderful evening. I'm assuming the DVD/Blu-Ray set is out in Ireland this Friday, and worldwide on Monday. Really looking forward to it.

OldGoat

I found that closing my eyes during the film made it come to life. Seeing the aged JP was too distracting and when just listening the magic came back. When I did watch the film I loved the small details such as the 3 interlocking circles painted on the underneath of the crash cymbals and that JP had broken the nametags on the Orange amps to read Or..ge

rednik

Blu ray/DVD should be in stores here tomorrow.:)

RodgersLFC

OldGoat wrote: »

I found that closing my eyes during the film made it come to life. Seeing the aged JP was too distracting and when just listening the magic came back. When I did watch the film I loved the small details such as the 3 interlocking circles painted on the underneath of the crash cymbals and that JP had broken the nametags on the Orange amps to read Or..ge

Haha Jimmy Page is still the ultimate guitar hero, no matter how old he is or how sloppy his playing is at times! I thought his playing during the O2 gig was as good as its been since 75/77. Which was quite an achievement considering his lack of live performances in the last 10 years

rednik

The blu ray is superb.:)

RodgersLFC

rednik wrote: »

The blu ray is superb.:)

It's just a great, great release. Essential for any Zep / rock music fan. Jason's album notes are fantastic and emotional. Shows how much the gig meant to him and his family.

rednik

RodgersLFC wrote: »

It's just a great, great release. Essential for any Zep / rock music fan. Jason's album notes are fantastic and emotional. Shows how much the gig meant to him and his family.

I've no doubt that besides Percy they wanted to go on the road. Jimmy has promised new music forever but nothing comes of it with the exception of some remastered LZ. Jason continues to tour the Led Zeppelin experience mostly in the States.

RodgersLFC

rednik wrote: »

I've no doubt that besides Percy they wanted to go on the road. Jimmy has promised new music forever but nothing comes of it with the exception of some remastered LZ. Jason continues to tour the Led Zeppelin experience mostly in the States.

Always get the feeling from Jimmy that all he wants to do is go out with Plant and play Led Zeppelin music. If he cant do that, then he's not really interested. Which i guess is fair enough, considering the guy certainly doesnt need to tour, money wise. In the Mojo interview with Jones this month, Jones gives some details about the post-O2 plans they had which were scrapped - they had a load of new tunes written, were trying out singers, but Jimmy's heart wasnt in it.

Would love to hear some new music from him. He's too good just to slip into permanent retirement.

MagicMarker

Been watching some of this on Youtube, I know I shouldn't expect much but Jimmy Page can barely play the feckin' guitar anymore!! He can just about get by playing rhythm but he's sloppy as fúck playing lead.

rednik

Meeting the Pres,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4Q3zKfBRnI

rednik

On the David Letterman show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNC3TDsKhN0

OldRio

A one hour special edit of the concert on BBC2 this Saturday night at 2245hrs

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pc1nz

nyarlothothep

Who cares what age they are?! Lot of ageism on this thread. Jimmy Page was always sloppy and yeah he's gotten sloppier since, there's no pressure on him to prove anything, he is a seminal figure in guitar history. Kashmir was the highlight of the gig, seeing it on BBC, although I was slightly dissapointed they didn't go all out and hire a full orchestra, just for that song, would have been transcendentally epic, although it was still epic.

bodhrandude

rednik wrote: »

On the David Letterman show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNC3TDsKhN0

Letterman: "Can you describe the Led Zeppelin sound?"
John Paul Jones: "Durra durra durra durra." Lol.

dr.bollocko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edPEBB6VjRQ

Led Zeppelin - Live at the Royal Albert Hall 1970 (Full Concert)

rednik

Happy birthday Jimmy,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n2c7ST-3fI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWOuzYvksRw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaQ1gL_zgGQ

RodgersLFC

rednik wrote: »

Happy birthday Jimmy,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n2c7ST-3fI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWOuzYvksRw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaQ1gL_zgGQ

Achilles Last Stand from Knebworth is probably the greatest live performance I've ever seen.

DEFTLEFTHAND

If Bonzo is up there somewhere he'll by proud of Jason, my 61 year old auld man who saw Zeppelin live in the National Stadium in 71 says he can't even tell a difference.

Tigerbaby

God that Knebworth video brings me back. How long did they play? 3-4 hours I reckon. memories of walking away back to the Bus park about 1 am in the morning, and hearing them start up "Heartbreaker" as their final final final encore. turning and running back to catch it in all its glory.

The most incredible, exhausting gig I ever attended. ever!

and catching them in the Festhalle in Frankfurt the following year. only weeks before Bonham died. Seminal times.

big b

Tigerbaby wrote: »

God that Knebworth video brings me back. How long did they play? 3-4 hours I reckon. memories of walking away back to the Bus park about 1 am in the morning, and hearing them start up "Heartbreaker" as their final final final encore. turning and running back to catch it in all its glory.

The most incredible, exhausting gig I ever attended. ever!

and catching them in the Festhalle in Frankfurt the following year. only weeks before Bonham died. Seminal times.

Hmm, I think I saw you there. Were you the guy with long hair?:pac:

I was the guy with long hair & wearing jeans.

Tigerbaby

Nope. I was the guy muttering at the back with the banjo and the shotgun.

damn hippies!

rednik

2014 ?????????

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/robert-plant-led-zeppelin-reunion/

RodgersLFC

rednik wrote: »

2014 ?????????

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/robert-plant-led-zeppelin-reunion/

Page will be 70 by then. I wouldnt like to see it happen - I reckon if anything was ever going to happen with Zep again, it would've been in 2007/2008.

dr.bollocko

Are stairway to zeppelin still touring around ireland?

Sher it's the same thing. Give or take.

rednik

RodgersLFC wrote: »

Page will be 70 by then. I wouldnt like to see it happen - I reckon if anything was ever going to happen with Zep again, it would've been in 2007/2008.

I agree with you the 02 should be their swansong . Listening to Celebration Day although it is a magnificent concert, it shows Percy's limitations vocally. This was from 2007 and touring almost 7 years later just sounds crazy. It might have worked back then but not now. I doubt there is any truth to it, I just reckon Percy is getting it up for all the journalists who need headlines and after all the usual questions during the press conferences to publicise the DVD.

RodgersLFC

rednik wrote: »

I agree with you the 02 should be their swansong . Listening to Celebration Day although it is a magnificent concert, it shows Percy's limitations vocally. This was from 2007 and touring almost 7 years later just sounds crazy. It might have worked back then but not now. I doubt there is any truth to it, I just reckon Percy is getting it up for all the journalists who need headlines and after all the usual questions during the press conferences to publicise the DVD.

I'd love it if they played a couple of big gigs, and maybe did some new music - under another name. How about The Nobs? Or The Capricorns?

rednik

RodgersLFC wrote: »

I'd love it if they played a couple of big gigs, and maybe did some new music - under another name. How about The Nobs? Or The Capricorns?

Can you imagine the scramble for tickets.:eek: Maybe another Knebworth on this side and Woodstock in the States.

RodgersLFC

rednik wrote: »

Can you imagine the scramble for tickets.:eek: Maybe another Knebworth on this side and Woodstock in the States.

It would be the biggest tour in the history of rock music. I was at the 2007 gig myself and I'll never forget it. It would lessen the prestige of having attended that gig a little, but I can live with that - I'd love to follow em on tour.

rednik

RodgersLFC wrote: »

It would be the biggest tour in the history of rock music. I was at the 2007 gig myself and I'll never forget it. It would lessen the prestige of having attended that gig a little, but I can live with that - I'd love to follow em on tour.

Could do with a bit of this here this year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heUelN6p78Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6rM7dq9S4M