Happy 2018! Hope everyone has been having a good start to the new year so far.
This year is special as it marks 50 years since the birth of one of rock’s greatest treasures – Led Zeppelin. Singer Robert Plant, having recently released another solo record and toured for it, is pretty sick of being asked why he doesn’t want to have a reunion. He even said that people “dwelling on old crap” shows that writers “have nothing new to write about.” So, here’s another article to feed his fury about the topic even further.
Playing Old Songs Doesn’t Make Artists a “Fucking Jukebox”
One of the most frequent defenses Robert Plant uses when being questioned about a Led Zeppelin reunion is that he doesn’t want to be considered a “fucking jukebox…” if he plays his old songs. Well, guess what? He plays some Led Zeppelin songs on his solo tours anyway. And that’s probably the only reason a lot of people go to see him, is to hear those very songs. He wrote them, so it’s kind of ridiculous to get mad that people still want to hear him play them.
Guns N’ Roses, the Eagles, The Who, The Stones…none of them wrote new songs with their bands when they had reunions. Motley Crue didn’t write any new ones for their Final Tour. Neither did Sabbath. Playing even just a few final shows as Led Zeppelin would not put a halt on Plant’s solo career in any way.
Jason Bonham is basically John Bonham
Okay, that’s probably a loaded statement. No one is John Bonham, and no one ever will be. He was the best rock drummer to have lived. His thunderous pounding was more than just a contribution to Led Zeppelin’s songs – it was the backbone, and it’s not easy to replicate. Dave Grohl said he used to listen to John Bonham and sit there and try to imitate him, but he couldn’t understand how the monster played the way he did.
Jason Bonham is…very obviously, John Bonham’s son. He plays with Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin experience, and has been said to sound almost identical to his father when playing the tunes. He has also played with Plant, Page, and Jones on some reunion shows. So for Plant to say it’s not Zeppelin without Bonzo is a true statement, but it would be a great honor to have his son play with them, who is just about the closest thing we have to him today.
They Would Make an Absurd Amount of Money
NOT THAT THEY NEED IT. I know. We all know. They probably made enough money off their debut album alone to support them for the rest of their lives. It’s been said that they’ve been offered hundreds of millions, some have said even a billion dollars to do a reunion tour.
50 Years is a Pretty Big Deal
Honestly, many rockstars don’t even live to see 50 years of their career. 50 years is a big deal. The Rolling Stones did it, so did The Who. Bands like The Doors and The Beatles would probably be happy if they had all their members to do a reunion to celebrate that type of milestone. That’s HALF a CENTURY. Come on, guys.
They’re Legends.
Amongst the other reasons they should do a reunion tour, this one is the most important. Led Zeppelin came pounding into the music scene when we had The Beatles, The Stones, Simon & Garfunkel, The Mamas & The Papas, The Doors…and they bred a completely unique sound. They originated hard rock as we know it. No one played anything quite like that until the 70s rolled around and more artists picked up on their rigid sound. No one played guitar like that, bass and drums like that, or screamed like that.
Fans young and old alike would give an arm and a leg, would drop hundreds of dollars, would sell their soul to see their heroes reunite on stage. It’s not about the age, the fact that tons of other musicians have passed away, or that they don’t want to see them have successful individual careers.
It’s Led Zeppelin. The greatest rock band in the world.
