It’s time for most people to make peace with the fact that no member of Led Zeppelin needs to get together again.
Continuing without John Bonham was a no-brainer, and any chance of them doing a reunion would always be a one-off. But despite Robert Plant’s insistence, some people could sweet-talk him into donning his ‘Percy’ persona one more time.
If anything, Jimmy Page has always seemed to be most enthusiastic about getting the group back together. It’s not like the guitar legend needs the money or has remained completely dormant over the years or anything, but if you watch the documentary It Might Get Loud, he truly loves the idea of playing, and nothing would satisfy him more than playing tracks like ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and ‘Rock and Roll’ live.
But ever since Zeppelin’s split, Plant has always been adamant about washing his hands of his old group. The death of Bonzo was always going to be a big sticking point for them, but Plant always felt the need to evolve, and no matter how many times he might try to channel his old self, he knew there was no sense in trying to act like he was 22 all over again. Then again, there was always going to be that craving people had to hear those old songs one more time.
And none were more proud of Zeppelin’s work than Ahmet Ertegun. From the moment Zeppelin had signed to Atlantic Records, Ertegun had always been a champion of the group, and even when they went in some strange directions that no other group was going in, he was always by their side making sure it all went off without a hitch.
Even though the remaining members had to deal with losing core pieces of their sound, Plant remembered Ertegun’s death giving him the incentive to bring back Zeppelin, saying, “I got very close to Ahmet in the last few years, even though I was no longer connected with Atlantic Records. I was aware when he passed that it would be unthinkable for me not to do something. It doesn’t matter if it (the show) is good or bad. The most important thing is that you feel good in your heart about doing something that’s extraordinary.”
And while Jason Bonham would have to stand in for his old man, it did feel like fans were transported back to 1975 when they first started up. Plant’s voice may have been getting used to hitting some of those notes again, but even through that mane of shaggy hair, people could still glimpse the old ‘Golden God’ if they looked hard enough.
Ever since the reunion, though, Plant doesn’t seem to want to go back for another Zeppelin show. Any of the older Zeppelin reunions were either one-offs or an excuse to have fun, but the last thing he wants to be is a nostalgia act half the time. And considering his work with Allison Krauss has been doing so well, he’s more than happy to embrace his inner folkie and maybe slip in ‘The Battle of Evermore’ or ‘Gallows Pole’ into the set every once in a while.
If the band were to never come together again, though, Celebration Day is a fantastic way for them to bow out gracefully. There’s going to be no shortage of people calling for the reunion as long as the members are still standing, but Plant knew it was better to hold onto his integrity and make the music that he wanted than try to live the vision that hardcore Zeppelin fans had for him.