The Led Zeppelin tour John Bonham was terrified of playing: “I’ve got worse–terribly bad nerves”
Not everyone can be at the top of their game forever. Most people are just trying to make the best with what they have, and if the magic isn’t there on some occasions, it’s very difficult to try to recapture it again when it’s time to lay everything down in the studio. Although most would argue that John Bonham has never had that kind of dip, he admitted that his work around the time of Physical Graffiti showed him back drifting just a little.
Then again, anyone with half the power of Bonzo would have probably been set for life as a drummer. Despite being one of the greatest to ever pick up two sticks, there was a certain animalistic quality to every one of Bonham’s parts that made the song breathe differently than any other track on the radio.
Just listen to what happens in ‘Black Dog’, for example. Since Robert Plant is guiding everyone through the verses with his a cappella vocals, the pressure is on the drummer to make sure that everyone comes screaming in without a hitch, and despite always being a little bit behind the beat, Bonham always had a sense of precision that put him miles above anyone else trying just to play a straight rhythm.
When someone has been playing that much for so long, there will be a time when the body just gives out. It’s one thing for Bonham to have played some of the greatest drum fills of all time, but to be able to do the exact same thing with his hands instead of traditional sticks was bound to leave anyone feeling numb by the time they were done with any one of their sets.
By Physical Graffiti, though, they had hit upon a comfortable middle ground for their sound. Their earlier material could still fly off the handle just as much as it did in the beginning, but there were also more grandiose tunes like ‘Kashmir’, which led to Bonzo laying into a groove rather than just demolishing his kit for a few minutes.
That did nothing to help his confidence behind the scenes, eventually saying in 1975, “I’ve got worse–terribly bad nerves all the time. Once we start ‘Rock and Roll,’ I’m fine. I just can’t stand sitting around, and I worry about playing badly. It used to be worse at festivals. You might have to sit around for a whole day, and you daren’t drink, because you’ll get tired out and blow it.”
If you listen to The Song Remains the Same, though, no one would have thought this was someone lacking in confidence whenever he played. There may have been some moments where it felt like the wheels would fall off, but teetering on the edge like that is what made Zeppelin’s shows all the more exciting, with everyone trying to keep up with each other and sticking the landing nearly every time.
But for all of Bonham’s talent behind the kit, he seemed to be settling into a bit of a groove before he passed away following the recording of In Through the Out Door. All of the foundations for a new era of Zeppelin were ready to go, but no matter how little confidence he had playing during Physical Graffiti, it’s a testament to his playing that no other drummer has managed to eclipse him.
Never Miss A Beat
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