“Absolutely incredible”: The reunion that concert Mick Jagger adored
The reunion show is always a bit of a tricky beast for any band to tackle. For some fans, it’s clear that their favourite artists just want a paycheck when they start teasing the fact that they’re coming back, but sometimes it feels like the impossible happened, and giants of the industry reconcile their differences and become even stronger. And even though Led Zeppelin had lost nothing in the time since the 1980s, Mick Jagger was shellshocked that they had to let such a good thing go.
But out of human respect, there was no way that Zeppelin could have justifiably still gone on. John Bonham’s death is more than just a journeyman’s death in the rock community, and by the time everyone let the dust settle, the thought of not having that thunder behind them when working on a new project seemed unthinkable.
And it’s not like the members didn’t want to do other things as well. Looking at what Robert Plant did on Shaken N’ Stirred would have probably never been possible if it was still under the Zeppelin label, and while The Firm was practically created for Page to get over Bonham’s death, it does his chemistry with Paul Rodgers is still undeniable listening to tracks like ‘Radioactive’.
Then again, any proper reunion amongst Zeppelin would have been more than a little bit awkward, considering Page and Plant went out on the road without John Paul Jones. When they did come back together for what became Celebration Day with Bonham’s son, Jason, performing, none of them seemed to be struggling, with Plant putting even more interesting elements into his singing style.
This should have been the kickoff point for a tour, but as soon as it seemed like everyone had the greatest hard rock band back, Plant ended the entire thing. It was clear that he had his mind set on working in different areas, as he did with Allison Krauss, and no one could blame him for not wanting a job where he was expected to look exactly like he did in his 20s.
Still, Jagger thought that it was a fantastic testament to how good they were back in the day, saying, “I saw their last concert. They were absolutely incredible and I was so disappointed that they didn’t actually go out on tour and do it, but that’s their business and not mine.”
Of all people, though, Jagger should probably know what kind of challenges are there for Plant when it comes time to sing. ‘Percy’ had put his vocal cords through their paces constantly throughout Zeppelin’s career, so the idea of keeping up that intensity feels like an impossible task. And no matter how much they would love to see them live, chances are no one wants to see a reunited Led Zeppelin and hear Plant’s voice crack the minute that he goes for the high note at the top of ‘Immigrant Song’.
To his credit, Plant is also switching it up whenever he performs live as well and will throw in updated versions of his older songs, whether that be a folksy version of ‘Gallows Pole’ or letting Krauss take the female part in ‘The Battle of Evermore’. All the surviving members are still standing and making great music, but the chaotic group that founded hard rock all the way back in the late 1960s maybe should be a thing of the past.
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